Become a Grill Master This Weekend

Summer is upon us and, along with it, grilling season. We've got plenty of tips and tricks to help you become a grill master this weekend.

Note: If you don't have a great grill just yet, choose from any of these five great options.

Get the Right Tools

When you're at the grill, it helps to have the right tools. Here are a few we've found over the years that can make your job a bit easier and your food better:

• Grill Clips take the hassle out of grilling smaller vegetables. Asparagus, for example, can slip through the surface and into the fire. Grill Clips bundle the smaller items together so they can't escape.
• Stake combines a spatula, fork, and tongs into one grilling multi-tool.
• The Weber 3-Piece Set gives you a solid spatula, form, and tongs separately (if you prefer them that way).
• Kabob Baskets keep your kabobs in order.

You don't need everything on that list?in fact, getting it all would leave you with quite a bit of redundancy?so stick with what you need for what you want to grill. Ultimately, a good spatula, fork, and tongs will give you enough to work with.

Get Some Good Recipes

You need a good set of recipes, whether simple or complex, to produce some great food. We like Weber's On the Grill for a comprehensive guide, but here are a few other specific options:

Learn to Cook Meats

Plan on grilling hotdogs? You can achieve a perfect spiral if you know how to cut the dog beforehand. This increases the grilling surface and enhances the flavor. Marinating your dogs can also provide a killer flavor boost. A good marinade can work with steaks and fruit, too. If you've never made a marinade before, learn the basics before you dive in.

Speaking of steaks, a few things can improve the final product. First, know your steak grilling myths so you don't fall victim to any common errors. Second, you can improve a lesser cut of meat by covering it in salt an hour before you grill. Third, a quick freeze will earn you Steakhouse-quality crust. Finally, you need to know when your steak is ready to eat. While that moment will depend upon how rare or well-done you like your meat, you can test its doneness by just touching your thumb to your pointer finger.

What about chicken? You can figure out when chicken is ready using this tip from Serious Eats:

"Remember that the last part on the whole chicken to finish cooking is always the joint between the leg and the thigh. The easiest way to tell if your chicken is perfect is a simple twist test. Twist a chicken leg with your fingers. If it doesn't budge, it isn't done. If it spins like a roulette wheel in Las Vegas, it has cooked too long. Ideally you want to feel slight tension and then a release of the joint.

If you want to maintain a juicier grilled chicken, you should (seriously) cook it under a brick. As for burgers, you gave us some of the best tips, but we have a few good ones, too. Regardless of what you're cooking, make sure you know where to put it on the grill for the best results.

Clean Up Easily

After a day of grilling, you might find the need to clean but not have the energy to do it. Not to worry?you can just stick many of the dirty parts of your grill in the oven and then use the oven's self-cleaning setting to handle the job for you. If you'd rather keep it all together, stick half an onion on a fork and use it to tidy up. If not of that works for you, try a coffee bath.

Have a great weekend (and a great meal)!

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