Alternatively, a new popular type of grilling is a barbecue clambake. Clambakes are typically held in a pit on the beach, but if a beach is not available, you may want to consider holding your clambake right from your backyard grill.

1) First, no party for a grill master would be complete without guests. Plan ahead of time, checking with your potential guest for scheduling conflicts and issues. Finding a date and time that is suitable for everyone should not be to far as long as you everyone enough advanced notice. Remember that not everyone will be able to come, no matter how much notice you give them, so do not get discouraged if you do not get as many RSVPs as your originally hoped for. You can use the free service from http://www.Evite.com to schedule your events.

2) Be sure to check the weather for that type of year. If you live in a climate that cannot be predicted, then you may want to have a backup plan just in case unusual weather comes. You cannot predict things like rain and thunderstorms ahead of time, but you can make sure that you hold you grill-out during the time of year that will be pleasant to your guests. Grilling in cold weather may hold more negative memories of trying to keep warm rather then good memories of family and friends. Use http://www.Weather.com to determine future weather patterns.

3) You will need to purchase the items for your clambake. The traditional items you will need is Clams still in the shell, seawater (if available), corn still in the husk, and potatoes.

Side dishes can also be bought, but are not necessary since the potatoes and corn can act as such. If you feel that you need other side dishes, the simplest approach to side dishes is chips, dip and maybe even salsa. Chips and dip do not require any cooking on your part, and will still be loved by the majority of your guests.

4) Depending on the theme of your party, you may want to purchase decorations. Festive decorations can be found at any $1 or .99 Cent store. You may also consider purchasing decorations that can be stored and reused at a different time, such as reusable tablecloths and Tiki torches. Give your clambake a beach theme by adding tropical music and you may even consider adding some sand.

5) The day before you party, you will want to make sure to thaw, prepare, and marinate the meat you will be cooking. Store the meat stored away, soaking up the marinate until it is time for it to go on the grill. Prepare any side dishes that you can ahead of time. That way you will have less stress. We like less stress, don’t you?

6) The day of the party, get up early and start preparing for it. You do not want your guest arriving while you are still cooking or hanging decorations. It should only take you a few hours at most to prepare the area in which you will be having the party, but the reactions from your guest will probably seem as if you have been planning this for weeks. Every detail counts, even if it is small. Most folks will appreciate even the little things you do.

Place your clambake on the grill, layering your already cooked potatoes, corn still in the husk, and your clams on the grill. Then grill these until the corn and clams are complete.

Depending on the time in which your guests arrive, you may want to include you guests in the actual cooking of the clambake. Enjoying a few Long Island Ice Teas around the grill will not only give you time to gather and joke around, but will also make your guests mad with hunger, as they smell the wonderful aroma coming from the steaming vegetables and clams… everyone will appreciate your hard work and you will definitely earn the title of “Weekend Grill Master.”

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You can make the grill the center of attention at your next gathering by making appetizers on the grill. Just about any hot appetizer can be prepared on the grill and it is much easier then you may think.

You can prepare tasty appetizers such as mini pizzas, mini tacos, buffalo wings and potato skins on the grill and they will be tastier than if you prepared them in your oven.

The main difference between cooking appetizers on the grill and cooking them in the oven is that a grill will have a much more intense heat, even if you are using the indirect method. But if you coat the cooking surface with oil, use indirect heat and the upper rack and keep a close eye on your food you will be successful.

A tool that can be very useful when making appetizers is the grill topper

You can find grill toppers at hardware and department stores and it will be a good investment. You can use it as a tray and transfer everything to the preheated grill at once. When the food is cooked, just remove the grill topper and serve…

The trick to making the best appetizers for your gathering is to do as much of the preparation as possible in advance.

You can prepare most of them a day in advance. The mini pizzas, potato skins and buffalo wings can be already to cook and will just require a little heating on the grill to be ready to eat. The grill will heat them up fast too, so you won’t need to stay around the grill to long.

You will want to match up the appetizers to the meal.

•If you are preparing steak a great appetizer is the potato skins.
•If you are making a Mexican meal try grilling up some beef strips and vegetables for fajitas as an appetizer.
•Another great appetizer that goes with almost anything is beef or chicken kabobs.

They are easy to make if you prepare them the night before.

Our favorite is to use a good cut of roast and cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. Throw the cubes in a dish with thousand island dressing and let soak overnight. The next day cut up red and green peppers, mushrooms and sweet onion and alternate them on square metal skewers. They will cook in a few minutes and be ready for your guests.

If you plan on making appetizers and you use a charcoal grill, (Our preference – we believe you get a much better flavor with a charcoal grill or a smoker!) then we would suggest a two or three level fire.

If you are making foods like the mini pizzas then you will be best served by the three level fire. You can heat the pizzas over the area of the grill with no coals.

Other foods can be prepared at the same time over the other areas of the grill and when you are ready to make the main course you just need to add some coals.

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There are Two Different kinds of rubs, dry and wet.

Dry rubs are made of spices and herbs which you can sprinkle on the meat or rub into the meat.

Wet rubs have a liquid base, which is usually an oil, and is used to to coat the meats surface.

How you use rubs is a matter of personal taste.

A good rub should add flavor and color to the food but not overwhelm the natural flavor of the food that you are using the rub on.

Most dry rubs contain paprika, cayenne pepper and chili powder.

You don’t want to use to much cayenne pepper and make the meat so hot that your tongue catches on fire and you don’t want to eat it. You should use a combination of strong and mild spices to add color and compliment the flavor of the food. There are many recipes and ready prepared rubs. The rub you use is really just your personal preference.

To get rubs to stay on the meat you need the meats natural moisture.

