6 BBQ Hacks to Elevate Your Grilling Game
At Chad’s BBQ, we specialize in serving delicious meats. Whether you’re hosting a small backyard BBQ or throwing a big party, the quality of the food you serve matters. We have the insider secrets on smoked and grilled meats, helping you elevate your cooking techniques. Using our tips and tricks, you can wow guests from all over. Use these elite BBQ hacks at your next celebration.
1. Skip the Wire Grill Brush
Wire grill brushes have been used for decades to clear the grill for the next delicious meal. However, they can pose serious health risks to your friends and family. When it comes to safety-centered BBQ hacks, this one is pivotal.
When your grill brush sheds wire bristles, they can hang around the grill and become lodged in your food. You might not always see smaller bristles, so your guests could end up swallowing them. Sharp wire bristles can cause damage to the throat, esophagus, stomach, and intestines. You can avoid these risks entirely by using an alternative grill cleaner:
- DIY tinfoil brush
- Wooden scraper
- Stone block
- Soft-fiber brush
- Stainless steel scraper
All of these options are much safer and can even be more effective at cleaning your grill.
2. Soak Your Skewers Before Grilling
From meat sticks to vegetable kebabs, skewers are essential for tasty backyard BBQs and yummy grilling adventures. However, things can get complicated when your skewers turn black.
Are you tired of dealing with charred, burnt skewers? One of the best BBQ hacks for kebabs involves soaking the skewers in water, alcohol (like beer or wine), or juice for 30 minutes to an hour before grilling. This trick ensures your skewers won’t become charred while grilling.
Other BBQ hacks prevent skewers from burning, but soaking is the simplest method. For stress-free grilling, use the time you spend preparing your veggies and meat to let the skewers rest in a liquid-filled bowl.
3. Learn How to Smoke Food on the Grill
Smokers can infuse meat dishes with a unique, delectable flavor, but they can be expensive and heavy to lug around. Even if you don’t have a smoker, you can still transform your grill into a low-and-slow cooking machine with the right BBQ hacks.
Charcoal grills work best for maintaining the low, steady temperatures required to smoke various types of meat. However, you can try your hand at smoking with gas grills as well. The most important mantra to remember is “Slow and steady wins the race.”
To cook the perfect smoked meat, you must keep the internal grill temperature consistent. You can blend different techniques, including indirect charcoal burning and airflow restriction, to get that delicious smoky flavor you know and love.
Make sure you read the meat’s internal temperature before serving it. The general meat safety guidelines are:
- Brisket: 145 °F
- Ribs: 145 °F
- Burgers: 160 °F
- Steak: 160 °F
- Tenderloin: 145 °F
- Chicken: 165 °F
- Turkey: 165 °F
- Seafood: 145 °F
Certain meats, like steak, are safe to eat at slightly lower temperatures (like 145°F). Ask your guests how “done” they’d like their meat before pulling it off your makeshift smoker.
4. Use Water to Check Your Propane Tank Level
Nothing is more inconvenient than running out of propane at the last minute. Save time and stress by easily checking your propane tank’s level using warm water.
Warm water interacts with the propane inside the tank to cause a cooling effect on the surface, allowing you to easily find where your propane starts on the side of the tank.
Pour warm water over the tank, letting it run down the sides. Use your fingers to feel for coolness on the side of the tank, feeling downward. The cool spot indicates your propane level.
5. Save Fat and Grease for Later
Fat is a by-product of cooking meat, specifically beef and pork. Instead of letting it go to waste, you can save the fat by using a skillet to grill your meat. Cast iron skillets are the best choice, allowing for even cooking and optimal flavor.
You can use leftover fat to add flavor to grilled vegetables, coat your cast iron skillet, and fry culinary creations. Many folks enjoy the taste of roasted potatoes drizzled with beef fat.
Beef fat can also be used to make beef tallow, which is a key ingredient in homemade skin care and beauty products. Unconventional BBQ hacks aside, remember the golden rule: Never pour the fat down the sink or in any drains.
6. Use Citrus Fruits to Balance Seafood Flavors
When grilling or smoking salmon and other seafood, you need the right mixture of flavor profiles. Citrus fruits like lemon, orange, and lime offset the fishy flavors some guests don’t like. Incorporating citrus with seafood is one of the best BBQ hacks.
Citrus slices also make grilling seafood easier by preventing filets from falling through the grates. Simply place the slices on the grill and lay your fish or shrimp on top of them for easy, delicious cooking.
After cooking, you can serve the citrus slices as garnishes or use them to flavor grilled vegetables. You can even place them in a bowl of fruit to add a hint of smokey goodness to the mix!
Skip the BBQ Hacks and Just Get the BBQ
These BBQ hacks are useful, but not when you’re too tired to cook. While home grilling and smoking can be incredibly tasty and rewarding, you’re not always in the mood to do it.
At Chad’s BBQ, we serve up the tastiest BBQ in the area, allowing you to relax and enjoy the flavors without any of the hard work. You can also order catering to spice up your next backyard party or gathering. Explore our menus to get started!
