8 Great Grilling Tips From Martha Stewart's Butcher
Mike Geller & Martha Stewart
Grills all across America are getting fired up for the last big bash of summer—Labor Day—and whether you've been cooking over an open flame all season long, or are dusting off the ol' barbecue for the first time in a while, having a few pro tips in your back pocket always helps.
Enter Mike Geller, the founder of Mike's Organics in Cos Cob, Connecticut, and butcher to the domestic goddess herself, Martha Stewart. Geller has made a career of selling pasture-raised meats and farm-fresh produce in his store (and nationwide on Goldbelly), but one of the things Mike does best is offer advice.
Courtesy of Mike's Organics
Like Martha, he has a knack of making you feel like you can master anything in the kitchen—or on the grill, for that matter—as long as you have the right ingredients and a few go-to tips.
With Labor Day upon us, we asked Mike for some of the tried-and-true grilling tips he's picked up over the years when it comes to seasoning your meat, knowing when it's ready to serve and the #1 thing everyone gets wrong before they go to grill.
Related: Today Co-Host Al Roker Shares His Best Grilling Tips
The Best Labor Day Grilling Tips From Martha Stewart's Butcher
1. Make sure the grill is clean.
No know wants to taste (or smell) the last thing you grilled on whatever you're serving them today, so cleaning the grill is Mike's #1 tip. "This should ideally be done from the last time you cooked, but if things got hectic, it's ok," he says. "You just don't want to be scraping old bits of food off a cold grill, which can damage it, so heat it up, clean it off and fire it up!"
2. Preheat the grill before cooking.
Preheating the grill may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised by how many people don't do this, shares Mike. "Grilling is all about getting a good sear on your meat or veggies, so get it nice and hot (450 degrees or so) before cooking."
Related: 30 Best Labor Day Barbecue Recipes
3. Let the meat come to room temp before cooking.
Throwing cold meat on the grill is another Mike no-no. "A big steak should stay on the counter for at least 45 minutes before seasoning," he advises. "This lets the center warm up so you get an even cook time."
4. Pat the meat dry
This is critical, so don't skip this step. "If you put a piece of meat on the grill that is damp, you won't get the sear you want," he says. "Instead, pat it with a paper towel before seasoning."
5. Oil and season your meat, fish or veggies beforehand.
Take that lovely steak and show it the love it deserves. Rub it with your favorite oil, then dust it with kosher salt and black pepper. A thin coating of oil prevents the meat from sticking to the grill and stops it from burning. The same thing goes for whole fish or fish fillets and vegetables that are going on the grill. You want to oil your food not the grill.
6. Flip meat once.
You could be ruining your steaks by flipping them too much. "The more you flip it, the more juice you lose," warns Mike. "I like to put the meat on, then after a few minutes of cooking, pick it up and rotate it 90 degrees, then put it back down on the same side for a few more minutes. That will give you the beautiful cross-hatch pattern before you flip it once—just once."
7. Keep the lid closed.
Another thing grilling novices and home cooks get wrong is leaving the lid open, says Mike. "Remember you're not just using the heat of the fire below, but the heat above. By keeping the grill closed it will get hotter, your food will cook more evenly and you'll get blasted with fuego less frequently on a hot summer night."
8. Let your meat rest.
Even though you might be tempted to dig into a sizzling steak or juicy burger hot off the grill, Geller says letting your meat rest makes all the difference between the best first bite and an average one. "Meat should sit at least 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to reintegrate into the meat," he explains. If you slice it right when it comes off the grill it's no good. A cutting board covered in meat juices = a dry steak.