To properly apply a rub you should work the rub into the meat evenly. If you are applying the rub to chicken or other poultry you should try to get the rub underneath the skin. The skin will block the flavor, so if you don’t get it underneath, you won’t be flavoring the meat.

The advantage of using a wet rub is that it will stay on the the meat better. When using rubs on foods that are naturally dry or meats such as chicken with the skin on, you should use a wet rub.

A wet rub will help keep meat from drying out and helps keep the meats natural juices inside. Using rubs with oil in them can help keep the food from sticking to your grill. Wet rubs should be about as thick as paste, so that they will stay on the food better.

You should always apply rubs at least an hour before you plan to grill. For chicken and roasts you should apply the rub the night before. You want the rubs to combine with the foods natural juices and penetrate the meat.

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To cook a steak to well done is an unforgivable sin. That being said, if you want your steak well done, then don’t use the searing method. If you do, you will end up with a steak that is charred and dry. Now that we’ve expressed our opinion on the perfect steak, let’s get to the method.

To begin with, searing is not just for steaks.

The best way to grill a great prime rib is to start it out at a high temperature and sear the surface and then lower the temperature to finish cooking it. Other meats as well, such as chicken, pork chops and roast will benefit from searing.

The process of searing is essentially “browning” the meat, which gives it a delicious flavor and a little bit of a crusty surface. If your steak isn’t browned it just isn’t right.

What you want when you sear is to add that flavor and still end up with a juicy piece of mouth-watering meat. How can you get your meat seared just right?

The First Thing to Know About Searing Is Don’t Be Anxious.

Just because the meat has started to turn brown doesn’t mean that Denzel Washington brown color before turning, not just a golden color. This browning is what gives the steak the flavor you are looking for.

3 Must Do Steps To get a Good Sear Before Lighting the Grill

Step 1

You need to have a good clean grilling surface in order to have even contact between the metal and the meat. If you are using fatty cuts of meat you don’t need to oil the grate, but if you do need to oil the grate, you want to use sunflower, canola or safflower oils because these oils will not break down at high temperatures like olive oil or lard. When oil breaks down it causes smoke and will leave an unpleasant taste to your meat.

Step 2

The next thing is to make sure the surface of the meat is dry. If you use a marinade, make sure all the marinade is dripped off the meat before placing on the grill.

Step 3

Now that you have a dry piece of meat and a clean grill, you will need to preheat the grill.

If you are using a gas grill you will need to set both of the grills main burners to high and close the grill cover. You will want to let the grill get as hot as you can get it. If you know your grill you will know how long this takes. If you are a beginner about 10-15 minutes should do it.

If you are using a charcoal grill, you will need to build a two layer fire.

This, as covered in a previous chapter requires that you build a two layer fire on one side of the grill and a single layer on the other. You will then sear the meat on one side of the grill and cook it the rest of the way on the other.

Charcoal fires are ideal for searing because you get a more intense heat. You can tell when the charcoal fire is hot enough to sear by “The Hand Melting Test.” You will not be able to hold your hand over the searing fire.
For the finishing fire you want it at about medium-high heat (you can hold your hand over it for a count of three).

The grill is now ready for searing.

Have everything you need close by because you will have to move fast. This is especially true for the gas grill. The grill has stored up as much heat as it can by now and you will want to keep as much of that heat inside the grill as possible.

You will now need to lift the lid and get the meat on the grill as fast as you can and then re-close the lid.
If you are a beginner you are going to turn the meat after one minute. As you gain experience you can adjust this time so that you get the perfect browning.

Your aim is to get a nice dark brown color to the meat without lifting the grills lid to check it. When turning the meat you want to act fast, as before, and position the meat as you turn it so that it is on a previously unused part of the grill.

Sear this side for 1 minute and then open the grill.

On a gas grill turn the heat down to medium-high and finish cooking, on the charcoal grill you will want to move the meat to the side with the single layer fire to finish. When you move the meat turn it the opposite way so that you get a criss cross grilling pattern on the meat.

If you are searing a roast or prime rib, you will need to move the meat to an indirect fire to finish it off.
After your meat has reached the desired pinnacle-peak of doneness, remove it from the grill and let it sit for about five minutes before serving. Patience young Jedi, do this and you will let the juices in the meat return to the surface.

Just as with the other methods of grilling, searing will take some practice. If you find that the meat has been overcooked you will need to adjust accordingly.

If you didn’t get the dark brown sear that we are looking for, you will need to increase the time you sear a little bit. No two grills are the same and weather can also effect cooking times. Experience and patience is the key to getting the perfect sear and the perfect steak.

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• For direct heat cooking, food is placed on the cooking rack directly over the hot coals or fire.
• The indirect method is used for more delicate foods and for larger cuts of meat that need longer cooking times, such as when you’re barbecuing a thick juicy roast.

The grill will always be kept covered when cooking with indirect heat.

Direct heat cooking is easy.

Learning the temperature of the coals is the only real skill.

• If you are using a gas grill, you just need to set the heat settings at the proper level.
• For a charcoal grill, the coals are ready when 3/4 of them are gray and coated with ash.

You can check the temperature of a charcoal grill by very carefully holding your hand just above the grilling surface and counting the on the lava rocks on one side of the grill and add water to 1/2″. Preheat the other burner on high for 5-10 minutes. Turn the temperature down to medium, then put the food on the rack over the drip pan and cover the grill.

For indirect heat cooking on a single burner gas grill, preheat the grill on high for 5-10 minutes. Turn the temperature down to low, and place a large foil baking pan on the rack. You can also line half of the cooking rack with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Place food in the pan or on the foil, cover and cook.

Exceeding Expectations,

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