Check out our marinating and grilling secrets for steak, ribs, seafood, chicken and vegetables. Keep this printable Grilling Secrets chart handy in the kitchen or at the grill.

Beef Steak

• Marinate in the refrigerator; never at room temperature.
• Marinate in a food-safe plastic bag or non-reactive container such as glass or ceramic, not aluminum.
• Marinate less tender steaks such as flank for 6 hours to 24 hours.
• Tender steaks such as sirloin can be marinated 15 minutes to 2 hours, just to flavor the meat.

• Grill steaks over medium heat about 5 inches from the heat source.
• Turn once during cooking using tongs or a spatula; do not use a fork, it could pierce the meat and allow juices to run out.
• Cooking can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness and desired doneness.

Ribs

• Marinate in the refrigerator; never at room temperature.
• On slabs of ribs, remove the membrane on the bone side to allow marinades to penetrate.
• Boiling ribs for a couple of hours before marinating and cooking ensures tender grilled ribs.
• Both pork and beef ribs can be marinated for a couple of hours or overnight.

• Slow grilling over indirect heat in which the ribs are not placed directly over the heat source but to the side of it, with the lid closed, is preferred.
• Turn the ribs frequently using tongs.
• Grill 1 to 2 hours, depending on rib type and grill.

Seafood

• Marinate in the refrigerator; never at room temperature.
• Fish or shrimp need only 20 to 30 minutes to marinate; some larger thick fillets can marinate an hour or more.
• Over-marinating seafood can cause the flesh to become mushy.

• Cook fillets until they flake easily with a fork and are opaque throughout, about 5 minutes per side per inch thickness. An internal temperature of 155° F is desired.
• Grill baskets are great for delicate or small foods such as shrimp.
• Shrimp cook in about 4 minutes; baste with butter or oil to keep moist.

Chicken

• Marinate poultry pieces 30 to 60 minutes.
• If using tomato-based BBQ sauce, brush on during last 5 minutes of cooking to prevent burning the sauce.

• Grill chicken over direct medium heat.
• An internal temperature for breast meat of 170° F and 180° F for legs and thighs is preferred.
• Estimate about 7 minutes per side for boneless breasts, bone-in legs about 20 minutes per side.

Vegetables

• All vegetables can be marinated in the refrigerator in an oil and vinegar based dressing or marinade for up to one day.
• If not marinating, brush grill grate with vegetable oil before grilling to help prevent sticking.
• Cut vegetables into uniform size pieces so they will cook evenly.

• Grilling sweetens and intensifies the flavor of fresh vegetables.
• Grill over medium heat, turning frequently, until crisp and tender. They should pierce fairly easily with a fork.
• If cooking hard vegetables like potatoes, briefly boil them before grilling to speed up grilling time or to ensure they will be done at the same time as softer vegetables if grilling together.