Ask ten chefs for their best grilling advice and you get long lists, but the same few rules show up on every one of them. These are the ones worth remembering.
1. Preheat, then wait a little longer
A grill needs ten to fifteen minutes at high heat before anything touches it. On charcoal, wait until the coals are covered in grey ash. Food put on too early steams instead of searing and picks up a gassy taste.
2. Start with a clean grate
Every chef says it, and most articles then tell you to use a wire brush. We disagree with that last part: wire bristles break off and end up in food, which is the whole reason we built a brush without them. Clean the hot grate before the food goes on. Clean bars sear better and release food more easily.
3. Build two heat zones
Bank the coals to one side, or leave one burner on low. Sear over the hot side, then move food to the cooler side to finish without burning. This single habit fixes most burnt-outside, raw-inside problems.
4. Take the meat out of the fridge early
Thirty minutes on the counter lets a thick steak or bone-in chicken cook evenly. The exception is fish you want rare in the middle, which should go on cold.
5. Stop moving it
Put the food down, leave it alone, and flip it once. If it sticks, it is not ready to turn; it releases on its own when a crust has formed.
6. Do not press the burgers
That sizzle when you press a patty is the juice leaving. Press a small dimple into the raw patty with your thumb instead, so it stays flat while it cooks.
7. Buy a thermometer
An instant-read thermometer costs less than a good steak and ends the guessing. Lid thermometers read the air near the lid, not the food, and can be far off.
8. Sauce at the end
Sugary barbecue sauces burn. Brush them on in the last few minutes, after the meat is almost cooked, and let them set, not char.
9. Rest the meat
Four or five minutes for a steak, longer for a roast. Cutting early lets the juices run onto the board instead of staying in the meat.
10. Keep it simple for a crowd
Two proteins, a vegetable, good bread, and interesting sides beat six things fighting for space and attention on the grate. The best cooks we know spend more time with their guests than with their tongs.
Several of these points echo advice chefs gave to Eat This, Not That in a widely shared piece on grilling; we have kept the ideas and written them in our own words.