I love to BBQ. In fact I have been known to do it with 3 feet of snow on the ground. I BBQ chicken, lamb chops, vegetables even fruit. Now that the BBQ season officially opens this weekend with Memorial Day I have tried to come up with new BBQ ideas for my friends, family and readers.
Note: meat should always go on the grill at room temperature for maximum flavor of the meat.
Here are a few ideas for your BBQ that I always do at mine.
* I find that lamb has its own natural flavors and doesn’t need a marinade you can just throw it from the package straight onto the grill. (yay no extra work)
*Sliders are very popular nowadays; I buy all kinds of great chutneys, sauces and flavored mustard to go as an complement.
*My favorite sausages are Abeles and Heymann Sausages. Try buying a variety of them, You can put some facon bacon, and place them on the grill for a few minutes until they are crispy which is a great topping for hot dogs or sliders.
*make a topping bar for hot dogs. Anything from grilled onion, poached eggs, grilled pineapple, hot sauce, guacamole on a hotdog is a lot of fun.
*I make a platter of all kinds of pickles. (half sour, and sour pickles, sour kraut and pickled tomtatos).
• I serve platters of sliced of tomatoes, red onion, and shredded lettuce and some sautéed onion.
• No bbq is ever complete with out coleslaw. Either homemade or store bought.
• I always have big fresh garden salad, corn on the cob and French fries. (I’m love the 5 minute McCains fries).
• Fresh pineapple and mango are delicious on the grill. 3-4 minutes per side max.
The marinade below is great for chicken or vegetables. For the meat let it soak for 2 hours or overnight. If you are using it for vegetables leave out the ketchup and marinade for up to 2 hours.
Dijon garlic marinade
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup seeded Dijon mustard
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup ketchup
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves crushed fresh garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (Only if it doesn’t say OU fish, than you can have it for meat)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together. Expect the meat.
Place the meat in a shallow pan in one layer and pour over the marinade.
Try to marinade for several hours. It helps tenderize the meat.
Place the meat on a medium- hot grill about 4 inches above the heat and cook on both sides until cooked through.
