# Need advice on grilling **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 31, 1999, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430 "1999-10-31T17:38:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/21 "1999-11-02T06:15:00Z")
Just a few pointers: Take your time. Don’t rush into anything. Relax. Relaxation is key. Get used to the sensation. Get used to something smaller first, then step up size (no bigger than a large sausage). Lubrication is a MUST- lots of it. I understand Astroglide is very… wait, is this the right… ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/22 "1999-11-02T06:15:00Z")
Sorry folks. Wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![PUNdit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@PUNdit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PUNdit)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/23 "1999-11-02T06:31:00Z")
To keep food from sticking on the grill, rub it with a raw potaton piece before grilling. This can be done while hot, if you don’t mind having a hairless arm. * * * ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/24 "1999-11-02T06:44:00Z")
Babar714: Oh my GOD that’s a funny goof. If you didn;t say anything, you could have played it off… “Start out small, then work your way up to larger sausages. Then, make sure you lubricate that grill… Don’t want anything sticking now, do we!” AAHHHHH! * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/25 "1999-11-02T08:14:00Z")
Thanks, Satan. Wasn’t sure if Revtim would be too happy with me. But after reading your whole thread, I just had arse on the brain. And good luck with that grill, Rev! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/26 "1999-11-02T15:58:00Z")
RealityChuck is right, of course. In the best of all possible worlds, I would use a charcoal grill exclusively…wait, no…in the best of all possible worlds, I would have a pit filled with smoldering hickory logs! A gas grill is always going to be second best, in terms of smoke-flavoring the food. But it still beats using the oven broiler. And the convenience (forgive me, Kitchen Gods!) is hard to beat. Satan is right, too. Wood chips or chunks (hickory, fruitwood, mesquite, depending on what you’re cooking) soaked in water (or beer or wine), wrapped in foil, and laid over the hot part of the gas make a HUGE difference. The Weber models have this interesting feature, called “flavorizer bars.” the grease drips onto hot metal, which creates more smoke (but no flare-ups) and more flavor in the cooking food. Spud, I’m gonna try that turkey…been wanting to do that for years! * * * Uke ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/27 "1999-11-02T17:13:00Z")
Gas grills only save you time – and not really that much. It takes me an extra ten minutes to get by Weber charcoal grill ready, and the food is definitely better. You want good food, you shouldn’t take shortcuts. BTW – the foolproof method of starting a grill (WITHOUT fluid) is to take a few sheets of newspaper. Roll them from the corner into a tube; tie them into an overhand knot. Add a few sticks and the charcoal. Light. Always works. * * * [www.sff.net/people/rothman](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman) ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shadowfox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfox)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/28 "1999-11-03T06:07:00Z")
Must…buy…a…grill…this… year (chanting repeatedly) * * * Shadowfox “Most people would succeed in small things, if they were not troubled with great ambitions.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/29 "1999-11-02T19:20:00Z")
Well, charcoal’s a shortcut, too, RC. I wasn’t being sardonic in my last post with the “hickory log” comment, I was being honest. If time wasn’t a factor, if I didn’t have kids to worry about while I was cooking, if I had a big 'ol back yard with room for a huge pit, if I didn’t live where it got cold in the winter, I’D DO REAL BARBECUE. Pit. Logs. Slow-burning fire. A large hog. It’d take all day and into the night, but I’d have honest-to-god slowcooked Southern pig on hand. ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/30 "1999-11-02T20:43:00Z")
Several people said i was right about my post here. Think about it - Is there any doubt that Satan would know all about good grilling? 😉 * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/31 "1999-11-02T22:47:00Z")
I love grilled pizza. You need a double broiler pan to cook this. It’s like a cake pan with a fan folded top on it. This keeps the crust from being black and the toppings raw. The pan fits in a portable grill and I take it camping. The people walking by are drouling. I get to try the local brands out this way. The pizza needs to be thawed and I can only cook a half at a time. Only use pizzas that have no raw meat on them. The meat might or might not cook all the way through. You eat the first half and the second half is ready when your done eating the first. Tastes better when in shared company with friends. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/32 "1999-11-02T22:57:00Z")
Revtim : I admit it, I did the PAM flame thrower thing… Looked cool, though. Glad you weren’t hurt, so that’s funny as hell. I only said that because I did that with a mesquite spray you put on the meat. I know better, but had a dumb moment. The can did not warn you of this though. I read it after the fact to see if it had a warning. Normally I would spray the meat and then grill it. This time I forgot and did it when I remembered the mesquite spray. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430/33 "1999-11-03T23:02:00Z")
Thanks to all this great advice, I just grilled some pork loin steaks that were not only distinguishable from blocks of pure carbon, but actually pretty tasty too. Thanks folks! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-grilling/10430.md?page=1)