Image via WikipediaThink of warm weather, summertime, and outdoor activities, and you'll soon be thinking of arranging a picnic. There's nothing like sharing food in the great outdoors to give you lots of reasons to smile.
Firing up the grill for a picnic usually brings on thoughts of burgers, hot dogs, and barbecued chicken. That Is all dandy and actually delectable, but rather than the common old bbq recipes wouldn't you like your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest? Maybe there are paths to present old faves on the grill in new ways,or even try something completely different. Here are a few thoughts about new ways to grill up some summertime dishes:
Sauce Ideas
One preferred ingredient in several grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other sorts of glazes and marinades. There are hundreds or perhaps thousands of recipes to add more flavour to whatever you are cooking. If you've been griddling for a number of years, you've potentially made your own sauces or have found a few favorites. However perhaps it's time to rethink those sauces.
Begin by playing with an entire range of ingredients. Don't limit yourself to the ingredients you have been using. We know you automatically pull out the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey, but what else is there to make a sauce for the grill?
Take a look 1st in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the water melon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis. Now, pull open the plant bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados. Turn to your pantry and take out the apple jelly, orange marmalade, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess. And, don't forget the spice rack. There is essentially nothing off limits "grab it all.
Don't be afraid to grate, smash, or simmer ingredients together that you may never have utilized in the same sauce before. Blend contrasting tastes "savory with sweet, sour with smooth, creamy with crunchy "till you have got a unique sauce that you can call your own.
Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are grilling. Try a fruity white sauce on lamb; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savory herbed sauce on fruit. Put it on the griddle and see what turns out. You may have totally new dishes that will liven up and surprise the taste buds. And, isn't that what griddling is all about?
Main Dish Ideas
If you are used to throwing a steak on the grill, but need to play around with other cuts, try grilling full roasts. With the right preparation and setup, you can put a large meat roast or pork roast on the grill, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your folks and guests with a tender and mouth-watering roast that did not come out of the oven.
Rather than your common cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try grilling an entire chicken. The juices stay in better when the chicken is entire. Undecided if you have the time for a complete chicken? You can also "butterfly" a chicken by cutting out just the spine and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken full but providing a flattened version that cooks up in almost no time. Or try these grilled chicken cutlets in a lemon rosemary sauce.
Fish is another grilling favorite at picnics. Use fish that's firm and solid so it griddles well and doesn't break up or become dry. Oily fish like salmon is perfect on the griddle, but there are numerous other sorts of fish that work equally well. Fish griddles best when you don't have to flip it with a spatula, that's the reason why you need to invest in a grilling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket instead of the fish itself.
Other seafood that's perfect picnic food for the grill is shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Shrimp can be griddled unpeeled to help to keep them from overcooking. Lobster can be griddled in the shell, also. Employ a tray made for the griddle with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling thru. Marinade the seafood in a selection of flavours for a different flavour whenever you have a griddling picnic.
You say your taste for a tempting grilled burger is too dynamic to ignore? You Have still got lots of decisions for variety at your picnic. You can dress up your burgers inside-and-out with lots of different flavors. Remember; meat isn't the only burger in town! Ground turkey, pork, or. Chicken are good substitutes for people that want a different kind of burger at the years picnic. However never stop there. Salmon and crab meat make great grilled patties, too.
Besides what goes into the pattie, think beyond conventional recipes and marinate your ground beef or fish with anything from red wine to a mixture of Worcestershire, soy sauce, or steak sauce, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar. Add to the inside of the burger, or as condiments, a spread of flavorful cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa. Instead of throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a cast iron skillet on top of the griddle over low heat. The incredible sweetness will surprise and delight you and your visitors. These are no longer your grandpa's burgers!
Infrequently, you want to rethink the way you prep your main dishes at a barbecuing picnic to make serving easy. Think shish-kabobs and you barely even need to bring plates! These bite-size pieces are a good way to cook, serve, and eat your fave foods easily at a barbecuing picnic. Alternate cut up beef, meat balls, birds, or seafood with grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, or mushrooms. Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too. Include pineapple bites or citrus with chicken or seafood for a little taste of the islands.
Other Dessert Ideas
Sure, you can serve popsicles and watermelon, but the griddle is right there, all fired up. Isn't there something you can do to put it to work creating delightful puddings? You can commence with the old stand-by and toast marshmallows, but don't stop there. Keep going and put together 'S'mores ' using the classic ingredients of toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and a chocolate bar. Or, you can create unique variations using toasted marshmallows with things like oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cups, white chocolate, and flaked coconut as possible ingredients. You'll have lots of fun coming up with your own distinct creations here.
Expanding on the pudding theme is simpler than you might think with a griddle. For example, go on and cut up that watermelon you brought... But wait.
What about barbecuing it before serving? Yes, you can grill watermelon, too. Cut it off the peel, into about one in. thick pieces. Griddle quickly on either side until griddle marks show. Put it on a plate and drip a tiny bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece. The saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the water melon in a unbelievable way. Now THAT'S a griddled picnic delight!
Select pudding classics that can be grilled, like pound cake with fruit compote or easy berries tossed together in a grilling basket till just gently burned. You can make banana boats in foil full of mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, or maybe your tastes lean toward griddled apple slices topped with a syrup of brown sugar and raisins. Griddled pineapple rings is another classic.
Serve these simply on a plate as they are or use them to top bits of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate. As you can see, you can cook on a grill pretty much anything you wish to serve at your picnic. Whether or not you decide to serve sandwiches, why not griddle them?
When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don't limit the menu to hotdogs and hamburgers. Use your mind. If you can cook it, you can grill it!
