How to Grill Chicken, Beef and Fish Perfectly

Beef, chicken, and fish grilled on the outside barbeque just seem to taste better. It doesn't matter if the steak is a little tough, the chicken a bit dry or that the fish sticks to the grill and falls apart. It all still tastes great. However, what if you could grill your beef, chicken, and fish to perfection and still get that great taste? We have asked the grilling experts for their tips on getting that perfect meat grilling.

How to Grill Chicken the Right Way
The most common issue many cooks have grilling chicken is that it ends up dry. Dry chicken is usually the consequence of marinating too long. If you over marinate chicken it will remove the moisture from the bird. Chicken absorbs the marinade at the expense of the natural juices in the meat. Should you not marinate your chicken to keep it moist? Marinating your chicken is considered a very important process in grilling. Marinating gives your chicken flavor. However, it is important to not over marinate the chicken. Most grilling experts recommend no more than 30 minutes of marinating.

Another tip to wonderful, juicy, grilled chicken is to brine the meat. Immerse the chicken in a solution of water, salt and either honey or sugar for about two hours. The brine solution will break down the proteins and get absorbed into the meat. Rinse off the chicken when you remove it from the brine solution and before you begin to grill.

How to Grill Beef the Right Way
Most good grill cooks know that a good cut of beef is important to the success of a barbeque. However, just as in chicken, you can over marinate or leave a rub on too long and end up with tough beef. Any marinate or rub should only be on the beef for about 30 minutes as well.

Choose a piece of beef that is good for quick grilling. Grilling is cooking fast over a direct flame or searing. Any meat that is good for a slow cooking should not be on the barbeque. Slow cooking meats should be cooked using a smoker. Cooking them on a grill will give you tough beef. Top sirloin cap, rib eye, and flank steak are all great cuts of beef to grill.

How to Grill Fish the Right Way
As with beef, selecting the right kind of fish is important when grilling. Mahi mahi, salmon, swordfish, and shark tend to be the best for grilling. Usually flaky, white fish such as halibut or cod will tend to fall apart when grilling. You need a tough cut of fish to hold up to the grill. Again, grilling is the art of fast, direct flame cooking. Prepare your grill by making sure it is hot and well oiled. If you grill is not hot enough, fish will stick to it. A hot grill will sear your fish and it will not stick.

Grill your salmon by watching the fish closely. When the white stuff comes to the surface of the fish, remove it from the grill. The salmon is done.

Tips to Better Grilling
We have some miscellaneous tips to continue your grilling education.

-You meat should never be wet when placed on the grill. The water that may have collected in the meat will drip onto the flame and make grilling more difficult.

- It is best to grill over a medium flame at about 350 to 400 degrees for most foods. Your beef, chicken, and fish will cook more evenly.

- When grilling beef, make sure it is the last item you are cooking. Everything else should be done or almost done.

- The cut of your steak before grilling should be between an inch to an inch and a half. The thicker the steak, the bigger margin of error in how well done it is.

- Always oil your grill before you begin cooking. Take a towel, soak it in oil, and rub the grill to keep food from sticking.