Best Summer Grilling Tips and Recipes

Summer is just around the corner and what better way to really get into the spirit of the season than cranking out that old fashioned grill for some good old fashioned backyard barbeque. If that’s what you want to do, here are some of the best summer grilling tips and recipes that you may find useful.

Check Your Equipment

So, maybe that grill has been stowed away for a long period of time. It is essential to check your equipment first before firing it up. Do not be too hasty when it comes to grilling. Unless you had the grill used in the last three or four days you should be a bit careful since storage can result in all sorts of problems, such as corrosion or even debris or insects getting into the pipes. The last thing you will want during the best summer grilling days is a flash fire right up your face.

If you are using gas grills, check the connection between the propane tank and the fuel line by immersing it in soapy water. If bubbles come cropping up, then you need to repair the line first before even thinking of lighting a match.

Take the grill some place away from overhead trimmings or flammable materials. And please – scour that grill plate and scrub it with a great cleansing product before putting food on it!

How to Cook Food on the Grill Perfectly

In order to have the best summer grilling possible, you need to designate a grilling chef. If you plan to be the designated chef, make sure everyone knows it. Yes, whoever runs the grill is the boss, so he or she has every right to shoo children away or anyone else who feels the need to hang around the food. This is actually a preventive measure. The chef can make sure no one gets burned accidentally.

This is a great way of making sure that the food is cooked perfectly. Too many chefs spoil the broth as they say, and the same is true of a grill. Too many grilling chefs over one grill can cause major headaches, and probably stomachaches as well. Needless to say, this does not fit the idea of a best summer grilling.

In regards to food, make sure that none of the food you intend to grill is still frozen. Thawing out the food on the grill will only lengthen the cooking time, and it is bound to create an unevenly cooked piece of meat. Also, if you have to defrost anything, defrost it overnight and check that it is properly defrosted before using it. Otherwise the inside will still be raw while the outside is nearing charcoal! Do not let food stand in room temperature for long periods of time because this encourages bacteria to grow.

Make sure that you have uniform sizes of meat that you can place on the grill at the same time. If you are barbequing burgers, for example, make sure that the patties are of almost the same height and width. This will help you cook a perfect batch of burgers each time. Try to avoid placing one more burger patty on the grill a few minutes after you have started grilling the others. It will be best to let the first batch finish cooking first, to ensure even cooking for all burger patties.

Of course, the best summer grilling will not be complete without grilled hotdogs. Hot dogs are relatively very easy to cook, so you can squeeze in a few every once in a while. Again, try to cook them in batches to ensure even cooking.

Cooking time is also dependent on the type of meat you are using and the thickness of the pieces. Thick slabs of beef usually take the longest time to cook, followed by veal, pork, lamb, chicken, seafood and all kinds of sausages. Chicken cooks fast if it has already been de-boned (breast filets). However, if you are cooking chicken thighs or wings, you should give the meat additional cooking time. If you want the meat to cook fast, you can ask the butcher to slice the pieces a bit thinner than normal.

Trying Out Unusual Recipes

Another way to have the best summer grilling experience is to try a new recipe or two. Try not to go for anything too fancy or heavy. You only have the grill to work with.

It is recommended that you try sugar glazed grilled fruits for dessert. The recipe entails getting a mixture of hard pulped fruits, like apples, pears and berries. Apples and pears should be chopped into large chunks with skin on, and along with the whole berries, skewered into barbeque sticks for easy handling.

Roll the skewers gently on a plate of white sugar until the fruits are lightly coated with sugar crystals. You should do this just before grilling. Cook the skewers until the sugar has slightly melted and browned. And to pair off your best summer grilling fruit kebab, some ice cold beer should hit the spot.