Who would have thought dark meat chicken with skin contains more calories and fat than a hot dog and hamburger?

You’ll find this tip and more at Healthy Barbecue. Now I have no plans to follow these guidelines, but there are some interesting healthy barbecue tips that you might find easy.

Some eye opening information as well.

Potato Salad: 1 cup: 430 calories, 24 grams of fat

Whoa. OK – I’ll pass on that since I don’t like potato salad.

Check it out.

Backyard Barbecue has lots of information and tips and. as far as I’m concerned, I can never have enough books on barbecuing.

You can pick up a lot of babbecue tips but let me tell you one that will help eliminate a major problem many outdoor cooks experience.

Have you ever tried to flip that burger, steak or chicken; whatever; and it sticks to the grill? It’s trying to tell you it is not time to turn it. The meat will release from the grill and flip easily if you allow it to.

You also want to preheat the grill. The grates need to be hot and that helps the meats cook and release easier from the grate.

Try this. When you are ready to flip, start to place the spatula under the meat. If it shows any signs of sticking, abort! hahaha Unless you have an old and worn out cooking grate, the meats should not stick to the grill. If it does, you are being an impatient barbecuer.

Ever have a hard time knowing whether a steak is cooked properly? Instead of poking it with a fork or cutting it open (both of which let the juices run out), learn how to tell by touching the outside.

For an example of how a steak feels at the different stages of cooking, look no further than your own hand. Touch your pointer finger to your thumb and then feel the fleshy part of your hand underneath your thumb. That is how a steak that is medium rare will feel.

Now touch your middle finger touched to your thumb and feel the same spot under your thumb, This is you medium.

Touch your ring finger to your thumb and feel for medium well.

If it goes beyond that, toss it. Your steak is way overcooked! The way my dad likes it.

Practice this and test with a thin meat thermometer at the same time so you start to get the touch down. Nothing wrong with using these new digital thermometers. They are thin. Just don’t start testing the steak until you are reasonably sure it is about done. Over poke it and you will lose juices.

In fact, I doubt this is even going to inspire you to head outside and light up the gas grill.

I just thought this was an interesting observation. In the winter, despite my urgings , it seems there simply is not that many people who venture outdoors to grill. Well – if I toss my gas cannisters in the van and head over to get them filled up – - – - -

Nobody is ever in front of me! Never! I’m loving it. I’ll make sure to get a refill before February ends because I’m sure, once March rolls around, people will remember they have a grill.

Luckily no wind so it lit and held the flames with no problem. As we let it heat up, my grandson loved it because the steam was coming from the grill as the snow was melting.

When the temperature got around 450 degrees, I opened the lid and cleaned the grids. Tossed on the burgers and closed it and the temperature had dropped to 300 degrees because of the cold.

No major problem. I opened it once to flip the burgers, then once again to flip and add cheese. Next time I opened, it was time to eat.

Don’t let the weather stop you from grilling!!!!!!!!!!

1. Apply a thin layer of fat ( shortening, lard or oil high in saturated fat)

2. Put the cookware up side down in an oven heated to 425degF for one to two hours. There must be an aluminum foil under the cookware to catch the excess oil that has melted off. The excess oil can contaminate the oven.

3. After turning off the oven, let the cookware remain inside to cool down.

4. Use or store the cookware.

Seasoning is an easy and simple way to preserve the cookware and maintain an easy cooking experience for a long time.