Part of what’s so fun about open-flame outdoor cooking is discovering the huge variety of grill accessories and techniques available to you. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, there are all kinds of useful and interesting grilling techniques that you can add to your skill set. These seven grilling techniques offer practical wisdom, adventurous new horizons and — most importantly — insanely delicious results.

1. Smoking 

This low and slow cooking method is most often associated with BBQ meats like brisket and pulled pork, but it can work its flavorful magic on anything from veggies to cheese. In fact, the ability to smoke at low temperatures is one of the features that have made pellet grills and kamado grills so popular today. Every WiFi pellet grill from Grilla Grills (and the Kong kamado grill too!) functions as a competition-quality smoker, so check out the basics of the technique in our beginner’s guide to using a smoker to get started. 

2. Using a Griddle

A griddle attachment for a gas grill, like the one that comes standard with every Grilla Grills Primate, can open up a whole world of possibilities! The idea is simple: a flat metal surface that’s heated by an open flame and works great for cooking anything from bacon to burgers to pancakes — even at the same time. A griddle is an especially good choice for cooking breakfast on the grill and helps manage runoff from greasy foods like bacon.  

3. Making Pizza on the Grill

Pellet grills and kamado grills have a smoky little secret: They also make amazing pizza ovens. Since these grills cook via convection heat, they’re great for providing the consistent heat required to cook a great pizza. All you need is a pizza stone to make sure your pizza has an even heating surface to cook on. See our guide to pellet grill pizza for more information, and check out our recipe for a scrumptious pulled pork pizza when you’re ready to taste the magic yourself.

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4. Searing/Reverse Searing

If you’re in search of the perfect grilled steak, learning to sear on the grill is an essential technique. Searing is all about starting the steak for a short time at a very high temperature, which is how you get that prized combination of deep brown grill lines on the outside and a red or pink center. There’s also reverse searing, a similar process that applies high heat at the end instead. Whatever kind of searing you’re doing, a set of Grilla grill grates is the ideal grillmaster’s tool for creating the focused heat required for a picture-perfect sear!

5. Spatchcocking Chicken

Looking for a way to make your chicken cook more quickly and evenly? Spatchcocking is a method that involves slicing the chicken along its backbone and folding it out into a “butterfly” shape. The wider surface area of the chicken helps it cook significantly faster, and as you’ll see in our herb buttered spatchcock chicken recipe, the results are juicy and bursting with savory flavors.

6. Using Mesh Grill Mats

Cooking more delicate foods like salmon and veggies is no sweat when you’ve got mesh grill mats! These versatile mesh mats go directly on your grill and prevent foods like fish from sticking to the grates, as well as helping thin foods like asparagus avoid falling through. They’re perfect for anyone who’s nervous about cooking more delicate foods on the grill, so pick some up next time you’re cooking a recipe like our parmesan crusted salmon. 

7. Making Your Own Jerky

Who needs overpriced store-bought jerky when you can make it yourself? It’s quick and easy to smoke up a big batch of jerky on any Grilla Grills pellet grill, and you can have tons of fun experimenting with your own flavor combinations. If you’re a true jerky fiend, make sure to grab the Grilla jerky rack, which adds a ton of cooking space to your smoker and makes it simple to smoke a multi-pound batch of jerky in no time. Of course, it’s also good for cooking things other than jerky, so you’ll enjoy the benefits of the expanded cooking surface no matter what!

Looking for more grilling knowledge? Check out eight more grilling secrets from seasoned BBQ chefs, or discover dozens of amazing pellet grill recipes that will get your imagination going and your stomach rumbling.