• Broiling
• Grilling
• Roasting & Braising
• Sautéing
• Stir Frying

The first step in grilling is to get everything organized. Get the food ready to put on the fire. Then make sure your utensils are nearby along with any basting liquid or marinade you plan on using.

Be sure your grill is set up on a flat surface and not near anything that could catch on fire like shrubs or grass. Don’t set it up under a roof or in you garage either. Also, have a bottle of water handy to squirt on any grease flare-ups. Make sure you check your supply of gas too. You don’t want to run out when the steaks are grilled to perfection on only one side. That’s the advantage of having a natural gas grill: you’ll never run low.

Some drier meats, like pork chops, chicken and turkey benefit from brining before you grill them. Brining—or soaking the meat in a salty solution—can keep meat from drying out on the grill and—depending on the spices you add to the brine, can really improve the flavor. See Common Terms, Techniques and Tips for more information on brining. Don’t use the brine or a marinade as a basting liquid unless you boil it first. It’s probably full of nasty bacteria. Before you start, give the grate a quick once over with a wire brush to get off the obvious hunks of food from the last party. Note: The best time to clean a grill is after cooking while the grate is still warm and before the scraps of food harden. But do try to get it as clean as possible, otherwise tonight’s steak may taste of last week’s fish.

Then light the fire. First make sure the lid is raised. Then turn on the gas and turn on one of the burners. Most grills have an automatic igniter that kicks in when the burner is turned on. If yours doesn’t, then use one of those flame sticks or a long match. Using a regular match and throwing it in near a burner is definitely not recommended. In fact it could be dangerous. If the gas doesn’t immediately ignite it will build up to a point where, when it does ignite, the flames could shoot out and leave you with singed arms and eyebrows at best.

Once one burner has been lit, turn on the others and let them burn for five to 10 minutes to burn off any remaining food or grease from the grate.

Within 15 minutes, the temperature should rise to about 500°F, which is great for a quick searing, but a little to hot for most grilling. If you want to sear in the juices of a good piece of meat, sear it on the hot grill, then quickly turn the heat down to let the grill cool back to about 350°F for ongoing cooking.

The best way to judge the heat of the fire is with your hand. Hold it about three inches above the grate. If you have to pull it back immediately, it’s real hot, probably over 550°F and too hot for cooking. If you can hold it for a second or two (that’s one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand) it’s good for searing food but too hot for cooking (probably around 450°F to 550°F). Let it cool down to around five seconds or so and it should be just right for steaks and hamburgers (at least 375° F, maybe more). If you pull it back at the count of seven or eight, it’s the right temperature for fish steaks (about 350° F). At the count of nine or 10, it’s good for fish filets and at 11 to 14 seconds, it’s good for vegetables and slow roasting whole chickens and slabs of ribs. (200° F to 300° F). For chicken pieces, sear them first at the one to two-second temperature, and then reduce the heat to the five second level for continued cooking.

Just before you add whatever it is that you plan to grill, you should oil the grate while it is hot. Fold over a few sheets of paper towel into a pad a few inches thick and dip it in some vegetable oil. Then quickly wipe the pad across the grate to help keep your food from sticking. Then, using tongs or a spatula, put the food on the grate.

Check out the recipe you're using for hints on when to turn the meat, and when you do, use tongs or a spatula. A fork leaves holes which will drain out some of the juices. If you're basting, you can do it throughout the cooking time, unless your basting liquid has sugar, honey or molasses in it. Since sugar burns, these sauces should only be used during the last minute or two.

And leave the hood open. Closing it increases the temperature and some meats can be quickly overcooked. Closing the hood works with bigger pieces of meat—like a brisket, a roast or a whole chicken—but then you’re actually roasting the meat rather than grilling it. We’ll talk about that in the roasting section.

A word of caution: grilling needs your undivided attention. Once you slap down that steak or burger, stay with it. Don't finish mixing the margaritas or answer the phone. You might come back to a roaring grease fire or little bits of charcoal-like meat not fit for the dog.