Master the grill with these must-know grilling tips that will make sure you have grilling success all year round. You will have guaranteed confidence to make perfectly grilled steaks, burgers, chicken and more. Whether you’re a backyard BBQ pro or just starting out, these expert grilling hacks will elevate every bite!
Grilling is for everyone!
You do not have to be a grill expert to have a perfectly grilled burger or trip-tip or steak. With the right tips and tools – and a little confidence – anyone can achieve a deliciously grilled meal.
I have started grilling as a teenager and have used everything from a gas grill to an electric smoker to a good old charcoal grill (still my personal favorite). I have years (fine, decades) of experience grilling, but even a few basics will always help with any type of grilling you will be doing and create the perfect result.
We are all beginners at some point and if cooking on the grill seems very intimidating, I assure you that it is not as hard or scary as it looks. What is holding you back? Is turning the grill on confusing? How long do I cook the meat? At what temperature? What do I even need? These are all very valid questions and ones I will help you answer!
You don’t need a huge patio or an expensive setup to get started. A small charcoal or tabletop gas grill can do the job just fine. Pair it with a good pair of tongs, a meat thermometer, and maybe a basting brush, and you’re good to go.
I love cooking on the grill and love the flavor it brings. Grilling also brings out natural sugars and juices in your food, giving it a depth and richness you don’t get from boiling or microwaving. Nothing beats a good sear or grill marks on your favorite cut of meat, fish, chicken, veggies, pizza, and even fruit! The satisfaction of eating something you cooked over an open flame is an experience everyone needs to try.
In this post I’m sharing all my tips, tricks, and knowledge for making the best meal ever on your backyard grill.
Tips at a Glance
If you want to see the tips at a glance, here you go! For more detail and info on the why behind each tip, keep reading!
- Prep the meat with marinades and seasonings.
- Prep the grill.
- Use a meat thermometer.
- Know when to flip.
- Don’t press down on the meat.
- Know how to cook with direct and indirect heat.
- Don’t open the lid too much.
- Don’t just grill meat. You can grill veggies, fruit, pizza, bread, and dessert.
- After grilling, let meat rest.
- Know how to cut against the grain of meat.
Before Grilling
- Prep the Meat. – The best thing you can do is read over the recipe and gather all the ingredients you need. If the recipe calls for specific seasoning or a marinade you will need to prep the meat or poultry the night before or hours before you start grilling. A good marinade or seasoning will make or break the meal. Some of my favorite marinades are my Best Chicken Marinade, Greek Marinade, or my ever popular Marinated Beef Kabobs. Give it some time and let those meats soak in all that delicious flavor. If your meat is frozen, make sure it is thawed. Also, let your meat and poultry come to room temperature before grilling. It will cook more evenly. Do you need to do any slicing or trimming of fat before you grill? Make sure it is all done and ready to go.
- Prep the grill. First thing first- do you know how to start your grill? If not, ask someone to show you or watch some videos. There are plenty of resources out there to help so this shouldn’t be a roadblock to prevent you from grilling. Before you start grilling, make sure your grill is clean. Preheat the grill and use a grill brush to make sure the grates are clean. You may even want to rub them with a little oil by soaking a couple of paper towels in oil first and using tongs to rub the grill grates with the paper towels. Preheating the grill will also ensure a good nice sear. Taking care of your grill like this not only extends the life of your grill, which can be an expensive investment, but it also ensures the tastiest results from your grilling! Also, remember to clean your grill AFTER cooking while it is still hot so that it is ready for your next backyard cookout!
While Grilling
- Use a meat thermometer. This will be your number one tool for grilling those meats and fish and poultry at the perfect temperature. It is essential for safe and delicious cooking. Do you always second guess if your chicken is done? No more guessing with a meat thermometer. Beyond safety, a thermometer also helps avoid overcooking, so your meat stays juicy and flavorful. Meat can be expensive and you don’t want to ruin a meal by overcooking it! I have a quick grilling guide below that will help you know what temperature your food needs to be at. Whether you’re grilling chicken, roasting beef, or searing pork chops, a quick temperature check gives you confidence and consistency.
- Know when to flip. With grilling, you may find there isn’t a one size fits all. Everyone has their particular way of grilling and doneness they want for their meats. For steaks there is a general rule some use which is a “3-3-2-2” method, which involves searing each side for 3 minutes, then flipping again for 2 minutes on each side. If you want a good grill mark, flip less. For burgers and chicken however, only flip once. Your meats should release easily when they are ready to flip. If it is sticking to the grill, let them cook longer on that side. If it is a thicker cut of meat, you may need to flip more than once to ensure even cooking. Regardless of how many times you flip, just make sure your meat is at a temperature that is safe for eating by checking with a meat thermometer.
- Don’t press down on the meat. While you are grilling, it may seem very tempting to press down on that hamburger, steak, or chicken and get that good sizzling sound, but you must resist! That sizzling sound is all the wonderful flavor dripping away into steam. You want to retain that moisture and flavor so you don’t have dried out meat.
- How to use direct and indirect heat. Direct heating is best for foods that cook high and fast. You will cook things like burger, hot dogs, steaks, and thin cuts of meat directly over the flame. For indirect heating think low and slow. Heat the grill to the desired temperature with the burners on only one side of the grill. Foods such as whole chickens, ribs, roasts, thick cuts of meat will need that extra time to cook, but on the cooler side of the grill away from the open flame. For some foods like tri-tip you will want to sear first then move away from the heat to continue cooking.
