Tip 1. Measure, measure, measure...

Taking the time to measure each grilling item can dramatically improve your grilling success, since thickness is an important factor in calculating grilling time. When the thickness of a grilling item varies (such as chicken breasts) measure the grilling item at its thickest part, keeping in mind that thinner parts of that piece of meat will be grilled slightly more done.

For other grilling items of varied thickness, such as flank steak, you can also achieve varying levels of desired doneness. Simply measure the thickness for the desired part of the meat, keeping in mind that sections thinner will be more done and any thicker sections will be less done (more rare) than the section of the meat you actually measure.

Tip 2. Prepare the ideal fire.

The recommended grilling technique for most steaks, burgers, chicken breasts and pork chops is over a fire that is "Direct- Medium," meaning that the food is placed directly over a "medium" temperature fire.

Gas Grills - To prepare the ideal fire, turn the grill on "High" for about 8-10 minutes or until the grilling surface is searing hot, then dial the fire down to "Medium" for grilling. For more information, you may also want to consult the owner's manual for your grill.

Charcoal Grills - Open all vents in the lid and underneath your grill. Use enough charcoal to solidly cover the entire charcoal grate with a single layer of coals. Then stack the charcoal to light it (or use an ever popular chimney style charcoal starter).

Wait until the entire stack of charcoal has a thin layer of white ash, then carefully spread the hot coals to again create a single layer of coals covering the entire charcoal grate. Place the cooking grate over the hot coals, cover and allow it to get searing hot (approximately 5 minutes).

Reminder - Information on the Fire Settings is always available by clicking the info icon next to the Fire menu.

Tip 3. Use the Fridge Reminder feature.

The Fridge Reminder makes it easy to remember to allow steaks and chops to stand at room temperature before grilling. But should you forget, it's important to select the "Fridge to Grill" setting so that additional grilling time can be added to bring those steaks and chops up to temperature on the grill.

Reminder - Information on the Fridge Reminder is also available by clicking the info icon next to the Fridge Reminder menu.

Tip 4. Plan and grill like an expert.

Your Charcoal Bob cookout printout is designed to provide everything you need to plan great cookouts and achieve expert grilling results.

1 - Arrange all grilling items in identical order on your virtual grill and on your cooking platter, to make keeping track of them easy.

2 - This cookout summary information helps you keep the planning details of your cookout handy.

3 - The Grilling Timeline manages the grilling details for your cookout, every step of the way.

Approx. Time - tells you when to start the grill to eat at the desired time (or when you'll eat if you start the grill at a designated time).

Elapsed Grilling Time - makes it easy to put on and turn grilling items using a conventional stopwatch.

Event - explains precisely the task (or tasks) to perform at the right time.

Time Remaining - lets you time your grilling events using a countdown timer, and is also great for answering questions like "how long until we eat" or requests to "let me know when we're 10 minutes from dinner."

Countdown to Next Event - is a handy feature for knowing how long you have until you will need to perform your next grilling task.

4 - With Cookout Notes the names, preferences and notes you enter for each grilling are always right where you need them.

Tip 5. Grilling great burgers.

Believe it or not, calculating grilling times for hamburgers is a true challenge. That's because many factors - including the fat content of the meat and how tightly the burgers are formed - can effect grilling times.

Another important consideration is food safety. The USDA recommends that ground meats such as hamburger be cooked to a minimum doneness of Medium (160°F).

For best flavor and grilling results, many experts recommend ground beef that is around 80% lean. Also, do not press the burgers too tightly together, as this may increase grilling time (or result in undercooked burgers).

Please note that for reasons of food safety, the Cookout Calculator grilling times for hamburger may be slightly longer than those found elsewhere.

Tip 6. Practice, practice practice...

If our method of grilling is new to you, start out with a few simple cookouts. (The fact is, many of our Guests and beta testers tell us that it takes several cookouts to become familiar with grilling this way). With a little practice you'll get to know the unique characteristics of your grill, how to calculate the grilling times for your favorite foods, how to get the most from your cookout printout and how to achieve consistently delicious results.

Happy Grilling!