Think 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 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 messing with a complete range of ingredients. Don’t limit yourself to the ingredients you have been using. We know you instantly 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 scared to grate, smash, or cook ingredients together that you could never have employed in the same sauce before. Mix contrasting flavours “tasty with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy “until you have a unique sauce 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're used to throwing a steak on the griddle, but wish to try experimenting with other cuts, try griddling full roasts. With the right preparation and set-up, you can put a big beef roast or pork roast on the griddle, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your family and guests with a tender and tempting roast that didn't come out of the stove.
Instead of your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try barbecuing a complete chicken. The juices stay in slightly better when the chicken is whole. Unsure you have time for a whole chicken? You can “butterfly” a chicken by eliminating just the backbone and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken entire but providing a flattened version that cooks up in no time. Or try these grilled chicken cutlets in a lemon rosemary sauce.
Fish is another barbecuing fave at picnics. Use fish that's firm and solid so it griddles well and doesn't fall apart or become dry. Oily fish like salmon is perfect on the griddle, but there are many other kinds of fish that work equally well. Fish griddles best when you don't have to flip it with a spatula, that's why you would like to invest in a barbecuing basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket instead of 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!
Sometimes, you need to reconsider the way that you ready your main dishes at a grilling picnic to make serving simple. Think shish-kabobs and you hardly need to bring plates! These bite-size pieces are a great way to cook, serve, and eat your favorite foods simply at a grilling picnic. Alternate cut up meat, beef balls, poultry, or seafood with grape tomatoes, pieces of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squish, or mushrooms. Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too. Include pineapple lumps or citrus with chicken or seafood for a 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 pieces of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate. As you can see, you can grill almost anything you want to serve at your picnic. Even if you opt 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 brains. If you can cook it, you can grill it!
Glenda Bule is an avid collector of bbq recipes and is a contributor to the Easy Recipes For Dinner web site.
