Grill at the proper temperature. A gas grill will give you a more even cooking temperature over the entire surface of the grill.

 

If you use a charcoal grill or a smoker, know where the temperature is the hottest on the rack, and start your meat out in that area. When it is close to being done, move it to the cooler side to finish cooking more slowly, or even to rest the meat and keep it warm.

 

Remember that meat will continue cooking once it is left to stand, so keep it warm and it will be just right when it comes time to eat.

 

While we are speaking about temperature, let your grill get good and hot before putting anything on it. Some people think that you don’t have to preheat a grill, but meat cooks better when it has reached the correct grilling temperature.

 

You wouldn’t put your roast in a cold oven would you? The same goes for the grill. If you want, use a thermometer to gauge the temperature before grilling your meats. You should have a meat thermometer ready as well to help you gauge how well done your beef is.

 

It is also handy for chicken, because you sound always cook a chicken with a bone in it to a minimum internal temperature of 160 F.  Anything else is unhealthy and puts you and your family and friends at risk of salmonella.

 

Chicken takes a long time to cook depending on the parts of the bird you are grilling, and especially if you are cooking it with the bone still in. 

 

One good way to be sure that your chicken is cooked just right is to pre-bake your chicken in the oven as if you were going to eat it roasted, and then put it on the grill to reduce the cooking time.

 

Or, you can roast it, and just add BBQ sauce, so that way your whole grill is not being taken up with chicken when others are waiting for burgers and hot dogs. And so you don’t have to worry about how to keep all the chicken warm while the other food cooks.