How To Grill Everything To Perfection

The return of barbecue season brings the smells, tastes, sights and sounds of spring and summer. Before you get grilling, it's good to refresh your memory on the rules (winter is long and who can remember whether fish goes skin side down or not?) The first (and most important) rule: The grill needs to be hot before you start—otherwise, your food will stick and it won’t get that coveted caramelized crust. Read on for tips on grilling all our faves, plus a handy temperature guide so your food is always cooked to perfection.

Steaks Bring red meat to room temperature before grilling. Try our Grilled flank steak with kale caesar salad.

Wood planks + skewers Soak them in water (an hour for planks; 20 minutes for skewers) so they won’t burn on the grill. Try our Grilled Filipino pork skewers.

Fish Firm skin-on fillets are the easiest to grill. Dry skin well with paper towel, and then oil and grill skin-side down. Cook until the skin lifts off the grill easily. Try our Grilled honey Dijon salmon fillets.

Chicken To prevent chicken from sticking to the grill, don’t touch it for 15 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to flip. Try our Saucy BBQ chicken.

Corn To prep it for the grill, peel back husks and discard silk. Re-cover with husks and tie with a piece of husk. Soak cobs in water for at least five minutes. Try our Mexican elote grilled corn.

Burgers Lightly press your thumb into the middle of each patty to prevent it from puffing as it cooks. Need inspiration? We rounded up 31 of our best burger recipes, including our caramelized onion burgers with garlic aioli, seen above.

Your burger’s calling: Take the guesswork out of grilling meats with this bluetooth-connected probe thermometer that alerts your mobile device when your dinner reaches the desired temperature. Weber iGrill2 Thermometer, $113, amazon.ca.

Temperature guide: For food safety, be sure your meat reaches these internal temperatures. Red meat: medium-rare 63°C (145°F) Fish: 70°C (158°F) Pork ribs: 71°C (160°F) Burgers: 71°C (160°F) Hot dogs: 74°C (165°F) Chicken: 74°C (165°F)