NPR : Summer's Here: Grills Catch Fire

NPR : Summer's Here: Grills Catch Fire: "I asked him to identify the three most common errors committed by amateur grill cooks.

'Number one is overcrowding the grill,' he said. 'The second is confusing burning food with cooking food -- that's where direct and indirect cooking comes in.'

Number three: 'You should not put on barbecue sauce too early, only in the last few minutes of cooking,' he advised, noting that this is particularly critical with a sauce that contains sugar. 'It'll burn right up.'

Because grilling is a dry-cooking method that extracts water from foods, marinades are beneficial for their moistening and flavoring effects. Contrary to widespread belief, a vinegar-based marinade does not tenderize a steak any more than Kool-Aid does because it barely penetrates the surface. The same is true with seafood. In fact, it generally is not a good idea to marinate fish or shellfish for more than half an hour because the acid can make the surface gray and mushy.

At this time of year, simple marinades can be assembled in minutes using fresh herbs, vinegar, olive oil, lemon, wine, even beer (it's great with shellfish)."