Firing up the grill for a picnic usually brings on thoughts of burgers, hot dogs, and barbecued chicken. That Is all dandy and actually delectable, but rather than the common old bbq recipes wouldn't you like your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest? Maybe there are paths to present old faves on the grill in new ways,or even try something completely different. Here are a few thoughts about new ways to grill up some summertime dishes:
Sauce Ideas
One preferred ingredient in several grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other sorts of glazes and marinades. There are hundreds or perhaps thousands of recipes to add more flavour to whatever you are cooking. If you've been griddling for a number of years, you've potentially made your own sauces or have found a few favorites. However perhaps it's time to rethink those sauces.
Begin by playing with an entire range of ingredients. Don't limit yourself to the ingredients you have been using. We know you automatically pull out the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey, but what else is there to make a sauce for the grill?
Take a look 1st in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the water melon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis. Now, pull open the plant bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados. Turn to your pantry and take out the apple jelly, orange marmalade, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess. And, don't forget the spice rack. There is essentially nothing off limits "grab it all.
Don't be afraid to grate, smash, or simmer ingredients together that you may never have utilized in the same sauce before. Blend contrasting tastes "savory with sweet, sour with smooth, creamy with crunchy "till you have got a unique sauce that you can call your own.
Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are grilling. Try a fruity white sauce on lamb; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savory herbed sauce on fruit. Put it on the griddle and see what turns out. You may have totally new dishes that will liven up and surprise the taste buds. And, isn't that what griddling is all about?
Main Dish Ideas
If you are used to throwing a steak on the grill, but need to play around with other cuts, try grilling full roasts. With the right preparation and setup, you can put a large meat roast or pork roast on the grill, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your folks and guests with a tender and mouth-watering roast that did not come out of the oven.
Rather than your common cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try grilling an entire chicken. The juices stay in better when the chicken is entire. Undecided if you have the time for a complete chicken? You can also "butterfly" a chicken by cutting out just the spine and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken full but providing a flattened version that cooks up in almost no time. Or try these grilled chicken cutlets in a lemon rosemary sauce.
Fish is another grilling favorite at picnics. Use fish that's firm and solid so it griddles well and doesn't break up or become dry. Oily fish like salmon is perfect on the griddle, but there are numerous other sorts of fish that work equally well. Fish griddles best when you don't have to flip it with a spatula, that's the reason why you need to invest in a grilling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket instead of the fish itself.
Other seafood that's perfect picnic food for the grill is shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Shrimp can be griddled unpeeled to help to keep them from overcooking. Lobster can be griddled in the shell, also. Employ a tray made for the griddle with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling thru. Marinade the seafood in a selection of flavours for a different flavour whenever you have a griddling picnic.
You say your taste for a tempting grilled burger is too dynamic to ignore? You Have still got lots of decisions for variety at your picnic. You can dress up your burgers inside-and-out with lots of different flavors. Remember; meat isn't the only burger in town! Ground turkey, pork, or. Chicken are good substitutes for people that want a different kind of burger at the years picnic. However never stop there. Salmon and crab meat make great grilled patties, too.
Besides what goes into the pattie, think beyond conventional recipes and marinate your ground beef or fish with anything from red wine to a mixture of Worcestershire, soy sauce, or steak sauce, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar. Add to the inside of the burger, or as condiments, a spread of flavorful cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa. Instead of throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a cast iron skillet on top of the griddle over low heat. The incredible sweetness will surprise and delight you and your visitors. These are no longer your grandpa's burgers!
Infrequently, you want to rethink the way you prep your main dishes at a barbecuing picnic to make serving easy. Think shish-kabobs and you barely even need to bring plates! These bite-size pieces are a good way to cook, serve, and eat your fave foods easily at a barbecuing picnic. Alternate cut up beef, meat balls, birds, or seafood with grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, or mushrooms. Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too. Include pineapple bites or citrus with chicken or seafood for a little taste of the islands.
Other Dessert Ideas
Sure, you can serve popsicles and watermelon, but the griddle is right there, all fired up. Isn't there something you can do to put it to work creating delightful puddings? You can commence with the old stand-by and toast marshmallows, but don't stop there. Keep going and put together 'S'mores ' using the classic ingredients of toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and a chocolate bar. Or, you can create unique variations using toasted marshmallows with things like oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cups, white chocolate, and flaked coconut as possible ingredients. You'll have lots of fun coming up with your own distinct creations here.
Expanding on the pudding theme is simpler than you might think with a griddle. For example, go on and cut up that watermelon you brought... But wait.
What about barbecuing it before serving? Yes, you can grill watermelon, too. Cut it off the peel, into about one in. thick pieces. Griddle quickly on either side until griddle marks show. Put it on a plate and drip a tiny bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece. The saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the water melon in a unbelievable way. Now THAT'S a griddled picnic delight!
Select pudding classics that can be grilled, like pound cake with fruit compote or easy berries tossed together in a grilling basket till just gently burned. You can make banana boats in foil full of mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, or maybe your tastes lean toward griddled apple slices topped with a syrup of brown sugar and raisins. Griddled pineapple rings is another classic.
Serve these simply on a plate as they are or use them to top bits of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate. As you can see, you can cook on a grill pretty much anything you wish to serve at your picnic. Whether or not you decide to serve sandwiches, why not griddle them?
When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don't limit the menu to hotdogs and hamburgers. Use your mind. If you can cook it, you can grill it!
About the Author:
Glenda Bule is an ardent collector of bbq recipes and is a contributor to the Easy Recipes For Dinner website.
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