their moisture longer, and pounding them to a 1 / 4 -inch thickness helps them cook faster. Oiling the grate before cooking will help keep the lean meat from sticking to the grill, or you can give them a thin coating of vegetable oil.

Once cooked through, chicken can be eaten hot, room temperature, or cold. Its popularity in salads is enormous, and grilled chicken is a favorite at picnics and barbecues. Chicken that has already been cooked, cooled, and refrigerated can be refreshed on the grill the next day, making do-ahead preparations a breeze. Chicken wings have become a national best seller, and i t’ s hard to find a cuisine anywhere in the world that does n’ t feature chicken in one way or another.

Pork

Well-prepared pork can be the juiciest meat of all. Pork comes by its moisture naturally, benefiting from a thick rind or layers of fat. Pork cuts from the loin, hind leg, and belly have the most flavor and can be grilled to perfection. Because pork must be cooked completely, an instant read thermometer is essential to have on hand .

Grilling pork will generally take longer to cook than beef, lamb, or chicken. Thus, i t’ s good to grill it over medium to medium-low heat. A light covering of vegetable oil will help it withstand the length of time it needs to cook through. A technique called barding often accomplishes two tasks; it provides a covering of fat for moisture and adds additional flavor. This extra fat can come in the form of a rind or fatback from the butcher shop, but the easiest form of extra fat is layers of thick-cut bacon. Smoke-cured or wood-glazed bacon strips wrapped around a boneless pork loin preserves the moisture of the roast and can be served, crisped on the grill, alongside, tossed with vegetables, or on top of a salad or side dish.

The many uses for pork are evident in recipes from around the world. With the exception of regions governed by religious or cultural standards, pork is widely used in every country. There are more parts of the whole hog that can be used for food than any other animal. Picture a standard supermarket without sausage, salami, pepperoni, bacon, breakfast links, ham and ham hocks, lard, ribs, roasts, chops, cutlets, or even bags of chicharones.

Ribs

Perhaps the king of the summertime grill is rib s— baby backs, spareribs, riblets, country style, whatever the y’ re calle d— all benefitting from careful preparation, indirect heat, smoking, or lots of highly seasoned rubs or barbecue sauces. They