Top Ate Summer BBQ Recipes

July 18, 2014

So, I don't grill.
I am actually slightly neurotic overly cautious when dealing with propane. Even driving home from the hardware store with the propane tank in my car elicits a fear that my car will spontaneously explode. Although, my recent craving for charred salty corn on the cob made me surppress my fear. We were completely out and I NEEDED to have that corn! The guy at the hardware store assured me that the tank was so tightly wedged on the floor of my backseat that there was no way it could move. What a nice guy he was, but I still drove the four miles home like a grandma.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to eat grilled food. The flavor to health ratio is off the charts. But I don't even like standing near the grill when The Hubbster turns it on for fear that the flame will jump out and burn my eyebrows off.
Luckily, The Hubbster has turned into a grill master. I dream up these crazy concoctions creative recipes and ideas inside and he turns them into charred (but never burnt), smoky deliciousness outside. He knows exactly  how to achieve the elusive intersection of charred but not burnt and juicy but not overcooked. AND the most amazing part...he does all this on a seven-year-old rusted through hunk-a-junk. I dream about the day we get a Weber. Imagine what The Hubbster could do with a Weber!  His grilling skills are likely genetic. You haven't lived until you've eaten my father-in-law's Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Ribs. I typically stay away from pork because of the bathroom issues that ensue, but his ribs are worth the extra toilet time! TMI? Anywho, he has this wood pellet grill that makes ours look like a child's toy. It grills. It smokes. It sears. It doubles as a convection oven. It even cleans itself. It's like grill porn for those of you who are into that.
While we don't have the Cadillac of grills, we do love to grill and eat on our deck as often as we can in the warmer months. I compiled my Top Ate Summer BBQ recipes based on what we eat and enjoy most often. We typically keep it healthy, but since the recent realization that S'Mores can be prepared on the grill, our sugar intake has increased five fold more than I am willing to admit.
Enjoy!

Easy Charred Corn on the Cob: Corn is my absolute favorite food to grill. I sometimes wonder why I ever boiled it. By using a teensy bit of oil, the salt (or whatever spice you like) sticks to the corn and the result is perfectly charred and super sweet.

Watermelon Salad Bar: While I realize this is not prepared on the grill, but I had to include it due to the perfection of watermelon on a warm summer night. I literally spent five minutes preparing this spread. My family had so much fun concocting their own watermelon salads.

Spatchcock Grilled Chicken: I saw this in the Whole Foods Flyer and HAD to try it. By cutting out the backbone and splitting open the breast bone, the chicken lines completely opened and flat on the grill. This allows the chicken to grill in under an hour. Placing pads of butter under the skin and rubbing olive oil and a spice blend on the outside keeps the chicken moist yet flavorful throughout the cooking process. Intimidated? I don't blame you; I was at first too. It sounds complicated, but this video makes it feels totally approachable.

Easy Chicken Sausage Sliders:  I recently made these little guys for a poker night along with Turkey Nachos. After removing the casing from chicken sausages, mix in some Panko bread crumbs so the meat isn't so sticky. In 10 minutes, they were prepared and ready to be grilled. And, thanks to The Hubbster, my sliders quickly achieved grilled, juicy goodness. I used chicken sausage, but pork or turkey would work well too.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts Kabobs: My sister-in-law got me into Brussels sprouts. In fact, we eat them so often in our house, that this roasted Brussels sprouts recipe is one of like five recipes that The Hubbster can prepare when I'm teaching a night class. He actually makes them better than I do now. I'm not really sure how that happened. But, no complaints here; I love coming home to them! This kabob recipe was inspired by the roasted version.

Grilled Caprese Eggplant: I used to hate eggplant. Then I added salt and make sure not to overcook it. Now, I can't get enough! By layering the tomatoes, basil and cheese in the last minute of cooking, the cheese melts into the other ingredients, leaving you with nothing to do but savor after removing from the grill.

Balsamic Grilled Portobello Mushrooms: I am in love with these mushrooms. I've been making them consistently since college. It's one of my favorite recipes to share with my health conscience UMASS buddies. They are so low in calories yet the meatiness of the mushrooms leaves you satisfied.

Grilled S'mores with Peanut Butter and Banana: It was a life-altering revelation to realize that I DON'T need a campfire to make S'mores. Add some ripe bananas and peanut butter to really kick it up a notch.




Check out these recipes for even more grilling ideas.