Taco Johnson has cooked for hundreds of events — like the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state softball and baseball tournaments, company functions for Citgo requiring 300-plus ribeyes in a day, weddings and more. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)

When summertime rolls around, backyard grills get fired up.

It can be a great way to relax, invite family and friends over, and have some fun. But you can’t go into it without a plan and a little knowledge on how to do it right, or else the party will be over real quick.

Long-time Lake Area resident Taco Johnson knows a thing or two about cooking outdoors. He got his start in his early teens with encouragement from his biggest fan — his mother.

In the summers he would cook at various businesses, often following his mother.

“Well, it was just me and my mama living together, and she would love barbecuing. So I was 12, 13 years old cooking outside. She loved grilled pork chops, so I would take it and soak some pork chops in pineapple, soy sauce and orange juice. I would let it sit, and I would grill it for her, and then I’d call it a pork kebab chop. And she loved it. My mama told me that, I’m going to teach you how to cook. That way, you’ll never have to depend on a woman to cook for you.’ That’s exactly what she said.”

He retired in 2008 after 30 years with the Sulphur Police Department and currently works for Sulphur Parks and Recreation.

In the time since his formative years, he has cooked for hundreds of events, like the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state softball and baseball tournaments, company functions for Citgo requiring 300-plus ribeyes in a day, weddings and more.

Fried fish, jambalaya, gumbo, pork steaks, BBQ chicken or port — you name it, he has probably cooked it. Some of his favorite things to grill or smoke are country back ribs, pork sausage, green onion sausage and even bratwurst.

“I’m a big guy, so never trust a skinny cook,” Johnson said. “If it moves, I can cook it.” 

With his decades of experience, he has a few tips on how to do it right starting with safety, especially if there will be children or pets around.

“Know your wind direction, just in case your fire does get out of hand,” Johnson said. 

“Put it downwind from any structure like your house or a shed or something and basically just keep the kids away from it.

“I’ve always put tables around my barbecue pit or my grill. They’ll get out there and they’ll get excited and they’ll forget where they’re at. And you also got to keep an eye on it, too. You can’t just walk away from it, especially with kids around.” 

Don’t be in a hurry. And that applies to much of the process, whether you are grilling or smoking your favorite cut of beef, chicken slathered in barbecue sauce, or some good old-fashioned burgers and hot dogs. You may be tempted to quickly throw some seasoning or marinade on and ship off your meal straight to the grill. But Johnson says preparing the meat the day before and letting it rest in the refrigerator will allow the meat to absorb more of the flavor, especially larger cuts of meat like Boston Butts. 

He likes to use charcoal or lump charcoal, and shies away from anything that has lighter fluid in it. It can make starting the fire quicker but can leave a chemical taste on your food if you don’t let it burn off long enough. 

“If you don’t wait a long enough time, your meat will taste like (lighter fluid),” Johnson said. “So I use the old round chimney lighter.  

“That’s where you put the charcoal in the top and you light a fire at the bottom. The key to it is once you light your charcoal, let it burn its way down. A lot of people will take and as soon as the fire goes out, they put the meat on. No, you got to let the charcoal burn into itself. When you get a good grey across the top of your charcoals, that’s when it’s time to throw the meat on.”  

Waiting till the last minute to season your meat may seem like a time-saver, but prepping the day before will give you a richer flavor. Johnson said he likes to season or marinate everything the day before and put it in the refrigerator to help the meat better absorb the seasoning.

“I’ll season it the night before. I love that Ball’s seasoning. It’s a great seasoning. I’ll take it just the night before, put it in the pan, season it real good, and then let it sit overnight. If you’re doing a big steak like a big chuck steak, put a good rub on it. Let that rub soak in. You might want to throw in a little bit of marinating sauce. Then let that soak in there real good. Sometimes I’ll take my meats and I’ll throw a little bit of chicken broth on it and then pat it down. That way that seasoning will stick. If you have a dry meat, that seasoning is like a stick.”  

The amount of seasoning needed is hard to gauge, but if you like to spice things up a notch like Emeril Lagasse, make sure you take into account who you are cooking for. 

“But if it’s just add-ons, I’ll put a little bit of cayenne to give it a little spice. A lot of it depends on who’s eating it. Because if it’s hot, a child’s not going to eat it. If it’s spicy, they’re going to want to go to Mickey D’s or something.”  

Another way he adds more depth to the flavor is with pecan wood chips. He says he soaks them in water and then places them on the hot coals. 

Maintaining a steady temperature can be difficult. Too hot and the outside of your meal will cook too fast and burn, leaving the inside raw.

He said he likes to cook around 250-275 degrees and varies the time based on what he is cooking. He recommends keeping a spray bottle with water handy to tamp down any flare-ups. If the grill temperature drops too low, you can open the vents to let more airflow in, prop the lid open slightly, and even use a small fan to help get the heat back up to the temperature you want.  

When it comes to steaks, Johnson says a good garlic butter rub is a good way to season and keep it moist. Start with high heat first to sear the outside, then lower the heat to cook it how you like it, whether it be well-done, medium or rare.