A few weeks ago in Medora, I managed to burn almost an entire batch of campfire ham and cheese sliders.
I prepped the sandwiches at home. Grilling them outdoors would be easy—after all, they just needed to get warm and gooey in their foil pouches.

Easy, right?

Turns out, it wasn’t so easy for me.

Apparently, I needed grill school.

Luckily, a few months earlier, I received an invitation from the North Dakota Beef Commission to attend an event called Girls Who Grill in Carrington. With all of summer’s busyness, I almost didn’t sign up. Squeezing one more thing into my schedule felt like a recipe for burnout.

Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The event not only allowed me to connect with women from across the state, but it also provided some of the most practical education I’ve received in a long time.

A small group of women gathered for the event at Cows & Co. Creamery. I’d seen dreamy photos online, but experiencing it in person was even better. The patio had been transformed into an outdoor classroom, complete with grilling stations, a demonstration area, and long tables filled with fresh, potted herbs, and crocks of spices.
Inside, the café featured a tablescape that looked ripped from the pages of a lifestyle magazine—the kind of space Martha Stewart herself would admire.

But the event offered far more than atmosphere. Lessons abounded, and with grilling season in full swing, I thought I’d share some of the most practical—and surprising—tips I learned.

Seasoning vs. Flavoring
Most of us think about flavor first. Marinades, sauces, rubs and special recipes get all the attention. Our instructor explained that flavoring and seasoning are actually two different things. Flavoring is optional. Seasoning is not.
Seasoning, they taught us, means salt and pepper. Salt does more than make food taste better. It helps draw moisture to the surface of the meat, creating better browning and enhancing beef’s natural flavor. Whatever you do, according to the experts, don’t skip seasoning.

Hot and Fast
If you’ve ever hovered nervously over a grill, constantly flipping meat because you’re afraid it will burn, you’re not alone. That was always my technique.

The experts taught us the opposite.

Get the grill hot—at least 500 degrees—and cook beef quickly. Don’t over-flip or open the grill too often. Instead, wait until the meat naturally releases from the grates before attempting to turn it. If it’s sticking, it’s not ready.

The 20-Minute Marinade
Traditional marinating requires hours, but vacuum-sealing can drop the process to just 20 minutes by forcing the marinade into the meat more efficiently. At the class, we used a FoodSaver, and as someone who is always pressed for time, I found this tip especially intriguing.

Since I don’t own a vacuum sealer, I tried a hack I learned afterward: Place the meat and marinade in a large zip-top bag, seal it almost completely, then submerge it in a bowl of water. The water pressure pushes out most of the air before you finish sealing the bag. It worked surprisingly well.

The Right Temperature Test
It turns out I’ve been checking the temperature of my meat all wrong.

Thermometers have a small notch on the probe that indicates how deeply it must be inserted to get an accurate reading. If you insert the thermometer vertically, your reading may be inaccurate because the tip ends up too close to the grill surface, or the probe doesn’t reach the notch. Instead, insert it from the side of the cut.
For medium doneness, aim for 125 to 130 degrees. The temperature will continue to rise as the meat rests after coming off the grill.

Against the Grain
Finally, we performed a side-by-side taste test comparing beef sliced with the grain and against the grain.
The difference was remarkable.

One bite was tender and easy to chew. The other felt like a workout for my jaw.

This simple step alone can dramatically improve the texture of your meat.

Naturally, I had to test my new skills.

Last week, I found a London broil on sale at the commissary. Traditionally, it’s considered a tougher cut of meat, but I followed everything I had learned. I used a “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” recipe for the marinade, tried the zip-top bag hack, heated the grill properly, and paid attention to temperature instead of guessing.

The result was the best beef I’ve ever grilled.

The entire thing disappeared.

Turns out, I didn’t just need better recipes. I needed someone to teach me the basics.

Who knew a weekend called Girls Who Grill would turn a sandwich-burning mom into a grilling guru?

For recipes and more tips, visit ndbeef.org. For more from me, head to amyallender.com or follow @heyminot on your favorite social media platform.