Its officially spring time here in the Pacific North West. As I talk to friends and family it sounds like most people are getting ready to take the covers off their grills after a long winter and they are getting ready get that fire lit and some meat cooking! Here are 4 tips to get ready to grill after a long cold winter.
1. Clean & Check Functionality
If you are firing up your grill for the first time after a long winter you'll want to examine the grill to make sure its working properly and all parts look to be in good working order. Also, its never a bad idea to make sure it's clean. If you didn't vacuum all of the ash out of your pellet or charcoal grill before the winter make sure to do that now, this also gives you a good excuse to check on all the interior parts of your cooker to make sure nothing is cracked, rusted or in bad shape. This is also a good opportunity to look for mold. If your grill has been sitting for a long time, especially in a humid environment and if it got put away dirty a check for mold is extremely important, you don't want to cook with that in the grill!
Spring time is a great time to buy new fuel for your cooker, whether that be charcoal, pellets or propane its good to start fresh if your fuel has been sitting all winter, especially if there is any concern of moisture. Charcoal or pellets that have been exposed to moisture of any kind are no good and you will want to grab a new bag at the store or online. If you have been storing fuel in your garage or shed over the winter give it a good inspection to make sure it looks dry and if it is, get ready to cook! For pellets I prefer to use Cookin Pellets and for Charcoal I exclusively cook with FOGO Charcoal. High quality, dry fuel will help your cooker function better every time.
2. Start Cheap and Easy!
Everyone has ruined a cut of meat one time or another. The first cook of the spring (in my opinion) isn't the time to try something complicated, throw down some burgers or some chicken and call it a day. This goes back to tip number 1 as well. It would be bad news to throw a $50-60 brisket on the smoker only to find out your grill isn't functioning properly.
3. Upgrade your Thermometer
If you have been following along with Barker BBQ on Instagram or Facebook for a while you will know there are different accessories that I find incredibly helpful, so much so that at this point I can't imagine cooking without them. The first thing that comes to mind every time someone asks for my my most used accessory is the line of digital thermometers from Thermoworks. Knowing the exact temperature of your food in seconds is something everyone should be able to do, its extremely important and is essential to getting perfectly cooked food every time.
There are 2 specific instant read digital thermometers I recommend. The Thermoworks Thermopen Mk4 and the Thermoworks ThermoPop. Both are excellent, if I could only have one it would be the Thermopen Mk4.
Having a digital thermometer that works quickly and accurately every time is a key to good BBQ. If you cook to a specific temperature every cook you will definitely improve your consistency.
Thanks for reading our spring grilling tips, what are your go to tips for when you break the grill out after a long winter? Comment below and let me know!