Think of your grill as an outdoor oven, similar to your indoor oven.
Preheat the grill for 15 to 20 minutes and adjust the temp before putting on the food.
Don't crowd the cooking surface. Leave room to move food away from flareups.
Put the lid down for foods thicker than 1/2" so it can cook from all sides.
Leave the lid up for foods up for thinner than 1/2" so the top remains cool and you can get good browning oneside at a timewithout overcooking the center.
Pat food dry before cooking unless it has been marinated.
Most foods will benefit from a sprinkling of salt and a thin coat of oil.
If you are using a sweet sauce, add it near the end of the cook because the sugar can burn.
Take a quart of warm water and pour it slowly over the side of the tank. It will warm the metal where the tank is empty and the metal where the liquid propane remains will remain cold. Run you hand down the side to locate the liquid level.
Troubleshooting ignition
Always remember, ignite the grill with the hood open. Gas can build up under the hood and when you hit the ignition the lid can blow open. Or worse.
There are two basic ignition systems, electronic, which uses batteries, or piezo electric ignition, which generates a spark by friction. If your electronic ignition isn't working, check the batteries. If the batteries aren't the problem, then regardless of the type of ignition, locate the igniter, where the spark jumps to the burner. If there is no spark, clean the igniter and check all the wiring to make sure it is connected properly. If it still doesn't work, you should be able to light the burner with a long match, one of those long handled butane lighters, or a match held in a pair of tongs. Then call tech support.
Troubleshooting low heat
I often hear complaints about older gas grills that are just not getting up to the old temps or they are heating unevenly. Often you can troubleshoot minor problems yourself, but if there is any difficulty, don't force anything unless you want a spectacular explosion.
Most gas grills have minor hotspots, but some can have major hotspots. A good sign that something is wrong is when the flame is mostly yellow. You want to troubleshoot by turning off the gas and disconnecting the hose from the tank or the source. Check all the connections starting at the tank and all the valves. Play close attention to the venturi, the place where air is mixed with the gas. Spiders often get in there when the grill sits idle.
If the problem persists, you may have a regulator problem. Regulators are those gray disk like devices on the gas hose near the place where your tank connects to the hose. They occasionally stick and you don't get enough gas flow. To keep your regulator from sticking, when you are done cooking, make sure that you turn off the control knobs on the grill first, then turn off the tank valve. Then when you want to cook, open your tank valve slowly.
If you suspect your tank valve is stuck, you need to release the pressure on it. Derek Riches of the barbecue section on About.com offers a solution. Follow these steps exactly:
1) Turn off the gas at the propane tank.
2) Disconnect the gas line from the tank.
3) Open the grill lid.
4) Turn all control valves to high.
5) Wait for about a minute.
6) Turn all control valves to off,
7) Reconnect the gas line to the tank. Slowly turn on the gas at the tank.
8) Light the grill normally.
9) Your grill should now heat normally.
10) If this doesn't work give it a second try. If you still have low flame then you probably have a faulty regulator that will need to be replaced.
Troubleshooting hotspots
On a piece of paper draw the sooking surface of your grill, roughly to scale. Divide it into quadrants by drawing a line down the middle of both sides. Then cover your grill grates with heavy duty aluminum foil from corner to corner. Place strips of bacon evenly spaced across the surface. With the lid up, turn the heat to medium high and cook the bacon. Notice which pieces cook fastest and mark them on you drawing. Those are your hotspots. Make note of your cold spots too. Now eat the bacon.
The best setups for a gas grill
The key to success in any grilling project is control over time and temp. For many cuts, especially ribs, pork butt, and beef brisket, the best way is with indirect moist heat. For cooking most foods, you do not want roaring heat. This is an important core concept in mastering outdoor cooking and you should read my articles on 2-zone indirect heat cooking, my article on Meat Science, and the Thermodynamics of Cooking.
Here's how to set up a gas grill for 2-zone indirect heat cooking to get great restaurant quality flavor, the best you've ever made, and the best on the block. And, trust me on this, the flavor is as good as anything you can get on any fancy schmancy smoker. Really!
Most gas grills come with more than one burner nowadays because the concept of indirect cooking is becoming better known. If your grill has only one burner, you can still cook indirect with a water pan, described below.
Unfortunately grills don't have thermostats and the built-in thermometers are generally worthless. To become master of your instrument, you need a good digital oven thermometer and you will need to spend a few hours trying the different combinations and writing down the oven temp so you can use your notes later.
On a three burner grill such as the Weber Genesis, you can set up indirect heating four different ways. The one you chose will depend on how cold or rainy it is, how much meat you have, and how hot you want the oven. Don't forget to take notes!
