So, friends, spring is a quick step towards us. And, of course, many avid grilling lovers are already rubbing their hands in anticipation of the opening of the season. However, before using the grill after a long idle, you need to do a number of simple manipulations. The first thing to do is calibrate your grill, calcining it several times without cooking. In the new grill oil and other technical impurities will burn, and in the previously used old grease and oil.

All is ready. Now about cooking. For most novice cooks who cook on gas grills, the only way to adjust and maintain the temperature in the grill is the gas knobs. And this is true - the temperature depends on the supply of the required amount of gas. The best way to most accurately control the temperature will be the acquisition of gas grill with two , in three or, ideally four burners . Two or more burners allow the use of indirect cooking, which is suitable, for example, for roasting large pieces of meat.

But there is another way to control and maintain a constant temperature in the grill and with one burner. If your grill has only one burner, you can cook food indirectly by placing a container of water on the grill. However, one of the main problems of grills is the built-in thermometers, which are usually not accurate and are late in temperature measurement in real time. In order to become a master of grilling, you need good digital thermometer and you need to spend several hours trying different combinations of measurements.

So, if you have a grill with only one burner or if you have more meat than can fit in an indirect (“cold”) zone, try this method. Place a pot of water between the burner and the food. Also, place the pieces of wood as close to the flame as possible. Water absorbs heat and helps minimize temperature fluctuations. Moisture also mixes with smoke, gas combustion products and creates an aroma that you cannot get only with smoke. It is important to note: the meat is not steamed, because it can make the meat soft and destroy its flavor. In addition, if you maintain the temperature in the grill around 105 ° C, the water will not boil, since the area of ​​the tank where the water is poured will evaporate the water faster than it boils, keeping the water temperature around 100 C. It is hard to believe, but this is true. And if the water boils, you need to reduce the flow of gas.

There are two ways to use water tanks, depending on the type of grill. Here's how to do it on Weber Genesis with three burners .

Method 1. Pallets under the grates

For this you will need disposable aluminum pallets which, ideally, should be about the same size as the grill surface. Remove the grills from the grill and place the pallets on the burner cut-offs. Do not place pallets on open burners! Then pour half the hot water into the trays. And do not waste money using apple juice or something else - it will not affect the taste of food. We fix a digital thermometer probe on the grate and light one burner, preferably a central burner, and wait until the grill warms up to 107 C. It may take 30 minutes or more, taking into account the use of water.

Method 2. Pallets on the grid

If you can't put the trays under the grates, you can put them on top and use the grate from your home oven on the top of the water tray.

Smoke use

To get the taste of food with the aroma of smoke on gas grills with V-shaped cutoffs, you can simply put a piece of wood on them and it should smolder there. If the tree started to burn, then you need to either reduce the gas supply, or wrap the wood in foil, making several holes in it or use a Weber box for smoking. Another trick is the use of coal briquettes - coal ignites and smolders, but its quantity is not enough to significantly change the temperature inside the grill.

Cooking meat using water

Put the meat on the rack and cook, observing the temperature, as described above. As long as the meat is cooked over water, it will not burn and dry. After cooking, you will be amazed at how rich and complex flavors can be obtained using this simple technique. Good luck in grilling, friends!