BBQ Problem - food is too dry!?

Question

i have a Gas BBQ but everytime we cook steak, chicken or whatever it may be, it comes out extremely dry. what can we do to prevent this from happening so that is can be juicy instead of dry. ty

Answer 1

I do not normally look at other peoples answers before I answer a question but his time I did and am shocked at how many crap answers you have been given.

It means you do not know how to cook and you are cooking for far to long.

Now let us sort a few things out.

Do not poke and prod with your BBQ fork or knife
Allow to cook for the recommended time on each side without constantly turning
Allow to Rest.
Eat and enjoy.

Answer 2

If you have a gas BBQ with more than one heat zone, try experimenting with cooking the meat on a lower heat. Weber kettle grills are famous for their indirect heating method. To mimic indirect cooking, keep the meat on the cool portion of the grill with the other area of the grill heated and the lid of the grill down. The heat rises and "swirls" over the top of the meat and cooks it. If you have a gas BBQ grill with only one heat zone you're out of luck. Keep the heat lower, turning often and basting will help keep it from getting charred, but may dry it out a bit. Marinate ahead of time if possible. Another thing to consider is not adding so much salt to the meat--this can dry it out too. Hmmm. Oh, and if you are cooking chicken, leaving the skin on while cooking will help keep it moist.

Answer 3

To avoid getting your bbq dry, add olive oil to your marinate. The olive oil will keep the juice in since the meat will be moist, it will not need to withdraw the juice from it when is cooking.

also, when cooking steak or chicken, dont flip your meat before is time. for example, make sure the grill is hot and let each side of the meat cook for at least 5 minutes before you flip it. this is for med well. med rare 2 minutes on each side.

for chicken is different since chicken requires more time, if you are using boneless breasts cook each side for 8 - 10 min on each side.

If cooking chicken with bones, concider boiling your chicken first and then grill it skin down to roast the skin, 5 min later flip and add bbq sauce and repeat to the other side.

If you are not using bbq sauce make a mojito marinate with lemon juice, orange juice (1 lemmon 1 orange) fresh minced garlic, salt, pepper and oregano or any fresh or dry herb you like, rosemary is great and when the chicken is cooked (boiled) marinate it and grill it to get it roasted and this tastes great.

When grilling fish, make sure you use a non stick grill ( they have one that goes over the grill...home depot carries it or a fancy one from william sonoma) if your fish has the skin on, start grilling your fish with the skin on top. meaning the skin is not what is goin in first but the sking stays on the top. This will keep the fish moisted.

Enjoy !!!

Answer 4

I've always found that marinating the food before BBQing is the best way.You can make your own marinade with a little wine or beer, or even vinegar, soya sauce and your favorite spices. And you must let it sit in the marinade for at least 1 hour, of course the longer the better. It comes out tender and juicy and tastes wonderful. No need for exact measurements just experiment a little bit, alter your amounts depending on how much food is to be marinaded. You can even do this with veggies and potatoes, it gives them a nice flavor. Try this, about 1 cup each of red wine and beer, spices to tastesuch as , garlic onion ,pepper, a little salt, lemon pepper, thyme and basil. And yes , fresh spices are always better but more potent so don't use as much. And if you want to spice it up a bit add fresh crushed hot peppers. If you don't have wine and beer you can use lemon juice, vinegar and soya sauce.

Answer 5

Lower your cooking temperature and try wrapping your meat in foil so that it doesn't lose all the moisture into the coals. You can try using marinades to infuse a bit more moisture in the meats too.
When I use the rotisserie I put a pan of water underneath or sometimes I fill it with beer instead of water-this seems to help. you could always beer can your chicken! Just stand the chicken up on top of a tall can of beer in the BBQ and let it boil out into the inside of the bird while it cooks-Yummy!

Answer 6

First off, do you put salt on the meat before cooking? If so, Don't. Salt has a very drying effect. Salt it after it is done.
Second, it sounds like you are cooking too long, which will dry out anything.

Answer 7

First off, don't ever cook on high. Sure it might cook it faster, but it will char the outside before the inside has a chance to cook. Cook on medium or medium high heat. Don't let meat sit in high flames.

Secondly, don't overcook your meat. Invest in a simple meat thermometer. Here's a chart showing the proper cooking temperatures of meat: http://www.cooksrecipes.com/tips/meat-cooking-temperature-chart.html
Don't go over these temperatures. In fact, meat will raise 5-10 degree F after you pull it off the grill so pull it off 5 degree below those temperatures.

Thirdly, let your meat rest for 5-10 minutes after pulling it off the grill. This will let the meat get that extra 5 degrees and it will also let the juice redistribute threw the meat. If you don't let it rest, most of those juicy juices you crave run right out of the meat.

Answer 8

Put a tin can of water or beer in the center of the grill. Put the meat on the top rack and keep the lid shut except to turn your main course...

Answer 9

try adding mustard to your BBQ mix (basically: honey, paprika powder, garlic, thyme or Rosemarie and mustard, the mustard makes the meat more tender) and no soy souse (the salt helps to suck all the moist out....).
and i totally agree with murray...

Answer 10

marinade it first and don't over cook it! Also, don't keep flipping it!