12 Dad-Approved Grilling Hacks That Will Upgrade Your Summer
Dads are kind of considered the “King of the Grill” whether they accept the title or not. In honor of Father’s Day we decided to phone our fathers — or dive into our memory bank — for BBQ/grilling + cooking hacks, tips + tricks from the male foodies in our lives to share with all of you. Check out some of the must-dos directly from the Dads of Brit + Co to create perfectly prepped meals below.
1. “As a new Father, I’ve got a few grilling tricks up my sleeve I’m ready to share. The handiest trick is to use the meaty part at the base of your thumb to determine how well done a steak is. For example, when you touch your thumb to the pinky that how well done should feel, thumb to ring finger is medium well, thumb to middle signals medium and thumb to index will be medium rare. More suggestions include buying a skillet for your BBQ to grill veggies (an Aussie thing) and pouring beer (that you’re drinking) on onions when grilling to prevent them from charring or burning.” — Mike Schierberl, PM + Engineer
2. “My Dad swears by cooking chicken legs slow and low with this wire rack. It gives you amazing chicken with no burn marks and crispy all the way around!” — Terri Hintz, Director of Brand Partnerships – West
3. “My Dad’s motto is: ‘A watched grill never flames!'” — Juliet Ashley, Brand Analytics Manager
4. “My dad taught me to soak chicken in salt water for 24 hours before grillin’ for the juiciest BBQ chicken ever.” — Annie Kubena, Art Director
5. “My Dad likes to flip steaks, burgers or sausages often when it comes to grilling, whether that’s contrary to what a lot of people say or not. He also likes to bake/smoke the meat in an Old Smokey instead of a hot grill over an open flame.” — Victoria Haas, Channel Marketer
6. “My Dad recommends skipping the grill and using a SMOKER! He makes smoked turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. It’s ah-mazing — better than any baked or grilled dish hands down!” — Cecelia Cox, Head of Marketing
7. “My Father would always wrap a whole, peeled sweet onion in aluminum foil and stick it on the grill early. Then an hour later we’d have a super yummy onion to top almost every dish with.” —– Maddie Bachelder, Creative Coordinator
8. “A secret my Dad swears by is using a BBQ grilling mat. It’s a heat resistant, non-stick + dishwasher safe grilling assistant that not only allows everything from veggies, seafood, chicken wings + more to get perfectly cooked, but it also prevents the food from falling through the grill’s wire racks to their death. He also swears by using mesquite chips to make your food moist with an added smoked flavor and allowing a steak to cool down for 5 to 10 minutes after taking it off the grill to let the flavor set in. Basically he’s a pro!” — Sean Griffis, Associate Editor
9. “Without a doubt my Dad suggests always mixing in mesquite charcoal. Start with a hot bed of the usual charcoal briquettes, then add mesquite charcoal on top to give whatever you’re BBQing a nice wood/smokey taste. Your rub is everything! Also, the normal brushes they sell to clean your grill are a joke so my Dad has a DIY heavy duty cleaner. He made it with a 20-inch wire scrub and extension pole from the hardware store screwed together. More powerful than any scrubbing device on the market.” — Ashley Fischer, Digital Sales Planner
10. “This is my friend’s Dad’s hack: If you’re at an outdoor grill and don’t have anything to clean it with, slice an onion in half and use it to clean the grill (just rub it up and down the hot metal until everything gross is mostly gone!).” — Angela Velez, Community Editor
11. “I may be vegetarian now, but the smell of a real charcoal grill still brings me back to summer Sundays with Dad at the helm of our old Weber. His greatest grilling tip may or may not be a metaphor for life — don’t rush the cooking process; it’s important to only flip the meats once.” — Lisa Raphael, Editorial Director
12. “My Father swears pickled ginger makes everything taste better. It’s not just about sushi — burgers, grilled veggies and pizza are all fair game!” — Anjelika Temple, Head of Creative
Which BBQ/grilling/cooking tip from the Fathers of Brit + Co will you be using/have you already put to use? Let us know your own hacks in the comments.
