Photo: SolStock (Getty Images)
The Grillmaster (aka the BBQ Daddy aka The Host With The Roast) is the puppetmaster of the cookout. He builds a fire to cook meat and thereby controls the temperature of any poppin’ summertime soiree. But in these frigid temperatures, the grillmaster is in a state of stasis, passively prepping his grill and upping his barbecue game. This way he can emerge at the first signs of summer powered up and ready for grilling like the pro he is.
Drink up: The Best Beers To Pair With Summer BBQ
If you fancy yourself a master griller and want to use your pregame time wisely, here are some tip to get your party started.
Master your meat: Evolve Your Brats And Burgers Game With These Recipe Upgrades
How do you prepare your grill before summer? Is there anything you do that sets you aside from the common grillmaster? Let us know in the comments.
Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Grilling Hacks
-
Check And Refill The Propane Tank
Don't be a statistic. Make sure there's enough propane in your tank before you have people over. There's no greater bummer than realizing you're out of propane while you have a bunch of people over.
In order to prevent this nightmare, there's an easy way to check your propane levels. Just take the tank and pour hot water over it. All the parts that are cold are the propane. So if your tank is mostly warm, you're dangerously low and need to refill. Which you'll obviously remember to do before you need the grill because the only thing that should ruin your barbecue is passing out drunk in the sun without any sunscreen.
-
Toss Out Your Grill Brush
A master griller knows that the grill brush isn't their friend. In fact, those ugly little brushes can be hazardous to your health. It turns out, sometimes the bristles snap off and end up on your food and then that food ends up in you. Cue a trip to the emergency room.
A much safer alternative to scrub a grill clean is actually using an onion. A combination of the onion's moisture and acidity removes gross food and debris from the grill. This way, you can safely cook for your friends and any trips to the hospital can likely be blamed on the deadly combination of testosterone and booze.
-
Upgrade Your Hot Dog Game
There are two ways to end up with a perfectly cooked hot dog when it comes to grilling. The first is pre-boiling them. It will keep the dog moist while minimizing fat. Then you toss them on the grill to sear them and voila, they're done.
The second is the spiral method. Just put a skewer through a hot dog and then cut the spiral around it. Then pull the skewer out and grill as usual. The grooves left on the hot dog are perfect for filling with melted cheese or chili if you get down like that.
-
Learn Your Grills Hot Spots And Use Them To Your Advantage
If you're a novice when it comes to the world of grilling, it's time to make you a man. And we're going to do that by locating your grill's hot spots.
Hot spots are the areas on the grill that cook the hottest. They're the best place to start cooking meat because they will leave a nice sear on each side. Then move them to the cooler side where they can finish cooking without burning.
If you can't naturally tell where the hottest spot on your grill is based on where all the burnt food always is, try this method: cover the entire grill with sliced bread. The pieces that cook the fastest and end up as burnt toast are your hot spots. Congratulations. You're a man now.
-
Invest In A Nice Cast Iron Skillet
Not only will a cast iron skillet come in handy when getting into a drunken altercation over how loud you're playing music, it's also the perfect place to cook foods that don't commonly do very well on the grill, like fish. Because there's always a fish person and they always gross everything up. You're welcome.
-
Master One Easy Grillable Dessert
Nothing amps up a grillmaster's sex appeal like being able to whip up a dessert. There's plenty of easy things that can be made on the grill, like grilled pineapple topped with vanilla ice cream. But if you want to wow Heather or Kylie or whatever woman comes to your party, make her banana s'mores. They're insanely easy and delicious as hell.
Slice a banana lengthwise, but not all the way through. You want the banana's skin to keep the contents safe while cooking. Then shove dark chocolate and marshmallows into the slit and top that with graham cracker crumbs. Wrap the whole thing in foil and leave it on the grill until it's gooey, about 10 minutes. This is the part where everyone will do a chef's kiss. Especially Heather, or whatever her name is.
-
Prepare Your Body And Mind For Summer Fun
Grilling is a way of life, so even though it's not always weather-appropriate, you're prepping for it. Keeping tan and trim during the off-season will get you in tip-top shape for watching your meat cook. And while you're at it, practice a victory grillmaster dance. You're a man with skills and people should celebrate them.
