Get ready to fire up the grill for Father’s Day and all of your summertime cookouts with these tips from grilling expert Jennifer Chandler. She has even written a grilling cookbook, Simply Grilling, which is part of her Simply Cooking Series. And heads up, Jennifer’s newest book—The Southern Pantry Cookbook—will be on the shelves of your favorite bookstores in fall 2014!
Today, Jennifer helps us fine-tune the way we grill meats.
Jennifer Chandler:
Grilling season is officially here and folks across the country will be firing up their grills for special occasions and casual summertime meals. Here are five simple tips to help you grill meat like a seasoned pro.
Keep the grate hot, clean, and oiled.
A clean grill with oiled grates will keep food from sticking. Before placing food on a hot grill, scrub the grates with a heavy-duty grill brush, lightly brush the grates with oil using a brush or a paper towel, and scrub the grates one last time when you are finished cooking.
Turn just once.
To get killer grill marks, turn the meat or veggies only after they have been on the grill for a couple of minutes. The meat is ready to be turned when it easily releases from the grill.
Grip, don’t stab.
Use a set of tongs, not a barbecue fork, to turn a piece of meat. Forks poke holes in meat allowing those precious juices to drain out.
Know when it’s done.
Nothing is worse than an overcooked piece of meat. It is always better to err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking. You can always put a piece of food back on the grill but you can’t salvage an overcooked dish.
Let it rest.
Allowing a piece of meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing will give it time for the juices to recirculate, resulting in a more tender, juicy dish.
Now you are ready to grill dishes like this flavor-packed Balsamic Beef Tenderloin! (recipe by Jennifer Chandler, below)
Balsamic Beef Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
- 1 beef tenderloin 3 pounds, trimmed
- Vegetable oil for the grates
Instructions
- Mix the garlic, salt, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, oil, Italian seasoning, and pepper in a small bowl until well combined. (Do-Ahead: The marinade can be made up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.)
- Place the meat in a non-reactive dish. Rub the paste evenly over the meat, cover and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
- Preheat a clean grill to medium high with the lid closed for 8 to 10 minutes. Lightly brush the grates with oil.
- Remove the tenderloin from the marinade. Discard the marinade.
- Place the tenderloin on the grill. Close the lid and cook, turning several times, until the meat is well browned on all sides and cooked to the desired temperature, 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare. (Cooking Tip: An instant-read meat thermometer is the best way to tell if your tenderloin is ready. For medium-rare, the thermometer should read 130° F since the temperature will rise another 5 to 10 degrees while the tenderloin is resting.)
- Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you Jennifer!
For more grilling recipes, visit Jennifer’s website cookingwithjennifer.com or add Simply Grilling to your cookbook collection. Be on the lookout for Jennifer’s next book, The Southern Pantry Cookbook, coming to your favorite bookstore this fall.
