How to Use a Gas Grill

If you have just recently discovered the joys of grilling and cooking food over the fire, then it is necessary to know how to properly use a gas grill.

So, I have put together a step-by-step guide to understand exactly what to have in mind when using a gas grill.

Note: Before digging into the guide, you first need to make sure you have picked the best gas grill that is suitable for you.

1. Check the Fuel

The first thing you should do before jumping into food and cooking, you should check the fuel supply of your unit.

Verify that you have enough fuel to finish the whole cooking session you are planning.

Also, it is recommended to do a quick safety check on the gas tank before using it. Start by verifying that the tank doesn’t have any damage on the outside parts, such as bumps, cracks, holes etc.

You should also check if there is any leak in the gas system by applying some soapy water to the hoses or joints. If the gas system is completely sealed and safe, there should be no bubbles from the soapy water.

After you do all these safety checks and don’t notice anything unusual, then you are ready to use the gas tank.

2. Check the Grease Management System

After you checked the fuel system, next you need to check the grease management system.

If you haven’t cleaned your grill for a while, then you need to check if there are too much grease and debris collected under the grates.

If it is left uncleaned for a long time, the grease can catch fire from the heat and become a dangerous issue.

3. Remove unnecessary items

After you finished the verification process, remove any tool that you don’t need. Your cooking space should be clear and only dedicated to the cooking-related items and not soapy water or some wrench.

Collect all the items you used for safety verifications and place them somewhere near the grill or just under the grill, at the additional storage space, if your grill has one, so you can easily access next time you may need them.

4. Prepare Your Grilling Items

After the outside and inside verification of the grill, you should prepare your grilling tools and items and get them in place.

As I said, remove any item that you won’t use during the grilling and only keep close cooking utensils and the food you are going to cook.

I suggest you get and prepare all the food items you may need during grilling sessions, so you don’t have to go inside and grab some paper towel or oil while you leave your meat alone on the grill.

5. Pre-heat the Grill

One important step that you need to do before using your grill is to reheat it. This step is important to maintain a stable temperature so you can cook your food evenly.

Turn on all burners on high settings and close the hood for 15-20 minutes. After that, open the lid and only leave on the burners that you need.

6. Season Your Cooking Grids

After you make sure that your grill is preheated, then you can season the cooking grids by lightly coating them with oil.

Leave it for a few minutes for the oil to reach the optimal temperature and then set it to the desired cooking temperature.

7. Direct and Indirect Grilling

With grills that have more than one burner, it is recommended to separate the grate into two sides; a medium-hot side and a low-warm side.

This is the best setup as you have two different options while grilling, depending on the recipe you are cooking.

The hot side can be used for searing and doing the main cooking and then you can transfer the food to the warm side to keep it warm until the other food is ready.

Also, this type of setup is good in case your grill gets too hot. You can save your food from burning by moving it to the warm side of the grid.

8. Start Grilling

When grilling, always keep in mind consistency in placing your food on the grid, from left to right, so you can track down the food when is ready or not.

One simple tip for turning is to nudge the food a little and if they don’t want to release, they are probably not ready to turn on the other side. Just wait another minute, depending on the cooking temperature, and then will be ready.

9. Don’t Open the Hood Often

As tempting as is to continuously open the hood and see the food grilling, it is better if you keep it closed as much as possible, so your food will be cooked faster and more evenly.

10. Use the Side Burner

If you are planning to make quick sauces or warming toppings, then a cast iron pot or skillet will come in hand.

11. Let Food Rest

After your food is ready and cooked, remove it from the grill and let it rest while covering with some aluminum foil to preserve the temperature so you can enjoy really flavorful food.

12. Burn Off any Excess Residue

It is really important to burn off any excess residue on the grill by setting the burners to high settings and closing the hood for a couple of minutes.

13. Brush Off any Excess Residue

After you leave the grill to burn off for a couple of minutes and the smoke stops, then turn off the burners and brush off any excess residues using a grill wire brush.

This is also an important step if you don’t want your food to taste like fish or any other food you have previously cooked.

14. Pre-season the Grill with Oil

After cleaning, you can give the cooking grids another light coat with oil so you will have it ready next time you want to grill.

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