Summer cookouts aren’t too tricky, just take a little heat
One of the icons of summer has always been bonfires and hotdogs, grilled hamburgers, beer and anything else that can be slapped on a grill or on a roasting stick.
Claire Whitley | Crumbs
I first started grilling when I was in junior high. Every summer I would start out grilling barbeque chicken or hamburgers and sometimes even grilling fruit with some sugar glaze on it. It wasn’t all easy, and there were some tricks I had to learn along the way and utensils I never even knew I needed.
Utensils
Who would have thought I would need a basting brush to barbeque chicken? What is a basting brush? To put it simply, it is a giant paintbrush that is used to reapply sauces and seasonings while grilling.
Some more handy tools to have are long handled spatulas and tongs. The long handles are not always necessary, but it makes life easier and burns less of the hair on your forearms.
Tips and tricks
Some people just leave their food on the grill and go do something else while the food cooks. This can work for some things like hot dogs or hamburgers, but even then it is a little bit sketchy to just leave food on the grill without looking after it.
That being said, the handiest tip I have to offer beginning grillmasters is to stay by the grill or at least in the vicinity and check on the food every few minutes. This allows for more control over how an item is cooked and lets more flavor to be layered on top of it.
Foods
Almost anything can be grilled if a grillmaster put their mind to it. Chicken can be barbequed, burgers (chicken, turkey, beef or veggie) can be grilled to perfection and veggies or fruit can even be placed on the upper shelf of the grill. It only takes a little imagination and a bit of practice.
For the grillmaster’s convenience, here is a barbeque chicken recipe I made up while still living with my parents that anyone can easily duplicate or change:
Claire Whitley | Crumbs
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast or legs
- 4 ounces chili garlic sauce (add more for spicier chicken)
- 10 ounces hickory smoke barbeque sauce
Directions
- Mix together barbeque sauce and hot garlic paste, leaving enough to make a small second batch
- Pour over chicken in a casserole dish and make sure the chicken is covered
- Let marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat
- Bring the whole casserole dish out with you, as well as the smaller sauce mix
- Cook chicken flipping every two or three minutes and reapplying sauce
- Serve warm with a cool salad, because it will have a bit of a kick
Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cewhitley24