Tailgate Grilling Tips

James Purviance, author of Weber’s Way to Grill:The step-by-Step Guide to Expert Grilling (Oxmoor House, 2009) offers these simple steps for grilling ease.

Set up two or three heat zones, with a hot side and a cold side. “This way you are not locked into one heat if things aren’t going right,” Purviance says.

Oil the food, not the grill. The food will be less likely to stick, and you will use less oil. Allow sufficient pre-heat time to get the grilling surface nice and hot.

Keep the lid closed. That keeps the grate hotter for searing foods, prevents flare-ups because less air is getting in to fuel the flame ad traps some of the smoke to better flavor the food.

And new this year from the folds at Weber-Stevens Products Co. is an emailed recipe of the week. You can sign up at webernation.com.

-Susan M. Setasky, Detroit Free Press