Summer is the one season most Americans feel confident in the kitchen, or rather, next to it. However, many people make mistakes when grilling that can be easily avoided. According to a professional chef, these mistakes often come down to the wrong heat, the wrong timing, or a habit that sounds right but isn’t.

Common Grilling Mistakes

One common mistake is saucing bone-in chicken too early. Every barbecue sauce is built on sugar, and sugar burns fast over high heat. To avoid this, keep the sauce off until the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking. Let the chicken cook through on its own, then add the glaze at the end and let the heat do the rest.

Another mistake is putting thick cuts of meat straight from the fridge onto the grill. This can cause the exterior to overcook before the center is done. To fix this, rest the meat at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling to level out the temperature and produce a more even cook.

When grilling ribs, it’s easy to fall into the long-cook sauce trap. Over two to three hours of cooking, a full-strength barbecue sauce can build up layer by layer into a bitter crust that overpowers everything underneath. To avoid this, use a half-and-half mix of beer and sauce, applied only in the final 30 minutes of a long cook.

Grilling fish can be tricky, but one common mistake is not using a barrier between the fish and the grill. Lying lemon slices directly on the hot grates and setting the fish on top creates a barrier between the fillet and the metal, prevents sticking, adds flavor during the cook, and makes cleanup considerably faster.

Other common mistakes include cutting vegetables too small, oiling the grates instead of the food, cutting into the protein to check doneness, and putting everything on direct heat. By avoiding these mistakes, you can become a better griller and enjoy more delicious meals.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.