Two Cooking Questions: Making Wraps Stick and Grilling Tips Needed?

To answer your wrap question: I’ve found—you’re making them for lunch so they could be made the night before—the best way to get wraps to stay wrapped is to wrap the flat bread as tightly as possible and then wrap them in some sort of packaging (plastic wrap or tin foil) and wrap that snuggly as well, then put the wrap in the fridge over night.

Storing wraps in the fridge seems to secure them pretty nicely, something about everything in the wrap mingling and settling together and the cool temp sort of helping to set everything, works like a charm—they always taste better as well if they’ve had a night to chill.

1. If you have a flat grill top, just wrap it tight, and put where the wrap ends firmly on the flat top. The heat should fuse whatever part the end is touching to it.

Two tips: use less filling, and make two instead
heat the wrap a little bit to make it more flexible, and consider sticking a pointed toothpick in it.

As for your grilling question; There are lots of different methods out there depending on what you are looking to grill. I feel that marinading meats prior to cooking offers one of the best flavors and helps retain the juiciness of the meat.

When grilling thick cuts of meat or whole chicken breasts, I like to sear the meat first over very hot coals and then move to a low indirect heat for the remaining cooking time. It keeps the meat tender and the juices in.

To do this, spread your hot coals evenly over the bottom of the grill, sear the meat on both sides for 2–3 minutes per side. Then move the coals over to one side of the grill bottom and replace the meat on the non-coal side, turning every 4–5 minutes until it reaches the desired “doneness”. Make sure if you are using a dome type grill that you keep the lid on when not turning the meat. For added flavor I sometimes sprinkle hickory or mesquite wood chips on the coals when I move to the indirect portion of the grilling (its all preference dependent). I have even heard of using sliced sassafras root to give an interesting flavor.

One recipe I like to use to make kabobs is: String metal kabobs with Jumbo shrimp (uncooked, shell on), whole oyster mushrooms, large cherry tomatoes, quartered red or white onions and large pieces of red or green bell pepper. Lay them out on a plate and brush liberally with Italian dressing on both sides. Repeat this every 30 minutes or so for 2 hours. Sprinkle both sides with Lime pepper and grill using the indirect method I described. It shouldn’t take much longer than 15–20 minutes to completion.

I have a whole slew of recipes that I use, feel free to give me a yell if you would like any of them. Happy grilling!!!

For #2: pick up a copy of Steven Raichlen’s “How to Grill.”

Best primer by far.

thank you everyone, these are great tips, much appreciated

Don’t mess with the food too much, I see people who keep flipping, poking, pressing, etc. Let the food cook…..

I started using “natural” lump charcoal a few years ago, I find it offers better flavor and burns hotter it does take some getting used to.

For stakes I usually try to get the grill to around 900 degrees and sear the meat on both sides, then move it off to the side of the grill (less heat) and let it finish.

Marinades are fantastic for pork, chicken and cheap cuts of beef, but if you dropped some good cash on a nice steak I personally just use some salt & pepper & oil on the outside (liberally) wait for the meat to come to room temp (Not recommended if you are concerned about bacteria) and then cook it as described above to about 125–130 degrees ( lower than what the USDA recommends 145) let the steak rest tented with foil or a clean towel for about 5–10 minutes this will usually cause a 5–10 degree increase in temp I aim for a final temp of about 130–135 that’s right between rare-medium rare where I like it letting the meat rest also allows the juices to re-distribute through the steak so they won’t come gushing out as soon as you cut into it.

Again, in regards to beef steaks I the above instructions don’t really mesh with what the food safety experts would say. Otherwise I will stick to the guidelines here: USDA

I worked in a deli for a little while and we always popped the wrap in the microwave for a few seconds before rolling them tightly and on/with some sort of paper – at home I’ll use wax paper. Once they’re wrapped in the wax paper, put some aluminum around it! good luck!

One place I went used a quick schmear of cream cheese to seal the wrap. It added moisture and flavor.

One of the best resources for grilling techniques online is Ohio camp cooks.