3 Grilling Tips for Your Summer Cookout

August 16, 2010, By Josh Zywien 0 comments

Grilling can be as big a part of summer as baseball games and trips to the beach. It makes cooking dinner easier and, if done right, it's as sumptuous as fine dining. So, light the flame this summer and follow these tips to help make every cookout a success.

1. Clean It Up

It seems like it goes without saying: Keeping your grill clean is as important as cooking with clean pots and pans. After all, you don’t want to taste yesterday’s hamburger on tonight’s lemon pepper chicken. But you'd be surprised at how many people ignore this – which is why a lot of grilled food tastes sadly the same.

Thankfully, cleaning the grill isn’t nearly as intensive as removing baked-on grease or cheese on a kitchen pan. One tool every grill master should own is a good brush with stainless steel bristles. It will scrape off leftover scraps and marinade and leave the surface polished for the next feast.

Clean the grill when it’s hot. Allowing the grill to cool will give the cooked-on food a chance to harden. And once it’s stuck, it will triple the time it takes you to clean the grill.

Spraying or brushing cooking oil on the grate before every meal helps too, and it won't affect the flavor of the food you’re cooking.

2. Thinking Outside the Beef

While everyone loves the occasional burger and hot dog, expanding your grilling repertoire is essential to mastering the flame. With steak alone, there are more than half a dozen cuts of beef to choose from -- each of which suit a different style or taste.

But most grill chefs know how to cook a steak or burger. Getting the most out of your grill means exploring the different kinds of meat you can put on it.

If you’re a meat-of-the-sea type of guy, check out Taste of Home’s Top 10 Grilled Fish Recipes. One personal favorite is the Grilled Curried Salmon. And best of all, from prep to grill to plate, you’ll invest only 20 to 25 minutes of your time. Taste of Home also features a seafood grilling chart, which tells you how long you should cook fish and what signs to look for when it’s done.

But don’t just stop with swimmers. Grilled kielbasa is phenomenal when halved and coated in olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper. And try substituting ground turkey for ground beef when making a burger. It’s healthier and you won’t be disappointed in the taste.

3. Don't Forget the Veggies

Many people think the grill is only for meat. But true grill masters know the magic that can ensue when you throw some veggies on the grill. Not all vegetables transition well to the open flame, of course, but cooking the right ones can add zing to your cookout.

Two particularly good garden favorites are eggplant and asparagus. Coat both in olive oil and cracked pepper, throw them over a warm flame, cook for five to 10 minutes (until both have charred slightly without going too limp), and enjoy. Epicurious has a particularly tasty (and simple) recipe for grilled asparagus.

If you’re a vegetarian, you can get even more adventurous with veggie kabobs, spearing the likes of zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, tofu and onion in perfect charred harmony. You can also try some less traditional veggie grilling recipes.

The bottom line is to get outside of your comfort zone and try something new. The grill isn’t just a simple cooking tool for summer cuisine- it can be a great way to show off your cooking chops.