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grillsBlog-feature-BeginnersGuideGrilling

A Beginner's Guide to Grilling

If this is your first time firing up the grill, it can be daunting to be honored with the task of cooking delicious meals for all your family and friends. We get it – being in charge of the grill is a huge responsibility! Luckily, we’re here to help you achieve culinary excellence with these beginner BBQ tips.

Every home chef was once a rookie, and this guide, along with Napoleon’s Freestyle grill, will help you become a true blue pitmaster.

 

BBQ Tips

Choose Your Grill

The first step you need to take is to determine your grill type. You will be presented with a multitude of options, such as gas, propane, electric, and charcoal. With so many options at your disposal, how do you even decide which one is right for you? Well, it all depends on your personal preference, and here are their differences in a nutshell:

  • Gas Grills
    They use natural gas or propane as their source of heat. Gas grills are economical and efficient, as they produce less smoke and are quite easy to clean. On another great note, if you’re an eco-warrior, you’ll love how environmentally friendly gas grills are, as they produce fewer pollutants.

  • Electric Grills
    These grills have chords and rely on electricity to be powered. These are great for smaller spaces, such as partially covered balconies, they also generate minimal smoke. Most importantly, these types of grills are convenient in that you can use them anywhere as long as you have access to an outlet!

  • Charcoal Grills
    These are the original infrared grill that uses charcoal to fuel. They can cook hot on high heat to produce a delightful sear, or low and slow for smoking, roasting, and baking. They do, however, take longer to light and shut down after cooking.

When it comes to choosing the perfect barbecue as a beginner, we recommend Napoleon’s Freestyle Series. Built with reliable features such as a range side burner and a JETFIRE ignition system, you’ll go from beginner to professional BBQ master in no time!

The Freestyle 425 Propane Gas Barbecue is one of the most impressive units in the Freestyle collection. With its cast iron grids and high heat production, you can easily create perfect sear marks every time on your steaks, burgers, and pork chops.

While the Freestyle BBQ grills have all the bells and whistles, they were also designed with convenience in mind; which is exactly why they are moveable and compact.

grillsBlog-Freestyle-BeginnersGuideGrilling

 

Prep Your Grill

You are one step closer to the grilling action! Now that you have the grill of your dreams, let’s prep the grill by giving it a good cleaning.

If your barbecue is brand new, you’ll need to clean away any dust, oil, coatings, and adhesives that may have accumulated while it was being stored or manufactured. To do this you can burn the barbecue for 20 to 30 minutes before the first use, brushing it off with a grill brush that won’t ruin the finish on your grates. If you’re using a pre-loved grill, you’ll need to do a thorough brush of the grates to get rid of any food residue or grease buildup that could impede your BBQ experience.

Now that you’ve finished cleaning your grill, let’s season the grates! Apply a thin layer of canola oil onto the grates and wipe off any excess with a paper towel. Remember to apply a thin layer of oil only, because too much oil has the potential to burn and creates buildup that you do not want to deal with.

 

Heat: On!

The moment you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. We are going to turn up the heat!

First, ensure that that fuel source is good to go. For gas grills, make sure that the valve on your gas line is open. For electric grills, all you have to do is find a nearby outlet and plug it in. And finally, for charcoal grills, you’ll need to light the charcoal using a chimney starter or lighter cube and set up a two-zone fire. Once the lit charcoal is dumped into the grill, the cooking grids can be added.

At this point, you’re ready to preheat the grill (kind of like an oven). The safest way to go about this task is by reading the instruction manual that came with your unit. Not all grills are created equally, which is why they all cook differently and require varying preheating temperatures. This is all dependent on what you’re making and the manner in which you are cooking, just like cooking at a stove.

Once you’ve heated it up, get cooking and enjoy!

 

Beginner BBQ Recipes

The magic of BBQ lies in the fact that the recipes don’t have to be so complicated all the time. The most popular types of barbecue recipes are famous for their simple ingredients that render prominent flavors and unparalleled aroma. Unleash your master chef skills with these beginner recipes that you and your whole family will love. Easy peasy!

grillsBlog-tongs-BeginnersGuideGrilling

 

Cool Down and Clean Up

After a fun and productive day of grilling culinary masterpieces, the chef has one more task to handle for the day — the cleanup!

To restore the grill to its original, clean, and flawless state, turn up the heat to burn off any accumulated food residue on the grates. Brush grids while the grill is still lit to incinerate any debris that is brushed off the grids.

When all the oil and gunk has been removed and the grill has cooled down completely, you can put the cover back in place. Then, give your grill and yourself a pat on the back, because you did great!

 

Begin Your BBQ Chef Journey with Napoleon

Your love for BBQ will be taken to the next level when you have the right equipment in your toolkit. Commence your barbecue journey with the premium grills at Napoleon. Browse our BBQ grill collection to find the one that will complement and enhance your culinary skills!

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