Grilling Tips

• Place your grill on a flat, level surface so it won't tip over. Make sure it's located away from overhangs, fences, deck railings and shrubbery that could be ignited by a sudden flare-up or flying spark.
• Position the grill in a well-ventilated location. Never barbecue indoors as toxic, odorless fumes (carbon monoxide) can build up.
• Keep children and pets away from the grill when it's in use.

For great-tasting barbecue, the makers of KC Masterpiece® Barbecue Sauces, Marinades and Seasonings recommend grilling with Kingsford® Charcoal briquets. Follow these easy steps:

• Arrange Kingsford® Charcoal briquets in a pyramid at the bottom of the grill.
• Add approximately four squirts (2 oz.) of Kingsford® lighter fluid to the center of the Kingsford® Charcoal briquets and carefully light with a match.
• When coals are ready for cooking, spread them in a single layer or bank them, set the grilling grid in place and put on the food.

• Rub the grilling surface with vegetable oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray before grilling to prevent food from sticking. You can also brush a light coat of oil onto your meat just before placing it on the grill.
• Trim excess fat from meats, especially roasts and steaks, to prevent flare-ups. Keep fat trimmed to ¼" or less.
• Prevent sudden flare-ups by using a marinade on meats prior to cooking.
• Use tongs or a spatula to turn food. Poultry and meat can lose flavorful juices and moistness when pierced by a fork.
• Brush the grilling surface (once it's cooled) with a wired brush to remove any stuck-on food.

• Place the cover on the grill, close the vents and allow the coals to burn out completely. Let the ashes cool for at least 48 hours and then dispose of them in a non-combustible container.
• If you must dispose of coals before they've completely cooled, remove them individually with long-handled tongs and carefully bury them in a can of sand or in a bucket of water. Never pour the hot coals into a pail of water, or vice versa. Steam from the Kingsford® Charcoal briquets may burn you.

• Never add lighter fluid directly to hot coals to get a sluggish fire going again. The flame could travel up the stream of fluid and burn you.
• Never use gasoline or kerosene to light a charcoal fire. Both can cause an explosion.
• Never use aerosol spray oils over hot coals.
• Do not close the lid until you are ready to cook. Doing so might put out the fire or cause a rush of flame when the lid is removed. Closing the lid prematurely also can prevent charcoal lighter fluid from completely burning away, giving foods an off flavor.
• Remember, coals get HOT – up to 1000 degrees. Use insulated, flame-retardant mitts when cooking or handling any part of the grill. Also, use long-handled barbecue tongs and utensils for safe handling of food and coals.

Cooking directly over the coals is best for foods that take less than 30 minutes to grill, including boneless chicken, steaks, fish fillets, hamburgers and hot dogs.

• Position and cook food directly over briquets.

Similar to oven roasting, this method is recommended for foods that are higher in fat and take longer than 30 minutes to cook. These foods include roasts, whole turkeys, bone-in chicken, ribs and briskets. It's a good way to prevent burning since heat circulates around the food.

• Bank Kingsford® Charcoal briquets on one or both sides of a drip pan on the lower grid.
• Place food on the grill, centered over a drip pan.
• Close the grill lid to contain heat and seal in smoky flavor.
• Add water, apple juice or other flavored liquids to the drip pan to provide extra moistness and flavor to food, if desired.

The number of Kingsford® Charcoal briquets required for grilling depends on the size and type of grill, the type of food being cooked and the weather. Use the following as general rules of thumb:

• For food cooked using the direct grilling method, it takes about 30 Kingsford® Charcoal briquets to grill one pound of meat or poultry. Charcoal should extend about one inch beyond the area the food will cover so the food cooks evenly all around.
• For foods cooked using the indirect grilling method on a full-size covered grill, use approximately 25 Kingsford® Charcoal briquets on each side of the drip pan for up to one hour of cooking time. For each additional 50 minutes of cooking time, add eight new Kingsford® Charcoal briquets to each side of the drip pan.
• For foods that require more than one hour to cook, new Kingsford® Charcoal briquets should be added periodically to make sure the food is cooked thoroughly. Add 16 to 18 new Kingsford® Charcoal briquets for each additional hour of cooking time. Additional Kingsford® Charcoal briquets should be added to the outside edges of the charcoal as the original coals reach their cooking temperature. Move the new Kingsford® Charcoal briquets to the center of the fire when they're ashed over.
• If you're grilling on an especially windy day, in cold temperatures or in high humidity, use a few more Kingsford® Charcoal briquets than normal to make sure the fire stays hot enough to thoroughly cook food.