On
Off
Off
On
On
Off
Off
Off
On
Off
On
On
You control the temp more precisely with the burner settings. Here are some possibilities:
Off
Low
High
Off
Low
Low
Off
Medium
Medium
Off
Off
High
As you can see, there are many many possibilities. What's the best setup? It varies for every grill, the weather,how much cold meat is on the grill, and the desired cooking temp. But some sort of indirect setup is usually the best.
Turbocharge your grill into the infrared zone
The reason charcoal snobs argue that their favorite fuel is better than yours is because charcoal can get really really hot, and that's good when you want to sear steaks. Gas grills usually don't get that hot. Nowadays more and more gassers come with "sear" burners or "infrared" burners. They are a clever design to magnify the heat for searing explained in more detail in my Buying Guide to Gas Grills. Now there is an excellent way to retrofit your gas grills to amp up the heat to searing temps with a clever new product called GrillGrates. I have added them to my gassers and I am very impressed with their performance. Click here to read more about GrillGrates and how they work.
For smoke roasting ribs, pulled pork, or brisket
Every grill is different, so your exact setup will be different than mine, but if you follow the concepts, killer smoked meats are in your future. This method can also be used for indirect cooking without smoke. If you have a grill with only one burner, or if you have more meat than will fit in the indirect zone, try this technique.
The secret is to put the wood as close to the flame as possible and water under the meat. The water absorbs heat, and helps minimize fluctuations in temp. The moisture also mixes with the smoke and propane combustion gases and creates flavors you cannot get with smoke alone. But this is important to note: You are not steaming the meat! Steam can make the meat mushy and destroy the pork flavors. If you keep the oven temp at 225°F, the water should not boil. If the water is boiling and making steam, you are running hot. Turn it down.
There are two ways to use water pans, depending on the type of grill you have. Here is how I do it on my old Weber Genesis with three burners, front center, and rear. Some gas grills have more or fewer burners, so you may need to adapt this method to fit your rig. But the concepts are the same. Read my article the Zen of Wood for some tips on how to handle the wood.
Method 1: Water pans under the grates
Get a disposable aluminum roasting pan or two that are, ideally, just about the same size as the interior walls of your gas grill. They should have 2-3" high sides. The pans will get smoke stains on them, so do not use your wife's best roasting pans! If you can, remove your grill's grates and put the pan on top of the flavor bars, lava rock, or ceramic. Do not put the pan right on top of the burners. Fill the pans to within 1/2" of their rims with hot water. Don't waste your money using apple juice or something else I don't think it makes a difference.
The grates are placed over the pans and a thermometer is placed on top of the grates over the water near the meat. I use my grill's center burner only and start on medium heat. You might chose to fire up only a back burner or the left burner. The number of burners may depend on the temperature of the day.
Let the oven come up to temp and stabilize. This could take 30 minutes or more with all that water to heat. The target is 225°F. Adjust the flame up or down, and if you need more heat, fire up a second burner. When you've got everything adjusted, remember the settings or write them on a cooking log, put the wood on top of the hottest burner, and put the meat on top of the water pan.
Method 2: Water pans on top of the grates
If you cannot put pans under your grates, you can put them on top and use wire baking racks or the grates from your indoor oven on top of the pans. Another option is to use a broiler pan. It is shallow so you will need to watch the water level during your cook. Fire up the grill, bring it up to 225°F or as close as you can get, put the wood on top of the hottest burner, and add the meat above the water pan.
The smoke
For smoke flavor, use hardwood chunks, chips, or pellets. Make an aluminum foil pouch for about 1/2 cup of chips or pellets or place them in a small aluminum pan. Chunks can go on naked. Click here for a discussion of which wood to use, how to prep it, and how to make a pouch. Place the wood under the cooking grate as close to the flame as possible. Just make sure the wood is over the hottest jets as you fiddle with the burner config to get it to 225°F. If the wood won't smoke because the burners are not hot enough, try turning one burner on high and turn the other two off. Or try lighting them with a lighter.
The meat
Put the meat on the rack above the water. Close the lid and walk away. Do not open the lid until an hour has passed and then open it only for as long as it takes to see if you need to add more water. If you do, add boiling water so it will not cool off the oven. As long as the meat is hovering above the water, it will not burn. If you peek too often, you just mess up the delicate balance of smoke, moisture, and heat. If you're lookin', you ain't cookin'. You will be amazed at the rich, complex flavors you can get with this simple technique.
Tell Meathead what you think, or ask him a question
But please, please, please read this first:
1) Please use the sitemap or the search box, at the top of every page. There's a good chance the answer is already on this site.
