Memorial Day ushers in the official summer grilling season. Backyard barbecues, pool parties and condo balconies will be filled with people enjoying grilled meats, potato salad, veggie burgers and fabulous cocktails. While San Diegans are lucky because we can enjoy grilling year around, summer provides the perfect backdrop for outdoor fun with friends.
Get Ready
Memorial Day weekend is the perfect opportunity for you to get your grill prepared for the summer barbecue season. Cleaning your grill racks is critical to ensure that you have a summer free of food poisoning. While some people clean their racks thoroughly after each use, most of us just run a wire brush across the grill or let any excess food burn off while we do the dishes.
You should thoroughly clean your grill racks using a good oven cleaner and then prep the cleaned racks with cooking spray. This will ensure you have a safe and healthy grilling season.
While your racks are off the grill, inspect the inside of the grill. For charcoal grills, make sure that the inside has no holes in the bottom from excessive heat or rust. Also be sure to clean the valve that allows air into the grill to ensure that it is easy to open and close.
For gas grills, make sure the holes in the burners are clear of food and grease. You can use a paper clip or needle to ensure that clogged burner holes do not create cold spots on your grill. If your gas grill has a propane tank, check all connections to make sure gas is not leaking. Simply rub some soapy water on the hoses and connections; a leak will create bubbles. If you discover a leak, fix the connections and do the test again.
Now your grill is primed for the summer season!
Set
Planning a summer barbecue menu is relatively simple. Standard fare includes barbecued ribs, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, as well as a vegetarian entree. Of course, what sets you apart from your friends will be how good your food tastes.
Grilling lends itself to foods that are marinated or seasoned for hours before they hit the grill. For ribs, season them with a great grill rub several hours before cooking then. Storing them in the fridge ensures that the meat will achieve the best flavor during the slow cooking process (See our LGBT Weekly Rib Master recipe for details).
For chicken, marinating the meat for several hours guarantees you have a flavorful and juicy meal. The key to a great marinade is citrus, wine or vinegar. These help break down the meat and are essential to creating a tender piece of grilled meat. A simple marinade for chicken is orange pineapple juice. Cover the chicken with the juice, add some soy sauce and put in the fridge for at least two hours. Take out, season and grill. It’s that simple.
For burgers, choosing meat with at least a 15 percent fat content is key to a successful result. Less fat content produces a dry, less flavorful hamburger. Hey, it’s the summer – you look as good as you are going to, so splurge a little.
The side dishes are really what should set you apart. Salads are pretty traditional, so why not try to spice things up with a hot side like spaghetti. Add sautéed onion and green pepper, plus a spicy pasta sauce. Unexpected? Yes, but also delicious with grilled meat.
The key to a great green salad is your choice of dressing. One of the best around is Girards Champagne Dressing which comes in a traditional and light version. Over the years, it has been quite a crowd pleaser. In fact, after having the dressing at our home, the dressing has become a staple at many of our friend’s homes.
Okay, you have some menu tips so we are ready to …
Grill!
Grilling is one of the easiest methods of cooking, but perfect grilling requires patience. First, it is critical to allow your grill to come to the appropriate temperature. For charcoal grills that means allowing the coals to turn white before beginning to grill. This can take up to a half hour. Patience!
Gas grills can be ready for cooking in about 15 minutes.
It is important with either grill to make sure that the grill is not too hot or your food will be charcoaled! If you have a meat thermometer, you can easily assess the temperature.
If not, you can use the hand test. Hold your hand over the center of the grill. If you can keep it there for a five count, the temperature is low, 3 seconds is medium and 2 seconds is hot. Be careful: don’t burn your hands!
Leave the flip flops for post cooking. Too many people have dropped hot food on their exposed feet, making for a painful day in the sun.
Remember your food is the star of the event. Do not overcook it, so err on the side of a lower temperature to ensure that your meat remains juicy and tender.
Barbecue sauce should be applied during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You should never apply sauce over a high heat because barbecue sauce has a high sugar content and burns easily.
Serving
Most barbecues are self serve, so you need to ensure that you have enough food to go around. The first rule is to cut your meat into appropriate serving sizes. Two or three rib servings are best, but you need to cut the ribs into these serving sizes or someone will indulge themselves with half a slab.
