You’re home from a long run, the weather is gorgeous – what a great time to relax, spend time with the family and grill out.
Grilling meats is a perfect way to enjoy the summer and the outdoors and is an excellent cooking method in which a lot of the fats from meat drip away. Keep in mind that beef, chicken and hot dogs are not the only foods you can cook on the grill. Fruits and vegetables taste great grilled. You can steam corn by pulling back the husks but not removing them, placing them back over the corn, soaking the corn in water and then placing it over grill. Sweet potatoes cut in half and wrapped in tin foil cook nicely. Kabobs with onions, cherry tomatoes, peppers and pineapples are great. Be creative; almost anything that you cook indoors can also be grilled.
Following are definitions of terms that may be helpful in following recipes.
• Grilling: high heat source for short period of time.
• Barbecuing: low heat source for long period of time.
• Broiling: heat source cooks from above the food.
• Rotisserie: dry radiant heat source cooks evenly all around the food as with an oven.
• Searing/infrared: ultra-high temps of 480º C or 900º F for short period of time.
• Parboiling: boiling a food item before you cook it on the grill to reduce cook time.
• Direct heat: food item is cooked directly over the flame.
• Indirect heat: food is cooked from residual heat a distance from the flame.
Charcoal or gas?
Some people think gas is easier, especially for beginners, since you just push a button to turn on the flame and the grill heats up more quickly. Gas lets you control the heat and avoid the flares from the fat and juices. But if you ask a charcoal user, he or she will say that there is no substitute for the flavor you get from grilling over charcoal. The extra preparation time is well worth the flavor you get that no sauce can replace.
Direct or Indirect Heat?
How and where to place your food on the grill or how to stack your briquettes depends on the type of food you are cooking and how long it takes to cook. You can use direct heat for items that will cook within 10 minutes, like thin steaks, small pieces of chicken kabob, vegetables, fish fillet and fruit. For direct heat using briquettes, you would pile the briquettes in the middle. Use indirect heat for foods that take longer to cook so they will cook thoroughly on the inside without burning the outside. These foods include thick steaks, ribs and beef briskets. You could also use both methods: direct heat to sear the meat and get the caramelizing flavor and then indirect heat to finish cooking it.
Grilling Tips
• If using charcoal, don’t use lighter fluid or chemically
treated briquettes.
• Keep the cover down on the grill to keep in the heat and give
that wonderful smoky flavor you get from grilling. This also
helps prevent flare-ups by reducing air surges.
• Avoid pressing down on burgers, which causes juices to escape
and increases flare-ups.
• Don’t flip too often. This causes the foods to stick to the grill
more.
• Spray or coat the grate with oil to prevent sticking, or use tinfoil
for delicate fishes or for vegetables or fruit that will fall
through the grates.
• To clean the grill, scrub it with a wire brush while the grill is
still hot. Keep a clean grill; this will help prevent food from sticking.
• Use separate tongs or spatulas on raw foods and cooked
foods. Also, to prevent cross-contamination, don’t put cooked
foods on the same platter as raw foods.
• Keep raw foods separate from cooked foods, fruits and vegeta-
bles until you are ready to cook.
• Keep perishable foods out for no longer than two hours if the
temperature is above 85 degrees.
• When refrigerating large quantities of hot foods, place in shal-
low pans to cool them faster and keep foods out of the tempera-
ture danger zone.
Sirloin Kabobs and Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or salt
- 3 pounds beef top sirloin steak, about 1 inch thick
- 1 medium ripe avocado, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup seedless (English) cucumber, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup dairy sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 recipe grilled peppers and onions (optional)
Directions
In a large bowl combine oil, granulated garlic and onion, oregano, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Add meat to oil mixture; toss to coat evenly. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, for avocado sauce, in food processor combine avocado, cucumber, mint, sour cream, lime juice, 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon salt and cumin. Cover and process until nearly smooth, stopping to scrape sides as necessary. Transfer to serving bowl.
Tread meat on skewers, leaving 1/4 inch between pieces. For charcoal grill, place steaks on rack directly over medium coals. Cover and grill 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare (145 F), turning to brown evenly. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Grill as directly above.) Serve steaks with avocado sauce and grilled peppers and onions. Sprinkle fresh mint. Serves six.
Grill peppers and onions: Brush whole peppers and onion slices with oil. Cover and grill directly over hot coals, eight minutes or until tender, turning occasionally.
Test kitchen tip: Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before using.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 353, Total Fat (g) 19, Saturated Fat (g) 5, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 11, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 73, Sodium (mg) 569, Carbohydrate (g) 6, Total Sugar (g) 1, Fiber (g) 2, Protein (g) 38
Adapted from Better Homes and Garden, www.bhg.com.
Planked Salmon with Asian Barbecue Sauce
(Recipe can be made without plank, using tinfoil as base to protect fish.)
Provided by AOL Food Editors
• Prep: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Ready in: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 6-ounce salmon fillets or a single 1 1/2-pound fillet
- 1 15-inch cedar maple or alder grilling plank soaked
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Directions
Combine sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide in half, using one half for basting and reserving the other to serve with salmon. Preheat grill to medium-low heat. Brush half of the sauce on the salmon, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place soaked plank on the grill, close the lid and allow plank to heat for three minutes.
Turn plank over, place salmon directly on heat side and close the lid again. Cook 12 minutes (for medium) or until desired doneness.
Remove salmon and plank from grill and allow to rest for three minutes. Serve with remaining barbecue sauce.
Recipe courtesy Gena Knox of FireandFlavor.com.
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