Consolidated "Grilling" thread
 

For those of you who are backyard barbecuers, share your expertise here:

I'll go first: Scrape the grates as soon as you're done cooking, while it's still hot.

Marinade!!!

Simply putting some chicken in a ziplock bag full of italian dressing for a couple hours before grilling will work wonders.

If using charcoal, make sure you wait till the stuff is burned down pretty good. Don't want flame-ups.

Fish is best done in aluminum foil. It cooks better (more circulated heat) and there is *some* evidence to suggest that fish cooked on the grill directly results in carcinogens.

Preheat. Get that grill really, really hot before you put anything on it to sear.

A quick side dish I quite enjoy is called the "hobo pack." You cut up zucchini and squash into slices, salt and pepper, and then put in aluminum foil and grill for about 30 minutes. Delicious!

If doing burgers, it is best to think thick. They lose some girth when they cook and you don't want to end up with little White Castle BS burgers.

Make good use of that cover! It keeps the inside of the grill much hotter and you'll get a furter convection this way. I grill nearly everything covered.

One common mistake is that you need a ton of charcoal: not true! You make a small pyramid and let that sucker burn. You don't need to use the whole bag with each bbq, particularly if you use the cover like you're supposed to.

Clean it!!!

Clean your charcoal barbecue after each use, once the grill has cooled down - a wire brush and warm soapy water is all that is needed - little and often is secret. Your gas barbecue can be cleaned by simply burning off the grill for 10 minutes.

Remove meat and poultry from the fridge an hour before cooking and leave covered in a cool kitchen or garage until required. This will help bring the food back to an ambient temperature, and will result in a more succulent cooked result rather than a charred, dried offering!

Prepare dressings for salads and marinades for the barbecue in advance to be one step ahead of yourself – and the changeable weather! Do as much preparation ahead of time as possible.

Tools:

It is best to skin the cat and cut into quarters before grilling.

Remove your steak 15-20 minutes form the fridge before cooking
Use bricks covered in foil to press down chicken, makes it crispy
Brine
Make your own rub and BBQ sauce
Grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream are absolutely wonderful
Tenderize your meat, don't pound it until it looks like a slice of ham
Steak should not be eaten with "steak sauce"
Don't overcook steak
After cooking steak, cover them in aluminum foil and let them rest for 10 minutes, the juices need to redistribute