Think of decent weather, summertime, and out of doors activities, and you'll soon be thinking of planning a picnic. There isn't anything like sharing food in outside to give you masses of reasons to smile.
Setting fire to the griddle for a picnic generally brings on thoughts of hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken. That's all dandy and certainly toothsome, but, rather than the usual old barbecue recipes do you want your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest? Perhaps there are ways to present well-known favorites on the griddle in new ways,or even try something totally different. Here are one or two thoughts about new methods to griddle up some summer dishes:
Sauce Ideas
One popular ingredient in numerous grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other types of glazes and marinades. There are countless hundreds if not thousands of recipes to add more flavor to whatever you're cooking. If you have been grilling for many years, you have likely made your own sauces or have found 1 or 2 favourites. But , maybe it is 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?
Have a look first in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis. Now, pull open the vegetable bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados. Turn to your cupboard and take out the apple jelly, orange jam, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all of the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess. And, do not forget the spice rack. There's basically nothing off boundaries "grab it all.
Don't be frightened to grate, smash, or boil ingredients together that you might never have used in the same sauce before. Combine contrasting flavors "savoury with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy "until you've a unique sauce you can call your own.
Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are griddling. Try a fruity white sauce on meat; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savoury herbed sauce on fruit. Put it on the grill and see what occurs. You'll have new dishes which will perk up and surprise the taste receptors. And, isn't that what barbecuing 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.
Instead of your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try barbecuing a whole chicken. The juices stay in a little better when the chicken is full. Not sure you have some time for an entire chicken? You may also "butterfly" a chicken by removing just the backbone and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken whole but providing a flattened version that cooks up in virtually no time. Or try these grilled chicken cutlets in a lemon rosemary sauce.
Fish is another griddling favourite at picnics. Use fish that is firm and solid so it grills well and does not fall to pieces or become dry. Oily fish like salmon is ideal on the grill, but there are several other types of fish that work just as well. Fish grills best when you do not have to flip it with a spatula, that is the reason why you want to invest in a griddling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket rather than the fish itself.
Other seafood that is perfect picnic food for the griddle is shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Shrimp can be grilled unpeeled to help keep them from overcooking. Lobster can be grilled in the shell, as well. Use a tray made for the grill with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling through. Marinade the seafood in a variety of flavors for a different flavor each time you have a grilling 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 actual pattie, think beyond traditional 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 variety of tasty cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa. Instead of throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a solid iron skillet on top of the griddle over low heat. The amazing sweetness will surprise and thrill you and your visitors. These are not your grandpa's burgers!
Occasionally, you want to rethink how you prepare your main dishes at a griddling picnic to make serving easy. Think shish-kabobs and you barely even have to bring plates! These bite-size pieces are a good way to cook, serve, and eat your favourite foods easily at a griddling picnic. Alternate cut up beef, meat balls, chickens, or seafood with grape tomatoes, bits of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow crush, or mushrooms. Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too. Include pineapple chunks 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.
How about griddling it before serving? Yes, you can griddle water melon, too. Cut it off the rind, into about one inch thick pieces. Grill quickly on each side till grill marks show. Put it on a plate and drizzle a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece. The saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the watermelon in an impossible to believe way. Now That could be a grilled picnic pleasure!
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 slices of angel food cake or pound cake with a drip of chocolate. As you can see, you can bbq just about anything you would like to serve at your picnic. Even though you choose to serve sandwiches, why not grill them?
When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don't limit the menu to hotdogs and burgers. Use your imagination. If you can cook it, you can grill it!
Setting fire to the griddle for a picnic generally brings on thoughts of hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken. That's all dandy and certainly toothsome, but, rather than the usual old barbecue recipes do you want your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest? Perhaps there are ways to present well-known favorites on the griddle in new ways,or even try something totally different. Here are one or two thoughts about new methods to griddle up some summer dishes:
Sauce Ideas
One popular ingredient in numerous grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other types of glazes and marinades. There are countless hundreds if not thousands of recipes to add more flavor to whatever you're cooking. If you have been grilling for many years, you have likely made your own sauces or have found 1 or 2 favourites. But , maybe it is 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?
Have a look first in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis. Now, pull open the vegetable bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados. Turn to your cupboard and take out the apple jelly, orange jam, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all of the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess. And, do not forget the spice rack. There's basically nothing off boundaries "grab it all.
Don't be frightened to grate, smash, or boil ingredients together that you might never have used in the same sauce before. Combine contrasting flavors "savoury with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy "until you've a unique sauce you can call your own.
Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are griddling. Try a fruity white sauce on meat; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savoury herbed sauce on fruit. Put it on the grill and see what occurs. You'll have new dishes which will perk up and surprise the taste receptors. And, isn't that what barbecuing 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.
Instead of your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try barbecuing a whole chicken. The juices stay in a little better when the chicken is full. Not sure you have some time for an entire chicken? You may also "butterfly" a chicken by removing just the backbone and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken whole but providing a flattened version that cooks up in virtually no time. Or try these grilled chicken cutlets in a lemon rosemary sauce.
Fish is another griddling favourite at picnics. Use fish that is firm and solid so it grills well and does not fall to pieces or become dry. Oily fish like salmon is ideal on the grill, but there are several other types of fish that work just as well. Fish grills best when you do not have to flip it with a spatula, that is the reason why you want to invest in a griddling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket rather than the fish itself.
Other seafood that is perfect picnic food for the griddle is shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Shrimp can be grilled unpeeled to help keep them from overcooking. Lobster can be grilled in the shell, as well. Use a tray made for the grill with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling through. Marinade the seafood in a variety of flavors for a different flavor each time you have a grilling 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 actual pattie, think beyond traditional 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 variety of tasty cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa. Instead of throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a solid iron skillet on top of the griddle over low heat. The amazing sweetness will surprise and thrill you and your visitors. These are not your grandpa's burgers!
Occasionally, you want to rethink how you prepare your main dishes at a griddling picnic to make serving easy. Think shish-kabobs and you barely even have to bring plates! These bite-size pieces are a good way to cook, serve, and eat your favourite foods easily at a griddling picnic. Alternate cut up beef, meat balls, chickens, or seafood with grape tomatoes, bits of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow crush, or mushrooms. Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too. Include pineapple chunks 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.
How about griddling it before serving? Yes, you can griddle water melon, too. Cut it off the rind, into about one inch thick pieces. Grill quickly on each side till grill marks show. Put it on a plate and drizzle a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece. The saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the watermelon in an impossible to believe way. Now That could be a grilled picnic pleasure!
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 slices of angel food cake or pound cake with a drip of chocolate. As you can see, you can bbq just about anything you would like to serve at your picnic. Even though you choose to serve sandwiches, why not grill them?
When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don't limit the menu to hotdogs and burgers. Use your imagination. If you can cook it, you can grill it!
About the Author:
Glenda Bule is a zealous collector of bbq recipes and is a contributor to the Easy Recipes For Dinner internet site.
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