What Are Your Best Grilling Tips and Tricks?
Hello, and welcome back toWhat’s Cooking? , an open thread where you can share all your brilliant thoughts, tips, recipes and opinions on anything edible. Although we already had one great discussion this week , I thought we would go ahead and have another, especially since Monday is a day off and we should talk about grilling.
Grilling is one type of cooking that I don’t do very often, mainly because I live in a small apartment, I don’t have a grill, and it always rains here (Portland, Oregon). I love grilled food – everything from meats to fruits – and would love to hear all about your ingenious outdoor cooking tips, tricks, and recipes. As always, I have topics of conversation.
- First things first: charcoal, wood or gas? Gas grills are very easy to use and prepare, but you won’t get that great smoky aroma that charcoal or firewood provides. This article also notes that cooking meat with a good marble finish on gas can lead to fat-induced obesity, which can be dangerous.
- What’s the most impressive thing you’ve ever grilled? I don’t think I’ve ever grilled something that serious. I once cooked a whole pig in a Chinese box ; it was cool.
- What’s your # 1 tip for juicy grilled meat that tastes great? Are you a marinade? Brine? Baste?
- What’s your favorite grilled vegetable? I’m all about popcorn; bonus points if I have what it takes to get the right elot . Grilled asparagus is also tight.
- Have you tried grilling fruit? I live on grilled pineapples . The smoky caramelized treat blends perfectly with the tangy sweetness of pineapple and is also an excellent cocktail ingredient . I also want to try grilled avocado guacamole .
- Grilled pizza? I think I remember a couple of years ago everyone was interested in grilled pizza, but I haven’t tried them yet. How do you feel about them?
- How do you cook hamburgers? What percentage of body fat are you aiming for? Are you crazy about condiments or is it just that? Do you have a special trick to help them stay in shape? Ever chopped your own meat?
- What’s your favorite tube meat? I really love beautiful handcrafted sausage – I live in Portland, after all – but sometimes I just need a simple Hebrew hot dog with mustard.
- Speaking of hot dogs, what do you put on yours? Does the thought of ketchup in a hot dog make you shiver?
Grilling is a vast topic, so feel free to go beyond the above questions, especially if you have a particularly tasty tip.