Got grill-timidation? State of the summer cookout

(Photo by Quilia via Unsplash)

Touching someone else’s grill (32%), skipping the resting period for meat (31%) and constantly lifting the lid (30%) are among the biggest grilling sins, according to new research.

A survey of 5,000 Americans, evenly split by state, explored how respondents spend time around the grill, or why they may be avoiding it.

Grilling remains a deeply social ritual: Nearly half of respondents (48%) say "the food" is the No. 1 thing that brings people together at a summer cookout — outranking music, conversation and even being outdoors.

Forty-seven percent claim to be “regular” grillers, especially respondents from Oregon (61%), Michigan (59%) and New Hampshire (58%).

Averaging 17 grill days a year (four above the national average), respondents from Wyoming prove to be the most frequent grillers.

Only 18% declared themselves “rare” grillers, with those from Hawaii (31%), Mississippi (24%) and Vermont (24%) most averse to cooking out.

The survey commissioned by Perdue and conducted by Talker Research for National Grilling Month found that half of Americans still find grilling to be intimidating (49%), with a third saying they get especially nervous cooking chicken (32%).

Grilling a whole chicken tops the list as both the riskiest food (21%) and the most difficult food (27%) to grill. Other risky items included mac and cheese (17%), watermelon (16%) and pizzas (16%).

Nearly half (49%) of Americans have even avoided grilling whole chicken entirely — the highest avoidance rate of any protein asked about. A third of Americans have avoided grilling chicken breasts, thighs or wings as well.

(Talker Research)

Some of this fear stems from previous grilling disasters: 41% say they’ve dropped meat through the grates, while a quarter have run out of propane midway through cooking. Another 25% admit to having burnt the outside of the meat while the inside remained completely raw.

As a result, six in 10 have defaulted to “safer” grilling foods for guests, like hot dogs or hamburgers, because they were too nervous about cooking other meats properly (57%).

“Grilled chicken, whether it’s wings, breasts, thighs or the whole bird, is the quintessential American food,” said Chris Perdue, senior vice president of marketing of digital and e-commerce at Perdue. “We want people to feel confident prepping, grilling and serving chicken — because when it’s done well, it’s almost always the star of the cookout.”

Despite their experiences with “grill-timidation,” 84% of Americans would grill more if they had more opportunities to.

Aside from their grilling fears, factors like the weather (40%) and limited space (13%) restrict their time at the grill.

And all that effort is worth it, as 47% agree that food just tastes better off the grill.

“The data show that 35% of Americans believe that grill mastery comes with time, so take that time to practice your chicken prep, grilling and serving skills to set yourself apart this summer with a signature dish like beer can chicken, jerk chicken or pollo asado,” said Perdue.

(Photo by Chris F via Pexels)

TOP “UNSPOKEN GRILL RULES”

1. You don’t touch another person’s grill without permission — 32%
2. Always let the meat rest before serving — 31%
3. Don’t open the lid unnecessarily — 30%
4. No “backseat grilling” — 25%
5. Never press down on a burger with a spatula — 22%

Research methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 5,000 Americans who have ever grilled, evenly split by state, who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Perdue and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between June 8 and June 19, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.