It’s officially grilling season which means you might need to brush up on your grilling skills, or perhaps you have never grilled before but are interested in learning more!

Being able to understand the best cuts and best practices might mean your food will taste better, and you’ll get invited to more BBQ’s.

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.

First and foremost, be sure to check out the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner( BIWFD) website. You will find resources on which steaks grill the best, based on gas or charcoal grills, and by weight or thickness. For example, a one-inch tri-tip steak, grilled at 145 degrees Fahrenheit (for medium rare doneness), should be on the grill (charcoal or gas) for 10-14 minutes.

You’ll also find other resources, such as recipes, cooking lessons, and the best beer to pair with your steaks.

Grill Safety

Something else to consider is how comfortable you are around a grill. It is common sense, but grill safety is very important, and if you don’t know how to use one, don’t do it alone.

Some tips suggested by nationwide.com are:

• Have baking soda on hand to control a grease fire and a fire extinguisher nearby for other fires. If you don’t have a fire extinguisher, keep a bucket of sand next to the grill. Never use water to put out grease fire.

• If you use a charcoal grill, only use charcoal starter fluid. If the fire starts to go out, don’t add any starter fluid or any other flammable liquids to the fire. Consider using a charcoal chimney starter, which uses newspaper to start the fire instead of starter fluid.

• If you are using a gas grill and the flame goes out, turn the grill and the gas off, then wait at least five minutes to re-light it.

• Before the season’s first barbecue, check the gas tank hose for leaks by applying a light soap and water solution to the hose and then turning on the gas. If there is a propane leak, the solution will bubble. Other signs of a propane leak include the smell of gas near the barbecue or a flame that won’t light.

Click Here For Merchandise

Grilling tips for Steak

Going back to the BIWFD website, you’ll find plenty of tips to get the best out of your grilling experience. Here are some of their suggestions:

• Some grill experts emphasize the importance of bringing steaks to room temperature before grilling, but we don’t recommend it for food safety reasons. Likewise, our cooking chart is based on the meat going directly from chill to grill. So plan on pulling the meat from the fridge, seasoning well, and getting started right away.

• Make sure your grill is clean (to prevent flare-ups) and the rack is well-oiled (to prevent sticking). If you’re using charcoal, follow the directions for how much you’ll need and how to build the charcoal pile. For gas grills, refer to your owner’s manual and set the grill to medium-high.

• Use an ovenproof or instant-read thermometer to monitor doneness, and let it go—don’t flip the steaks so much! One flip is usually all you need, but take care to avoid charring or burning and be ready to turn down the heat (or move to a cooler spot on the grill) if necessary. Keep in mind the internal temperature will continue to rise for a few minutes after coming off the grill.

• Here’s another step novice cooks often overlook: resting the meat before serving—even if you’re hungry. It’s seriously worth the wait, because it prevents all those tasty juices from draining onto your plate. For most grill-friendly cuts, about five minutes is enough.

• If you’re slicing the steak before serving, be sure to go across the grain. There’s no shortage of tips for assembling a great burger. For steaks, we recommend topping them off with compound butter or serving with a sauce.

Side note: “grain” refers to the direction of the fibers in the meat. BIWFD suggest slicing across the grain to make the meat easier to chew. To do this, slice across perpendicularly to the direction of these fibers.

Be sure to have a meat thermometer handy, and a knife in case you need to cut the steak to see how well it is done. For rare doneness it’s about 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and medium is 145.

Grilling isn’t difficult, and it’s actually one of the best ways to prepare beef cuts! When it comes to these tips and tricks, use what works best for you, and don’t worry about following everything to a T if you have a better idea! The most important thing to remember is to have fun and grill some great beef!