Why Strive for Great Grill Marks?

I’ve been cooking on the campfire almost my whole life, and I’ve been grilling for quite a while too…but I’ve never been able to get really nice grill marks until recently. I never saw the point in making nice diamond-shaped grill marks except as a way to impress your friends. Turns out, I was right! Mostly.

The truth is, perfect grill marks don’t do too much to add to the tastiness of foods. Don’t get me wrong, the brown bits are necessary for flavor (I could get into the importance of the Maillard reaction, but I won’t), but they don’t need to look fancy to taste good…except that people eat with their eyes first. A perfectly crosshatched piece of meat looks beautiful and inviting, like it’s begging you to dig in! Plus, having professional-looking grill marks will give your guests confidence that you are a real pro yourself!

How Do You Get Perfect Grill Marks?

When it comes to getting perfect grill marks, the first thing that you need is, well, a grill! We have a big Weber Genesis at home, but we also keep a little Weber Q1000 portable grill in our rig. Pretty much anything that has a raised metal surface will work (think campfire grill grate, grill pan, or even a George Foreman).

Get Your Grill Really Hot

No matter what you are using to get your grill marks, make sure that you are able to get the grill grate good and hot. This means that you should be pre-heating on HIGH for at least 10 minutes. You are essentially searing along the grill lines to get your marks before finishing things off at a cooler temperature if more cooking time is needed.

It’s All About Angles

I don’t know if you know this, but geometry is my jam! (Note to self, make a recipe for geometric jam cookies…sorry, I’ve gotten off topic…). It’s important to get the right angle when you turn your meat to get nice diamond-shaped grill marks. Don’t be obtuse, I didn’t mean that you need a sharp right angle, it’s actually acute one. Get it… acute. (crickets).

Seriously though, knowing how to place and rotate your protein is the key to great grill marks. So many descriptions out there talk about rotating 45 degrees, and this is confusing and misleading. You should always start with your protein at about a 45 degree angle with respect to the grill grate. This just means that you don’t want the lines running straight up and down the long edge of the meat or straight across the middle. Start with it a little crooked. Then, to get diamond-shaped grill marks you will leave your protein in place on the grill for a couple of minutes, pick it up, and turn it 120 degrees before plopping it back on the grill and letting it cook for another 2 minutes or so. You should repeat the process on the other side, assuming you want grill marks on both sides. For a more square hatch pattern you use the same process as above, but turn 90 degrees. Remembering all of these angles can be really confusing, so as a rule of thumb think back to driver’s ed when you learned to keep your hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel. When you go to rotate, start with your spatula at the 10:00 position and rotate to the 2:00 position before dropping it back on the grill. For a 90 degree rotation think of it as going from the 10:00 position to the 1:00 position (you rebel). I’m sure I’ve totally lost you by now, so check out the diagram below. That should help sort things out.

Are Grill Marks Just for Meat?

Grill marks are for pretty much anything that can withstand cooking on high heat. Grilled eggplant, bread, or even some fruits like peaches or pineapple would look great with some nice crosshatching. Get creative with it!