At its core, grilling is one of the simplest forms of cooking over fire. But even here, a few practical tips can make all the difference and help ensure nothing goes wrong.
Always soak wooden skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes before threading on meat, fish or vegetables – otherwise they are likely to catch fire on the grill. Metal skewers are the safer alternative, but be careful: they become extremely hot and can easily cause burns at the table.
Always allow large cuts of meat to rest for 10 to 15 minutes after grilling. This gives the juices time to redistribute evenly throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and succulent texture.
The best minced meat is freshly ground meat. While a home meat grinder delivers the most consistent results, freshly minced meat from your butcher on the same day is still far superior to pre-packaged supermarket alternatives.
High-quality lump charcoal burns hotter than briquettes and delivers a noticeably better flavour. For high-temperature grilling and premium cuts of meat, charcoal is therefore the preferred choice.
Place the glowing charcoal on only one side of the grill to create two distinct cooking zones: a hot zone (230–260°C / 446–500°F) for proper searing and a cooler indirect zone without open flames caused by dripping fat or marinade. After all, burnt food is the exact opposite of perfectly grilled food.
