Dads rule the grill - at least on Father's Day

The Town Crier staff paid tribute to their moms on Mother’s Day last month with stories and recipes from the family kitchen. Readers replied with such an overwhelming response, we didn’t want dads feeling left out on Father’s Day June 19. Staff and their families have decided to share grilling tips with readers as part of our tribute to dads and outdoor cooking. Enjoy!

Wood chips

If you like the convenience of propane but the taste of a charcoal grill, place a smoke box filled with wet wood chips under the grill of your gas barbecue when cooking. This will give your food a smoked flavor. Use hickory chips for beef and apple chips for fish. -Associate Editor Linda Taaffe, courtesy of her husband Kevin Legnon

Charcoal only

Don’t use propane. Charcoal brings out the flavor in foods better than propane. Also, don’t put the grill too close to the coals. - Howard Bischoff, associate publisher

Limit flipping

Only flip hamburgers once during the cooking process or else you will squish out all of the juice and end up with a dried-out burger that tastes like a piece of leather. - Joe Hu, photographer

Marinade

Marinade meat at least four hours before cooking. If you have time, marinating the meat overnight is ideal. - Larry Galibut, production

Don’t use lighter fluid

In the interest of the environment, never use lighter fluid. Start the coals with a newspaper and a metal funnel. The first heats the coals from the bottom of the funnel up. Avoid using newspaper pages with color ink, which can be toxic. Using a funnel to light the coals also guarantees there will be no “lighter fluid aftertaste” to the food. - Bruce Barton, editor

Clean with foil

A crumpled piece of foil works just as well as a metal-bristled brush when you want to clean the barbecue grill. Simply rub the foil back and forth on the grill to remove any debris. - Paul Nyberg, publisher

Appoint a cook

Let someone else do the grilling! - Pete Borello, sports editor