Quick Tips Miscellaneous / Barbeque Barbeque Picnics Travel Quick Tips Categories Keep an empty plastic squeeze bottle by the barbecue grill to use as a bellows for the coals. Clean a grill by covering with a sheet of aluminum foil, shiny side down and heating the grill for ten to fifteen minutes. The muck on the grill will drop right off. Dental floss is the strongest material you can use to truss meat, and it won’t melt on the barbecue. Wood is ready when it’s a mass of glowing embers; charcoal is ready when it is grayish-white. Grilling With direct grilling, using charcoal or gas, the food is placed directly above the heat source. Direct cooking is best for smaller pieces of meat, which take less time to cook. With indirect grilling, foods are cooked by reflected heat, as with a convection oven. You must have a covered grill to use the indirect cooking method. Larger cuts of meat that need to be cooked for longer periods at lower temperatures are ideal for indirect cooking. Marinades are seasoned liquids that add flavor and tenderize meat. The longer the meat is immersed in the marinade, the deeper the flavor. Rubs are highly concentrated blends of dried spices that flavor the exterior of the food as it grills. Rub the mixture evenly over the surface of the food before grilling. For extra flavor, if you have the time, wrap the rubbed food and refrigerate for an hour or more. Pesky Insects To combat a real ant infestation when you’re trying to have a picnic at the outdoor picnic table, put the table legs in containers of water before setting out food. Ants are lousy swimmers. Sprinkle sage around a cupboard that has been invaded by red ants. For common sweet ants try sprinkling cinnamon in the area. Plant mint or onions around your house foundation to discourage ant infestation. Wasps can be beneficial since they eat many other pests. They can also be a pain in the neck at outdoor barbecues. Try leaving out a dish with highly-sugared grapefruit. They will dip until they drown. You can keep them away from a hummingbird feeder with a cotton ball dipped in vinegar. To save space on the barbecue grill, boil hot dogs for a few minutes in the kitchen first, then put them with their water into a thermos until you’re ready to grill them. Email your favorite tips to us and we'll post them. Please specify whether you'd like your name and email address included.