GrillGrrrl's Fourth of July Grilling Tips

Courtesy of Maria Muñoz / GrillGrrrl

Robyn Medlin

​Grilling is often seen as a man's job. But who says a girl can't grill?
Robyn Medlin, AKA GrillGrrrl, has made it her mission to show women they need not fear the grill. A resident of Hollywood, Medlin writes the blog GrillGrrrl and teaches grilling to small groups of women.

"A lot of girls [who attend the clinics] don't have a boyfriend and they want to get their own grill," Medlin says. "What's cool is that most guys find it extremely sexy."

Grilling with a boyfriend from the past is what got Medlin interested. South Florida played its part too, inspiring this grill girl with its weather.

Medlin's Fourth of July menu consists of buffalo sliders topped with blue cheese; grilled vegetables; and grilled angel food cake with grilled peaches. She shared her sliders recipe with Short Order, but not without first offering a few grilling tips -- for both men and women.

• Start with a clean grill. "A lot of people don't do grill maintenance, and it can cause flareups and make the meat stick," Medlin says.
• Before lighting the grill, oil the grates or us spray nonstick spray so the food is less likely to stick.
  
• Don't puncture the meat, so it doesn't lose its juices. "If you're going to use something to flip your burgers, use tongs or a spatula, not forks."
• Don't overbabysit the meat. "Don't flip [burgers], like, 27 times like I see some guys do, because that'll dry out the meat and make it tougher. You should flip it only once, and then you're done." 
• Don't press the meat down with a spatula because essentially all you're doing is letting out the juices.
• Use a meat thermometer to ensure your meat has reached the minimum internal temperature for doneness. That way, you are also less likely to overcook your dinner.
  
• Let the meat rest for five minutes tented with aluminum foil before you eat it so it reaborbs the juices.

Ladies still intimidated by the grill can sign up for one of Medlin's GrillGrrrl clinics. Before you know it, you'll be competing with your guy to man the grill. Check back for Medlin's Fourth of July recipe.