• Good quality charcoal briquets – like new Kingsford® Sure Fire Grooves® Charcoal briquets – should be ready in about 15 minutes. They should be at least 70 percent covered with ash and have a slight red glow.
• To estimate the temperature of the coals, hold your hand, palm side down, about six inches above the coals. Count "one thousand one, one thousand two, etc.," until the heat is uncomfortable and you have to pull your hand away. If you can keep your hand in place for:
  • 2 seconds – it's hot, about 375 degrees or more
  • 3 seconds – it's medium-hot, about 350 to 375 degrees
  • 4 seconds – it's medium, about 300 to 350 degrees
  • 5 seconds – it's low, about 200 to 300 degrees

• After handling raw meat, wash hands, utensils, cutting boards and other food preparation surfaces with hot, soapy water.
• Don't place cooked meat onto a platter that previously held raw meat.
• Use only clean utensils to handle and cut cooked meats.
• If using a basting brush to apply barbecue sauce or marinade, be careful to avoid brushing sauce onto raw meat and then placing the brush back into the bottle. When in doubt, use a small container of sauce for application to raw meat, saving the remainder of the bottle for use once the meat is cooked.
• Never leave your grill unattended.

Use a meat thermometer to help determine that you are cooking your meat adequately. Place the tip of the thermometer through the side and into the thickest part of a steak or roast. For poultry, place the thermometer into the thigh or breast. In either case, make certain the thermometer is not touching bone.

Proper cooking temperatures (as provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service):

• Steaks and chops: Beef, veal, lamb, ostrich and bison - Medium-rare 145° F, Medium 160° F, Well-done 170° F
• Pork and venison: Medium 160° F, Well-done 170° F
• Burgers and ground meat: Beef, veal, lamb, ostrich, bison and venison - 160° F; Chicken and turkey - 165° F
• Sausages and hot dogs: Precooked sausages and hot dogs - 165° F; Uncooked sausages (beef, pork) - 160° F
• Poultry: Whole chicken or turkey - 180° F; Thighs, wings and drumsticks - 180° F, Breasts - 170° F
• Fish & Seafood: Fish - cook until opaque and flakes easily with a fork; Scallops - should turn milky white or opaque and firm; Shrimp and lobster - shell should turn red and flesh should become pearly opaque

• Generally, we recommend waiting until the last few minutes of cooking to apply barbecue sauce. Putting the sauce on too early may cause it to burn.
• After cooking or grilling large cuts of meat, cover with foil and allow meat to "rest" for approximately 10 minutes before cutting. Doing so will make carving much easier and give "cleaner" cuts.
• To get steaks to hold their shape, before cooking tie a single piece of string around the outside circumference of the meat. This is particularly helpful with filet mignon and pork tenderloin medallions.
• To prevent steaks from curling when hot off the grill or from the broiler, prior to cooking slash the outer layer of fat around the steak every 1-2 inches.
• When making homemade hamburgers with lean meat, mix in a few pieces of chipped ice. This will help retain moisture whether grilling or broiling.
• To slice raw meat uniformly or in thin slices, partially freeze the meat first.
• If you don't have time to bake a large homemade meatloaf, purchase ready-made meatloaf mixtures from the butcher. Pack the meat in muffin tins and top with KC Masterpiece® Barbecue Sauce before baking. You can easily cut the cooking time in half.

• To maximize the juiciness of meats, use tongs instead of a fork during cooking. Piercing meat with a fork will cause the juices to run out during cooking.
• If you like to broil your meat, and want to help simplify cleanup, pour a small amount of water in the bottom of the broiler pan. The water will catch and dilute the drippings, preventing burn-ons.
• If you don't like cleaning a basting brush, try using some long, firm, fresh herb sprigs tied together with string – you've fashioned a disposable brush that adds flavor. Rosemary and thyme make particularly good brushes.
• When using bamboo skewers to make kabobs, soak the skewers in hot water for at least 30 minutes. This will keep the skewers from burning.
• When using foil to cook, the dull (non-shiny) side should be in contact with the food.
• If you hate the mess of mixing meatloaf or other foods, use a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag like Glad® Food Storage Bags for "massaging" the ingredients together.

• When possible, cut large pieces of meat into smaller portions before marinating. Thinner cuts of meat marinate more quickly.

• KC Masterpiece® Marinades will penetrate your meat in as little as 30 minutes, but feel free to marinate longer for more flavor. Two to four hours works well to increase penetration and flavor.
• Marinating less tender cuts of meat, especially beef, overnight will help increase tenderness.
• Avoid over marinating chicken, as this can cause the meat to become stringy and tough.

• Generally, you'll need 1 to 2 cups of marinade for every 1-½ to 2 pounds of food. Use enough marinade to completely coat the food.

• For easy marinating, put the meat and KC Masterpiece® Marinade in a Glad® Food Storage Bag. Be sure to squeeze out all the air before sealing. This method saves refrigerator space, reduces the amount of marinade needed, and cuts down cleanup time.
• If you prefer to marinate your meat using a bowl or pan, try Glad® Press 'n Seal® wrap. Press it around the edge or lip of a container, and it forms a spill-proof seal. It seals tightly around plastic, glass, wood and paper.

• Baste meats during the last 5-10 minutes of grilling to maximize flavor (to avoid cross-contamination use fresh marinade, not the marinade that was initially used for marinating).
• Marinated meat can be grilled, broiled, stir-fried, sautéed or even baked.