Flame and smoke enhanced food has been enjoyed since man discovered fire and leaned how to grill. The aromas rising from a grill are compelling and enjoyed by all. For something so easy a cave man did it, learning how to grill requires a few steps and choices that will be explained below.

Regardless of whether you are grilling steak, chicken, lamb, ribs, pork, vegetables, seafood, hamburger, or hot dogs keeping the basics in mind will assure everyone’s success. Since the location of a grill can be a camp out, a tailgate party, the back yard, or anywhere a fire can be safely maintained there are a lot of choices to make. The chef must face the question of gas or charcoal when choosing a grill and needed accessories when making a choice for a grill. The endless options of meat or vegetable you want to cook needs to be picked along with choice of marinate if any. One must take proper care to maintain the grill. The chef’s use of uneven heat and attention to detail will become an art as his skill improves. Just remember, there is debate and confliting opinion about what is the best way to grill.

Before you can start grilling, you must chose a grill. You do not need to buy the most expensive gas fired grill to have a good meal. The price range between a small portable charcoal grill and a gas fired can range from tens to thousands of dollars. Today there are even inexpensive indoor grills that can be used conveniently, but fail to offer the smoked flavor of fire. Budget, flavor, and convenience should help make the decisions when choosing a grill.

Flavor: There is a debate about which taste better: charcoal or gas.http://www.chow.com/stories/11087 For those wanting the strong smoke flavor charcoal is hard to beat. While the gas flavor briquettes give you a smoke flavor it will be less, but that can be a benefit when not wanting the strong smoky flavor.

Budget: One has to consider how much grilling they are going to do before investing in a grill. Gas is more expensive and you do not need the most expensive of those to do well. Charcoal is cheaper. You could even just buy a grill to fit over a wood fire if you wanted to be cheep and woodsy. You could even make one out of a 55 gallon barrel drum.

Convenience: Gas beats charcoal easily here. Turning on a gas grill usually requires little more than pushing or turning a button. Other than cleaning the grill before use and buying briquettes and gas on a rare occasion, gas requires little maintenance.

Marinate: If you do use a marinate it is always good to allow the meat to soak in the marinate for four hours or more.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h82C-FCq2dI If you are breaking in a new grill or beginning grilling sometimes it is best to start with simple meats like hot dog or hamburgers.

Getting fired up: Before starting make sure you are grilling in an open area where there is no chance for the fire to jump containment. Remember you are playing with fire, and also must make sure the grill is on solid ground without a chance to tip over. Never try to grill indoors as the carbon monoxide can be lethal.

This is also a good time to clean away any excesses residue left over from previous use with a wire brush. gather your accessories if you haven't done so. The choices in accessories is endless, but all you must have is something to be able to flip and move the meat

Once you started the fire or charcoal allow the fire to heat the grill until it is hot. Usually it take 10 minutes for a gas grill to be hot enough and 15 to twenty minutes for a charcoal grill.http://www.chow.com/stories/11087<ref>

Maintaining the meat while it cooks. Grilling requires attention to the meat because of the uneven temperatures on the grill. The cook must keep an eye on how the meat is progressing since weather conditions can play a part in how the meat cooks.

The meat will need to be turned and moved around on the grill to properly cook the meat. At this point grilling becomes an art. How a cook handles the meat will determine the quality. Remember the practice is subjective to users tastes. A considerate cook will ask the eater how they like their grilled food. Practice makes a better cook and every meat is different. It never hurts to have use the largest piece of meat as a test subject to cut, poke, and taste to get the desired wellness and seasonings if desired. Closing the lid to get the smoke flavor and help the heat on windy days. How much closing depends on the desired smoke flavor. With practice, what comes off the grill only gets better.