Also use normal sized serving spoons and plates to ensure that people do not take more food than they can eat. Wasted food could have been enjoyed by another guest or as leftovers by you!
The same goes for drinks. No more than a 16 ounce cup should ever be offered. Everyone fills their cup, regardless of whether they finish their drink. Later they get a new cup and repeat. No one wants to waste good sangria or a nice madras.
To prevent accidents, invest in high quality paper plates and cutlery. The small additional cost will stop you from spending time cleaning up food spills during your party.
If your party is outside, remember to take food inside after about 90 minutes to ensure that someone does not get a toxic taste of potato salad. Mayonnaise and the sun do not mix well.
Finally, have well-placed trash cans. You will thank yourself later as clean up time will be significantly reduced.
Imbibe
Libations help to put the Q in barbecue. While mixed drinks, wine and beer satisfy most guests, it is always nice to have a signature drink for your party. Since many do not want to fuss with making drinks for each guest, a nice batch of cocktails let’s you enjoy your party. So we suggest a wine-based drink, white sangria, and an old fashioned cocktail, the Madras.
White Sangria
1 bottle of white wine (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or pinot gris)
1 cup orange juice
2/3 cup of sugar
1 lemon cut into one inch slices
1 lime cut into one inch slices
1/2 liter of club soda (if you like things sweet, substitute ginger ale)
Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher or cooler. Serve chilled. Ice should not be added to the sangria, allow your guests to put ice in their individual cups and pour the sangria over the ice. You can double, triple or quadruple the recipe, it still tastes great.
Madras
750 milliliters vodka
1.5 liters cranberry juice
1.5 liters orange juice
Mix all the ingredients in a cooler. Serve chilled or over ice.
Remember to serve salty snacks because people will drink more. The more they drink the more fun they will have at your party! Of course, always drink responsibly.
Potlucks
Many people provide the space, protein and drinks but ask their friends to bring all the sides and desserts. Potlucks are great but you need to be direct in what your guests bring. Four potato salads are not going to make for the best buffet.
You know your friends and more than likely their culinary skills. Green salad should be brought by someone who does not cook; same with dessert. Someone can bring ice cream, which is kind of hard to screw up. You can also have the culinary challenged bring ice, cups or good paper plates.
Of course, every group has its Paula Deen or Emeril. They should be asked to bring one of their signature dishes. Just be sure you know what the dish is beforehand so you can plan accordingly.
Have ample storage containers and take away dishes on hand. People usually want to take their serving dishes home with them. Also, guests may want to take home food if there is a lot left. It also helps ensure that food does not go to waste.
Your best friends should be enlisted for clean-up duty. It gives you time to dish about the party!
Rib Master Recipe
While many have outdoor spaces and backyard grills, here is a perfect rib recipe for those who live in spaces with smaller or no outdoor space. For those with outdoor grills, this recipe will save you time, but allow you to finish the ribs on the grill to get the charcoal or other enhancing flavor.
1 slab of pork ribs (about 4 pounds)
Rib or steak rub (i.e. Emeril’s Rib Rub or other spice rub)
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
2 ounces of apple juice
2 ounces of chicken broth
A few drops of liquid smoke (available at Ralphs or Albertsons)
Trim the excess meat and fat off the bone side of the ribs. Generously season both sides of the ribs with the rib or steak rub. Use about 1 ounce of rub per pound of ribs. Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of two hours, to a maximum of 24 hours. The longer the ribs are seasoned, the more intense the flavor.
When you are ready to cook the ribs, take them out of the fridge an hour before you put them in the oven. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Place ribs meat side down in a roasting pan. Mix together the apple juice, chicken stock and liquid smoke. Pour into the bottom of the pan with the ribs. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook for three hours.
(Check on the ribs after 90 minutes. There will be a lot of liquid in the pan, remove half of the liquid and discard. Put ribs back in the oven for the remaining 90 minutes.)
To finish the ribs, pour off all liquid in the pan, baste with your favorite barbecue sauce for another 15 minutes. This step can also be done on your charcoal or gas grill. If you use your grill, be careful when handling the ribs because they will be falling off the bone.
