Tom Mylan, one of America's most influential young butchers, shares his 5 must-knows of gas grilling.
1. Preheat your grill. You wouldn't throw a steak in a cold pan, right? Preheating your grill on high for at least 10 to 15 minutes, as well as lightly oiling it with a paper towel held with tongs, will reduce sticking and create those excellent grill marks.
2. Clean and reseason your grill after every use. Once the coating wears off (and, unless it was made by NASA, it will), the grill's surface resembles cast-iron—so treat it like cast-iron. Keep it clean, well oiled and polished with light steel or copper wool.
3. Get a big bottle of propane. Nothing is worse than running out of gas in the middle of a cookout. Stop buying 10-pound tanks from the hardware store; instead, call a propane service and order a 20- or 30-pound tank. (First check to make sure local ordinances allow this!)
4. Keep your grill clean. Gas grills need to be cleaned thoroughly and regularly to prevent grease fires and gummed-up gas jets. At the same time, check the seals on the gas tank and hose setup to make sure gas hasn't slowly leaked out.
5. Use your grill once a week year-round. Cooking outside in the snow with a heavy jacket on might seem ridiculous, but it does keep your grill and skills from rusting. As a bonus, it stops critters from taking up residence in the gas lines.
This article was written by Tom Mylan from Food & Wine and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
