Your average outdoor cook is no expert in the barbecue or grilling field. He's got no shows on the Food Network. He's got no barbecuing cookbooks out. Nor has any of those been part of his lifetime goal.

No, your average outdoor cooking enthusiast commits more mistakes with bbq grilling than you might ever envision. The beef ultimately ends up dry and tough time after time, in spite of marinating for hours. Or the beef is burnt or cooked too much time.

These mistakes are occur time and again as your average backyard cook generally does not know any different. He does not automatically know how to barbecue.

Here are a few of the more common blunders and do's and don'ts made in barbecue grill cooking:

1) If you began with frozen meat, ensure the meat is thawed completely. Trying to cook the inside of a still-frozen piece of meat is difficult without burning the outside.

2) When using a charcoal barbecue grill, try to start off the flame without charcoal lighter fluid. Lighter fluid flavor will always get into your meat no matter how much you cook the coals down first. A chimney starter makes starting the fire very simple. Additionally, it lets you add charcoal along the way if the hot coals burn up along the way.

3) Never poke the bbq meat with a fork after cooking has begun. This is one of the most common blunders and one of the most deadly for your grilling. When poking with a fork, the tasty mix will get out of the meat and straight into the bottom of the barbecue pit or grill. Your meat will be dry and less tender. Work with a long set of tongs to turn the meat.

4) Reduce the heat. Apart from grilled meats, that require a quick searing, cook slowly over low to medium heat. Lower heat is much more manageable and it will make the meat tender and delicious.

5) Quit raising the lid to look at the meat. Each time you do that it alters the temperature inside the bbq grill or pit. Air from you opening the lid acts like a sponge and dries the meat up. Opening the lid also increases your chances of flare-ups.

6) This is really a food safety mistake. Do not place the cooked meat back on the same dish or platter which the raw meat was on without cleaning it first. Mixing the cooked together with the raw just begs for somebody to get sick.

7) After removing the meat from the bbq grill or pit, allow it to rest for at around 5-10 minutes. Cutting into or chopping the meat soon after pulling it from the cooker will cause all the juices to flow out of the meat and onto the platter.

Obviously, these are not all of the blunders made by the inexperienced backyard cook, but are a few of the more common. But if you will prevent doing these yourself, you will eliminate most of the things that cause barbecue failures.

Your friends and family members will ponder how come your grilled or barbecued meat is so much better then it used to be. And, who knows? Maybe the Food Network will come searching for you (bring it on Bobby Flay!).

It's grilling time... are you ready? Late summer time and early fall is the best time of the year as it's full of soccer, friends and lots of great food! Make sure you obtain a good portable grill for tailgating or camping or going to the recreation area. The Weber Baby Q is the best portable gas grill, but there are lots of good lightweight charcoal grills too. Happy grilling!

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