Don’t be afraid to baste with the marinade. It gets cooked right along with the food. Just don’t baste in the last five minutes of cooking.

And speaking of marinades, for a Polynesian flavor, instead of soy sauce, try Kikkoman’s Teriyaki sauce. The ginger flavors in it go great with any grilled meat or veggies.

Instead of just “salt and pepper”, try a Cajun seasoning like Tony Cachere’s or Zataraine’s. Go easy, both have a lot of salt, and adding salt to meat prior to cooking dries the meat and makes the surface of the grilled meat tough. Remember that soy sauce also has a lot of salt in it, so it’s poorly suited for a meat marinade, especially for beef.

Add your “salty stuff” after the meat comes off the grill. You’ll like the end result better. For veggies, season at will before cooking.