The Good Life Grilling Tips and Tricks

Memorial Day is a day in which we honor those who have served...and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  First...we want to take a moment to thank everyone in our Armed Forces as well as our First Responders.  You are the reason we have the opportunities to run restaurants...write blogs...and dine out.

We know that for many of you, Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer...AND the grilling season.  So while we of COURSE want you to come to The Good Life Grill in Granby to enjoy our food, we get that every once in a while you want to play Chef.  So we figured we'd bring you a few of our favorite grilling tips so that your party...and your house...don't go up in flames.

1) Preheat.  Crank the grill, baby.  It serves two purposes.  First - it helps burn off any food remains from your last attempt to grill burgers (at least that's what we THINK those were).  Second - it helps create a nice crust on the food that gives it that BBQ flavor.

2) Salt.  Don't oil the grill - salt it.  Take a wet towel, dip it in water, roll it in kosher salt, then scrub down the grates with it.  It will help prevent sticking and flareups.

3) Room temperature.  Don't cook cold meat - let it warm up closer to room temperature first.  That'll make sure that the outside is cooked and the inside isn't cold.

4) It's ok to be thin.  The thinner the steak or burger, the easier it is to evenly cook and heat throughout.  Want to be a master chef and still nail the perfect thick steak?  Sear it off on the grill then finish it in the oven to bring it up to an even temp.

5) Leave it alone.  It takes time for the meat to get a nice crust.  If you keep flipping, poking and prodding, you'll lose the juices and dry out the meat.  You also don't want to flare up the fire with excess dripping grease, fat or marinade - the flares will NOT help your cooking.

6) Chill out.  After you remove your steak from the grill, allow it to sit for a while.  That'll allow the juices and heat to evenly distribute.

7) Cross-contamination.  You want memories of your party to be good...not painful. Always wash your hands after touching raw meat.  And never use plates or utensils that had touched the raw meat again until after you wash them.

8) Scrub it down.  Crank the heat to full blast for a few minutes with the lid on after you're done cooking.  This will help loosen up the excess food particles so you can easily scrub them off.

9) Fire prevention.  Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.  Water and grease don't mix, so you risk spreading the fire if your burger gets a little too flame broiled.  Don't be "that neighbor" that has the fire department called on them.

10) Booze.  Little known fact: people actually serve liquor at BBQ's because after a few drinks, people are less likely to realize just how bad your cooking is.

But that's what you have us for at Good Life Grill!  Burn away...then stay the day!