Kill Grill Vol. 1
everything you’re doing wrong on the grill
What in the flaming fuck is going on y’all? We hope you’re enjoying your first kinda summery weekend. May it be filled with outdoor cooking and hardly any first degree shoulder sunburns. That’s right, it’s finally grilling season but your skills need an upgrade. Who doesn’t love standing around an open fire pit on a hot day with a cold drink listening to food sizzle? It soothes the most primitive corners of our monkey brains. And while grilling itself leaves plenty of room for error, there are still a surprising amount of people who don’t understand the basics to get the most out of their food. So take it from us, who’ve cooked it all from slow smoking mesquite to charcoal chimneys to gas grills. Whatever your method, there are some universal truths to taming the flame.
Choose your fighter
People will argue gas vs charcoal till their food gets burnt but ultimately it comes down to what works best for you. There’s a buncha bullshit theories out there we won’t get into but it’s important to understand a few key differences between the two. Gas or propane grills are easier to clean, they fire up and cool down quickly, but they’re more expensive. Charcoal grills are far more affordable but they take a bit more finesse while cooking. They take longer to heat up (consider a charcoal chimney to help with this) and usually cook food slower than gas. Also cleaning old ash and coals can be messy. They each have their pros and cons so that decision is up to you. Not your nosy ass neighbor.
Get it hot. Keep it hot
This seems obvious but we’ve watched some of y’all start cooking on a cold grill and holy shit what tf are you doing. Like we mentioned last week, you never start cooking on a cold pan and the same applies to the grill. Ideally you want the temp to reach 400°C before you even think about adding food. Most grills come with a temperature gauge but if you’re using a cheap tried-and-true charcoal grill, you want the coals glowing red. Getting the grill hot is one thing, keeping it hot is another. We’ll never understand why in the 21st fucking century anyone would cook with the grill top open. You toss the food on and for some reason stand there with the lid open while you make small talk with the slowly gathering primates. CLOSE.THE.FUCKING.LID. All that hard work you did just to get the temperature up is quickly undone every time you open the lid. And if you’re using coals, this goes double for you. Would y’all bake with the oven door open too? Lord.
Metal Pushers
Absolutely under no circumstances should plastic be anywhere near the grill. We don’t give a damn if it’s your favorite spatula or the container you’re transferring food in. This is a zero plastic zone. Melted plastic is an easy way to not just fuck up your food but also ruin your grill. And while you’re at it, toss a hand towel over your shoulder, this will help you handle opening/closing the hot lid as well as keep your hands clean when handling food.
Grease of Mind
Tired scraping charred burgers off the grill grate? If your food is sticking, it’s because you didn’t oil the grill. Any cooking oil will work but we’d recommend something with a high smoke point like peanut, sunflower or avocado oil. Olive oil will do the trick but it’s gonna reach its smoke point instantly so you can def do better. After you’ve brushed the grate clean, take a paper towel with some oil on it and run it over the grates again. Obviously do this while the grate is cold but if you’ve already got the heat going, just use your METAL tongs to brush the grate with an oil soaked paper towel. Now your food should be much easier to handle without you scraping it to hell and back.
What you put on your grill is up to you but our website, as well as our books, has a shitload of grill-friendly recipes. Like our Elotes or the Basmati Stuffed Grilled Peppers, both incredibly easy recipes for beginners. Our Lazy Hunt Burger grills up real nice if you chill it first and is a classic at our cookouts. Or if you really want to impress people, try the Grilled Romaine Salad because any chucklehead can grill a burger but salad? Now that’s skills to pay the bills.
Speaking of grilling greens, paid supporters of The Broiler Room got a recipe for Charred Cabbage Slaw in last week’s newsletter and this week we kicked off a new series: Salsa Lessons. Yeah, we’ve got new salsas coming each week starring a different main ingredient. First up we’ve got tomatillos. Not a supporter? Well there’s an easy way to fix that. Sign up today for fresh recipes, access to the back catalog of Broiler Room exclusives, and merch discount codes.
We’ll revisit this again around July 4th with Kill Grill Vol.2 but for now you should be more than equipped to handle the grill without burning your eyebrows off. Enjoy the weekend y’all and don’t forget the sunscreen.
Matt and Michelle
Good read ! Team gas here 😊