Heat Up Your Backyard Grilling Skills With Tips From The Experts

With summer barbeques warming up, now is the time to heat up your backyard grilling skills too. The grilling experts at the Pollo Tropical chain of 120 chicken-on-the-grill restaurants are sharing a few simple secrets to making your backyard culinary creations look and taste better!

According to Pollo Tropical Executive Chef Mike Garcia, grill cleanliness is next to grill deliciousness. In fact, he says great grilled meats begin with a clean and clutter-free grill.

Getting the Grill Ready for the Flames

Clean the grill surface with a wire brush or a cleaning agent recommended by the grills manufacturer. These recommendations can be found in the owners manual or even online through a search engine using the grills model name or number as the search keyword.

It is also important to remove any old ashes from your grill. This clears any blocked air vents which provide critical air ventilation to allow for even cooking and prevents flares that reduce the chance for a fire.

Position Counts

How you position your meats, fish or vegetables is equally important, according to Garcia. Try to position your food items in their own unique section of the grill, particularly if you can localize them to one of the burners to control temperature and prevent flare-ups, he said. It prevents cross contamination and helps ensure even cooking.

From bone-in chicken to chicken breast, wings and even pork ribs we keep everything cooking in its own place on the grill to ensure temperatures are correct and consistent.

Other Grilling Tricks of the Trade

He added that its important to start the grill at least 30 minutes before grilling, since it takes coals that long to heat throughout.

Its also a good idea to apply cooking oil, or nonstick cooking spray, on the grill before the grill is heated to prevent food from sticking. Additionally, Pollo Tropical chefs recommend using tongs to turn the meat instead of a barbecue fork as a barbecue fork will create holes and allow the natural juices to escape, causing the meat to lose its flavor and become chewy.

Finally, when barbequing meat its best to turn it just once. Turning the meat more slows down the cooking, and may cause the meat to become dry, Garcia said. He also recommends adding BBQ sauce or any other sauce when items are almost done grilling since the sauces burn easily.

And, of course, wash all cooking and serving utensils that may have come in contact with the raw meat plus use an antibacterial hand soap whenever handling raw or cooked meats.

Pollo Tropical has become known throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean for its famous marinated grilled chicken, tender roasted pork, Caribbean ribs as well as uniquely Caribbean side dishes such as plantains, yuca, black beans & white rice and more. The menu and the portions are generous. Pollo Tropical is considered a great value for families on the go, individuals and also as a catering option for parties of 15 to 1,500. For more information visit www.PolloTropical.com.