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3 grilled myths and the truth behind them

We’ve all heard outrageous grilling stories, tips, tricks, and myths from “experts.” This information is readily available on the internet and there is so much of it that we no longer know which ones are true. Unless you’ve tried and tested everything, that’s the only time you can prove its validity.

But with science and popularity in mind, here are 3 of the most common grilling myths and the truth behind them:

The more you check, the longer your food will cook on the grill.

Surely you have read some advice about it, they generally advise against checking the food too much because it lengthens the cooking time. Some even say it adds 15 minutes of cook time to long cooks (like beef brisket) every time you look. The truth is, no matter how many times you check your food, it doesn’t have much of an impact on temperature, let alone cooking time. According to Professor Greg Blonder, a food scientist and physicist at Boston University, opening the lid drastically has little to no impact on the surface and core temperatures of the meat, therefore it doesn’t change its cooking time.

Marinate longer to soften the meat.

We’ve all heard of it: the longer you marinate meat, the better it penetrates the meat for flavor and the more tender it will become. However, it is not entirely true. It can work for thin cuts of meat, but for regular cuts like chicken breasts or regular pork chops, marinades are just a surface treatment. While salt can penetrate deep into meat, other spices (like garlic and pepper) have huge molecules and can only penetrate to within 1/8-inch of the meat’s surface, even when marinated overnight.

To prevent food from sticking, oil the grill grates first.

This is probably one of the most common tips you’ll come across when you first read about grilling. Honestly, sometimes it works, but the chances of it not working are higher. Oiling the grates below the smoking point can work (going above the smoke point will definitely stick the food), but the best option is to oil the food, not the grates.

If you’re not convinced, put these grilling myths to the test to see if they hold true. When it comes to grilling, what works for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. Experience will let you know what is best!