Get Your Grill in Gear

Grilling seems simple enough. Fire meets meat, and voila! Dinner.

But grilling veterans know there’s more to it than that. To achieve that perfect, juicy slab of steak—as opposed to a chewy piece of chuck—there are a slew of decisions to make: what kind of grill to use, how long to marinate the meat, and what steps to take to ensure your meal is finished without a fire flare-up. 

With Memorial Day just around the corner and grilling season fully underway, local experts have offered up some advice on how to get your summer off to a sizzling start.

The Food

Grills don't discriminate. You can throw just about anything on an open flame. Just ask chef Marco Chirico of Enoteca on Court and Marco Polo Ristorante . One of his favorite foods to grill is octopus. His trick? The marinade: a combination of olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes and fresh thyme and oregano. He uses a rosemary stick as a brush. He lets the octopus soak for 10 minutes before tossing it on the grill. He offers one warning: don’t use extra virgin olive oil because it could cause the flames to flare up.

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