6:46 AM

Great Grilling

Posted by Nicole |

Summer has arrived here in the Northwest and when it heats up outside the last thing I want to do is heat up the inside. So I cook outside on the grill. I don't have a fancy gas grill or a a great charcoal one either, just a basic model that has uneven hot spots but gets the job done. I really love grilling and my husband loves to grill as well so it is a great way to have him help me get dinner ready! Here are a few of my tips to making grilling even greater:

  • Get to know your grill. Ours is hottest on the right front side so we know to sear there and move food over when we need less heat.

  • When it is too warm to heat the stove or oven inside, try and cook everything you can outside. I cook entire meals on the grill by starting with my veggies - potatoes and corn take longest, then the asparagus and meat. Then the pound cake, just to toast and top with berries and ice cream. Yum.

  • Use good tongs. Sometimes those burgers get crazy and want to slip between the grates. A good set of long tongs helps keep them under control.

  • After you have finished grilling for tonight's meal, throw something on for tomorrow. This is a great way to cut down prep time for another meal and saves propane as well. For example, I will put some peppers on the grill and char them the night before using them for another recipe. Or I will grill sausage or chicken to go on pizza another night.

  • Speaking of pizza - grill it! It is really good grilled, just use a good recipe ( I am loving sourdough crust right now, but any dough with enough rise would be good). Roll it out, slide it on the grill (a pizza peel is helpful or the underside of a cookie sheet). Let puff for a minute or two, then flip. You can either take it off now and top it, putting it back on the grill for another minute to let the cheese melt or try this technique I learned from Mario Batali. Cook your dough a couple minutes on each side until lightly charred and puffed. Take off the grill and carefully slice it in half horizontally not all the way to the end, just so you can open it up like a book. Then top the inside with whatever you want, close the book. Wrap in foil and put it back on the grill until everything is hot and the cheese is melted inside.

  • For a side dish, try grilling a head of romaine lettuce, just slightly. Top with homemade Caesar dressing.

  • Many people recommend oiling the grates before putting food down which probably works, but I never remember. I drizzle the food with oil along with salt and pepper before putting in on the grill. Another key to not having food stick that works outside or in - don't pull things off the grates or pan that don't want to move. When meat is ready to be flipped, it will lift more easily than if you pull up on it too soon. You'll loose your delicious 'crust' on your meat if you pull too early.

  • Invite some friends over, have a nice steak and enjoy the beautiful summer nights while they are here!

1 comments:

Hanna said...

I looove BBQed Pizza! Maybe I will have some tonight....

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