Second, I use a timer. Always! When cooking, our senses of sight and smell help determine when food is cooked to some degree (pun intended). However, if you are preparing a large feast and grilling multiple items, there is limited time to spend assessing and tending to each dish.
You are in motion, and if friends are over, you are probably sipping on your favorite libation, too. There are distractions galore. A timer, whether on your phone or mechanical, ensures no matter how many conversations you enter or beers you sip, you will never miss a flip.
A person slicing roast chicken on a wooden cutting board during meal preparation
Simply Recipes / Photo by Matthew Pevear / Food Styling by Mike Lang
2. Give It a Rest
Plan on holding your grilled food, especially BBQ, in an insulated cooler until you’re ready to eat. Pulled pork and smoked brisket are best when rested before serving, allowing them to reach their full potential. During this resting time, the rendered fat and moisture have time to redistribute evenly throughout the meat, creating a more tender slice or shred.
Barbecued meats also take hours to prepare, so having a built-in time buffer adds flexibility to get the rest of the menu ready, like whipping up the Alabama white sauce for those chicken halves you smoked.
Not only do I use an insulated cooler for this resting period, I have a designated “meat towel” to wrap the pork or beef in, too. Meat cooked to 200ºF can easily handle a few hours in the cooler and safely stay out of the 140ºF danger zone.
Grilled vegetables and lemon slices in a foil tray being held by someone near a grill
Simply Recipes / Photo by Matthew Pevear / Food Styling by Mike Lang