- Don’t open the lid too much. Keeping the lid closed while grilling will keep the temperature inside nice and even. If you have a thinner cut of meat that will cook quickly like shrimp, thin pork chops, or burgers you can leave the lid up which will slow the cooking process by decreasing the temperature. For thicker cuts of meat, it is best to grill with the lid closed to maintain heat and even cooking. But truthfully, I will almost always just close the lid because I am usually multitasking and prepping something else and will walk away for a minute. Especially for burgers, I like to close the lid to help the cheese melt quicker. If there is wind or a cold chill, you will want to keep that lid closed as much as you can. But, if you get easily distracted and don’t want to leave the grill and you just want a good sear and a quick cook, for thin cuts of meat it’s ok to leave the lid open and just keep an eye on it.
- Grilling is not just for meat!– Grilling is actually quite versatile and can be used for a wide range of foods. Don’t forget about grilling pizza, fruit crisps or cobblers, grilled veggies for my Grilled Veggie Quesadilla, or even garlic bread. You can sear and cook bigger vegetables like corn, peppers, large cuts of zucchini, whole asparagus directly on the grill or you can use a grill basket for smaller vegetables that might slip through the grill grates. You can use a grill basket like this one to grill a medley of veggies. Fruit like peaches, lemons, or pineapples will grill very nicely. Grilled peaches with a scoop of ice cream is a favorite summer treat.
After Grilling
- Let the meat rest. Letting your chicken, meat, and fish, rest after grilling is essential. While it is resting, the juices will redistribute allowing for a juicier and more tender final product. The muscle fibers will relax resulting in a tender finish. You can also let the meat finish cooking while resting ensuring a foolproof way to prevent overcooking. Just take it off the grill right before it hits the temperature you want it at. Smaller cuts of meat will need anywhere from 5-10 minutes of resting and larger cuts will need 10-20 minutes of resting. All you need to do is plate the food and loosely tent the chicken, meat, fish with a layer of tinfoil to keep the heat in.
- Cut against the grain. Meat has muscle fibers that cause striations or lines on the meat. You can see in the picture below the lines running down the meat. You will want to cut perpendicular to those lines to “cut against the grain”. In doing so, you will have cuts of meat with less muscle fibers producing a more tender bite of meat that is easier to chew and digest.
Grilling tools
It’s nice to have your tools ready to go. Here are some basic grilling tools I like to use.
- Grilling Tongs – You don’t need to go fancy for Grilling Tongs, which help flip your meat and chicken. I like the long handles so you are farther away from the heat. And always make sure they are stainless steel.
- Meat Thermometer – I love the ThermoPro brand and have been happy with their products. This meat thermometer is more budget friendly and you can use it for all your cooking, baking, and grilling. This one is also a more budget friendly option for grilling. This thermometer is still reasonably priced and has a wireless digital probe so you can monitor the temperature of the meat and know exactly when to pull it off the grill.
- Grill Brush – This will keep your grill nice and clean. If you need a grill brush, I like this one because it is bristle free so no risk of getting pieces of metal in your food.
- Basting Brush – A basting brush is great for “painting” on those delicious sauces and marinades during your grilling. This basting brush is great with the long handle and holds the sauce well.
- Food Prep Tray – It’s nice to have a good prep tray for prepping your meat. I also like this set because it has a deeper try for marinating your food.
- Good Slicing Knife – Having a good sharp knife is crucial for cutting your meat. This is one area I would maybe splurge a bit. Having a nice slicing knife like this one will make your job so much easier. I also LOVE this little set of knives and use them all the time. They work great for chopping or trimming fat off your meat.
Grill Anytime!
Grilling isn’t just for summer weekends or special occasions—it’s for Tuesday night dinner, rainy day experiments (yes, some people grill in the rain), and quick lunches with serious flavor. It’s a skill that’s easy to learn, incredibly rewarding, and endlessly customizable.
Grab some friends, make it potluck style so everyone can bring a side, and grill away! Show off your new skills! And if you want to try a new skill of smoking your food, I have some amazing recipes that will help you perfect those skills. Check out some of my favorite smoker recipes here!
And don’t forget, a good sauce will elevate your meal. These sauces are perfect additions to your amazing grilled recipes. Like my Alabama White BBQ Sauce, Yum Yum Sauce, Greek Tzatziki Sauce, or Carolina Mustard Based BBQ Sauce. So good!
Grill Expert
I hope you feel more confident with your grilling and if you’ve never grilled before, give it a shot. You might just find a new favorite way to cook- and eat. Do you want a few beginner-friendly recipes to get started? Read below!
Start with basics like burgers, hot dogs, or veggie skewers. These are nearly foolproof and build your confidence quickly. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be surprised how naturally it comes.
First off, don’t miss my burgers 101 post! It’s all about how to grill the best burger!
More Favorite Grilling Recipes
- Brown Sugar Soy Sauce Salmon
- Perfect Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet BBQ Pork Rub
- Huli Huli Chicken
- Marinated Beef Kabobs
- Sriracha Mayo Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops
- Grilled Chicken Shawarma Wraps
- Jalapeno Popper Burgers
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
