Believe it or not, mixing milk with beef has a fantastic effect on the taste.  It prevents them from getting as hard, and you will find that it cuts down on shrinkage.  You can also try adding a few cloves of garlic and a couple of pear slices.

When cooking on the grill, you can combine great grilling and barbecuing techniques.  Some people enjoy a dry rub, while other people prefer to marinade their meat.  I like to do both a dry rub and then marinade the meat as well.

Many people like to cook hot and fast on a grill.  Other grill masters prefer to cook slow on lower temperatures to keep from drying the meat out.  I cook meat on a low temperature to keep it juicy, but then I turn the heat up for the last few minutes which results in that nice crispiness and browning on the outside.

Without a clean grilling surface to cook your meat on, you will find food sticking to it, making it much harder to flip things like burgers, steaks, and chicken.  All you need to do is to heat the grill up and scrape it clean with a wire brush or grill stone.  I prefer the grill stone because I think it does a better job, but on some grilling surfaces you may find a wire brush to be more effective.

I see people do this all the time when they are grilling.  They take the edge of a spatula and press down on top of the burger.  This pushes the juices out of the meat.  Losing the juices will cause the burger to dry out much faster and make it tougher to eat.  As the juices escape into the flame, they will also cause flare ups which can char your meat and make it more difficult to chew.

The juices will add to the flavor of your burgers.  Keep them in there.

Poking holes in your steak is a horrible idea.  You will see people do this all the time with a fork when they place the steak on the grill.  These holes just give the juices inside the steak a place to easily run out.  You want those juices locked inside.

Use tongs instead when handling your meat.

When you are grilling you must pay attention to the heat.  A steak will overcook if you leave it on high heat for too long.  On the flip side, having too little heat will cause your food to under cook, which can have dire health consequences.

If your grill has a temperature gauge, that can help a lot.  However, a log of grilling is done without the lid on, which is usually where the temperature gauge is housed.  It is a good idea to buy a heat thermometer to check your meats.  You also may have to do some testing and experimenting with your grill until you become comfortable maintaining the proper heat levels.

While waiting for the food, it is great to have a cold beer in hand to enjoy as the food is prepared.  In the summertime, a great choice of beer is Hoegaarden.  It is a Belgian wheat beer that pairs perfectly with a hot summer day.  Allagash White and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale are two other good choices.

Captain Morgan and Ginger-Ale highballs are another good choice.  Use lots of ice and limes as a garnish with this drink.  It is great to sip on at the grill.

Another popular choice wile grilling is a gin and tonic.  I prefer Bombay Sapphire Gin with a slice of lime to garnish it.

Once you get the grill fired up, cook everything on low for gas grills, and on charcoal grills keep the temperature between 270-300 degrees.  On a hot summer day, this should not be a problem.  This will prevent you from drying out whatever you are cooking.

It is also a good idea to keep a spray bottle of water nearby.  Squirt any flame ups on a mist setting.  Using a direct stream of water will just push the grease around.  After squirting it, close the lid.  The heat will cause the water to change into steam and will put out the fire quickly.

If you are cooking with a charcoal grill, avoid using lighter fluid.  Lighter fluid will give your food a bit of a chemical taste that is unavoidable.  Instead, light your charcoal with a chimney starter.  Once you start using one of these and see how easy it is, you will never go back to the archaic method of lighting charcoal with lighter fluid again.  Chimney starters are really cheap, with even many of the best ones costing under $25.  At that price, they are far less expensive than buying tons of lighter fluid throughout the year.  You will not find a better method for getting the coals hotter.

If you are looking for a gas grill on a budget, the Char Broil T480 is the right choice for you.  It provides a spacious cooking area with 4 burners.  A mounted sideburner bumps out 10,000 BTU.  All burners start with an easy to use electronic ignition system.  Primary cooking area measures 480 square inches, and the grill is also equipped with 205 square inches of secondary space.  The grates are porcelain stamped steel.  Read the customer reviews.

Features:

• 480 square inches of primary cooking area.
• 205 square inch secondary heating rack.
• 4 stainless steel burners.
• Sideburner.
• Porcelain stamped steel cooking grate.
• Electronic ignition.