2) Please read this article about thermometers.Chances are your thermometer is the problem! I cannot help you troubleshoot unless you tell me that you are using a digital oven thermometer at meat level (not in the lid), and/or a digital meat thermometer. You simply cannot believe your grill's built-in bi-metal dial thermometer. They are often off by as much as 50°F!
3) Please tell me everything I need to know to answer your question.
4) Please don't ask me "What grill (or smoker) should I buy?" Read my Buyer's Guides and follow the links. I've shared just about everything I know on those pages. I cannot pick the right cooker for you any more than you could pick the right car for me. But I've explained everything you need to know to make your decision.
AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and techniques: Barbecue baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, steak, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, barbecue sauces, rubs, and side dishes, with the net's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and grills. It is written, photographed, illustrated, and coded solely by Meathead.
My philosophy about food is simple. First of all it must taste great. It must be easy to make and emphasize fresh seasonal products with a minimum of processed ingredients. I think that people need to know why as well as how, and that there are no rules in the bedroom or dining room.
About Product Reviews and Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards. Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards are highly recommended products that I have tested personally or that have been tested by reliable sources. Awards are based on features, quality, and value. Rest assured that when I recommend a product, it is really because I like it, not because someone has paid me to say so or because the company is an advertiser or sponsor. I purchase most products I review although occasionally suppliers send me samples.
About links on this site. Other than clearly marked ads, links and recommendations on this site are all products, services, and websites I truly admire, and are never paid endorsements. Your suggestions are always welcome. If you would like me to link to your website, click here to read my links policy first. Advertising policy. I do not accept ads from products that I review such as grills, charcoal, etc. Click here for more on my advertising policy.
Meathead's Personal Privacy Promise.I promise to never sell or distribute any info about you individually without your express permission, and I promise not to, ahem, pepper you with email or make you eat spam. Click here for more details of my privacy promise.
Disclaimer. The information on this website is for educational purposes only. All material within comes without warranties of any kind. I am human, and capable of mistakes, so I make no guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or safety of the information. Under no circumstances am I liable for any damages that result from use of the site (so you can't sue me if you burn your tongue on hot ribs, or get a tummy ache, OK?).
GrillGrates are the best new product I have tested in years and the best thing to happen to beef since salt and pepper. The base superheats, eliminates hot spots, smokes, and blocks flareups. This is the concept behind the expensive new infrared grills. Click here for more about GrillGrates.
The Smokenator:
A Necessity For Weber Kettles
If you have a Weber Kettle, you need the amazing Smokenator and Hovergrill. The Smokenator turns your grill into a first class smoker, and the Hovergrill can add capacity or be used to create steakhouse steaks. Click here to read more.
ThermoWorks Pocket Thermometer - No More Guessing
A good thermometer is why I never serve overcooked or undercooked food. No more guesswork. This one has a very thin tip with a tiny thermocouple so it gives an accurate reading in just six seconds. I cannot recommend it more highly. It will improve your cooking overnight. And it is inexpensive. Click here for more about thermometers.
This link takes you to Amazon.com and tags anything you buy with my affiliate code so I get a small referral fee. It works on anything from grills to diapers and it has zero impact on the price you pay. Low prices, fast delivery (often free), good refund policies, and often there is no sales tax, are the best reasons to buy from Amazon.com, but clicking on that link before you shop helps me devote more time and money to you. Thanks!
Think of your grill as an outdoor oven, similar to your indoor oven.
Every grill is different, so your exact setup will be different than mine, but if you follow the concepts, killer smoked meats are in your future. This method can also be used for indirect cooking without smoke. If you have a grill with only one burner, or if you have more meat than will fit in the indirect zone, try this technique.
Get a disposable aluminum roasting pan or two that are, ideally, just about the same size as the interior walls of your gas grill. They should have 2-3" high sides. The pans will get smoke stains on them, so do not use your wife's best roasting pans! If you can, remove your grill's grates and put the pan on top of the flavor bars, lava rock, or ceramic. Do not put the pan right on top of the burners. Fill the pans to within 1/2" of their rims with hot water. Don't waste your money using apple juice or something else I don't think it makes a difference.
If you cannot put pans under your grates, you can put them on top and use wire baking racks or the grates from your indoor oven on top of the pans. Another option is to use a broiler pan. It is shallow so you will need to watch the water level during your cook. Fire up the grill, bring it up to 225°F or as close as you can get, put the wood on top of the hottest burner, and add the meat above the water pan.
With a $25 donation you'll get a 100% cotton brushed twill adjustable low profile cap with the AmazingRibs patch sewn on. I'll even toss in a small bag of 
