Its that time of year again, get out the grills and get ready for BBQ season. There are many different ways that people Barbeque. Here are some tips that you can use for when grilling out
and having family and friends over for a cookout. If you want to produce the perfect product which
includes mouth watering BBQ chicken, brisket and pork, there are four important factors in Barbequing. They are the meat, the method, the flavors and the smoke.

The right way to grilling is what is right for you and the only way to get good at anything
is the famous saying practice makes perfect. The first thing you need to do is purchase a Barbeque.
There are many barbeques that range from $30- $2000, just depends on how fancy you want to get.
When getting a barbeque you want to consider these simple things. The space you have for one
whether it is a big yard, get a large barbeque or a small space and get the smallest one possible. The second thing you need to do is consider the number of people you cook for regularly and you need to figure out the portions of food you will cook on your grill. If you want to have cookouts with family and friends all summer you need to consider a larger grill to put enough food to accommodate everyone. Also when it comes to grilling out you need to take into consideration if you want shelves and a workstation. It could make things easier to have a place to hold your meat and utensils and seasonings. The last thing to think about it how often you will use it, if it is just for the holidays then you might want
to go for the cheaper route since it once be used that much.

Once you have the grill and starts grilling you want it to be clean every time. You dont want the taste of fish on you steak. The best time to clean the grill is right after you get done cooking and use a wire brush to get off all residues. Before you start grilling you want to put a little bit of vegetable oil on the grill so that your food doesnt stick. Another good tip for grilling is when you begin a lot of people like to turn up the heat right before they put food on and that is wrong, you want to heat
up the grill 15-30 minutes before you start cooking your amazing food your about to make. You also want to have all your seasonings and utensils right beside you so youre not running back and forth to the kitchen. Also just in case things get out of hand and a flare up happens have a bottle of water nearby to put out unwanted flames.

When it comes to preparing you food for the grill, there are many different ways to do so. It can be your familys recipe or a sense of chef you have and try out different spices. Here are some ideas that can also help when it comes to preparing you meat for the grill. If you are going to grill a steak you might want to cut off any extra fat and put a pinch of salt and pepper on it and maybe add some steak seasoning before putting it on the grill. When cooking chicken you might consider putting it in the oven or microwave to cut down on cooking time and browning of the chicken. And when it comes to fish
one of my favorite things to do is to put it in a zip lock bag and add some olive oil and some herbs you like before grilling it. When you are grilling any kind of meat you want to keep to the cookbook guidelines when it comes to how long you leave it on the grill. Dont forget to have your cooking utensils such as long handed tongs, spatula, and fork and grill cleaner.

Everyone has their own techniques when it comes to grilling by use of their family recipes, tools, and marinades. Hopefully some of these will help you for this upcoming Barbeque season.
Nothing is better than spending time with family and friends while grilling out in the backyard having some amazing barbeque meals. Happy Grilling everyone!

Grilled chicken legs are not only a delicious summer meal, but they are also economical as legs are one of the cheapest parts of the chicken. Just because they are cheap, does not mean they have to lack in flavor. Actually, the dark meat of poultry has more flavor as it contains more fat.

One of the biggest problems grilling enthusiasts face however is with cooking times and temperatures. One of the most frequently asked questions is: how long do you grill chicken legs?

It really isn’t possible to give an exact answer to this question as it really depends on the type of grill you are using, the grilling method and how big the chicken legs are.

It really is an excellent idea to invest in a good quality cooking thermometer. I personally own a voice alert electronic thermometer. It really is a fantastic little cooking gadget and I would be lost without it. It is extremely accurate and eliminates all guessing, and guessing is not an option when cooking meat, especially chicken.

CHICKEN GRILLING METHODS

Boil the Chicken Legs First

The goal with this method is to cook the meat all the way through before it goes on the grill. This greatly reduces the risk of any food born illnesses and also cuts down the grilling time significantly. The downside to this method is a serious lack of flavor. Since you will be cooking the meat on the grill for a much shorter period of time, the meat will not have a chance to pick up that delicious grilled flavor.

Marinate Then Grill

Marinating your chicken legs first is always a good idea. Not only does it give your food a fantastic flavor, but it also keeps the meat moist during the cooking process. For the best results, marinate the chicken over night. Below is an excellent marinade that I use often and it is quite versatile. It works well with seafood like shrimp and scallops as well.

Citrus Herb Marinade

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Legs

1/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 1/2 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice

1/3 Cup of Freshly Chopped Parsley

1/3 Cup Freshly Chopped Cilantro

2 Cloves of Garlic Minced

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except the chicken legs. Add chicken to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate for several hours, over night if possible.

LETS GET GRILLING

I have found that the best method for cooking chicken legs on the grill is to first sear the meat and then finish the cooking process over indirect heat. The result is a nice moist chicken leg with a delightfully crispy skin.

Step 1: Remove chicken from marinade and rinse. This is to remove any ingredients from the marinade that are stuck to the chicken. If left on, this can burn. Coat the chicken with some oil to prevent it from sticking to the grill.

Burn your recipes!” If youve been following me for any amount of time now, youve heard me utter that statement time and time again. Its not that Im entirely against using recipes for home cooking, its more because I see cooking meals as a personal art form or your kitchen culinary expression.

In fact, home cooking recipes are especially useful if youre looking for new ideas and flavor combinations. Recipes are useful for cooking meals if you want to try to duplicate something exactly.

Here are some of the things that recipes will tell you:

The ingredients to use
The correct weights and measures for the ingredients
The temperatures and degrees to use
How much time you should cook
What steps to take and when

But, you cant expect recipes to tell you everything that you need to know to make the meal come to life. I like to make analogies between cooking and music. Lets take sheet music for example. There are things that sheet music doesnt tell the piano player. There are variations in tone, pace, and interpretation. The musician has to bring the music to life through his or her own interpretation of the music that they are reading.

Here are some of the things that recipes dont tell you:

Variations in ingredients/substitutions
Variations in measurements/ mistakes in measuring
Variations in oven temps/stove temps
Variations in time
Why you are taking the steps you are taking

There are very few celebrity chefs that I enjoy. An exception is Alton Brown. I enjoy Alton Browns show because he also explains why hes taking the steps hes taking as well as how different ingredients, temperatures, etc. affect the food that you cook. One day when I was watching Alton, he was cooking a popover recipe that looked great. As I was watching, I thought that the amount of salt he used would make it too salty for me. But, when I tried to make the recipe, I used his exact measurements because, well, hes Alton Brown. Turns out the popovers were WAY too salty!

Next time, Ill take out some of my own recipe books I use for inspiration and point out some of the ways that I know the recipe book is broken. My goal is to help you to increase your kitchen culinary skills by using your home cooking recipes to cook meals that you can be proud of again and again.