Have all of your utensils and marinades ready and waiting beside the grill. The one thing to remember when grilling is that you have to man the grill for the entire time you are cooking. It is not like an oven that you can walk away from and come back in fifteen minutes.

A grill that is working at its optimum temperature will cook the food faster than you think. Closing the lid also increases the heat and decreases cooking time.

So, prepare your area ahead of time. Don’t forget to bring along your favorite drink and maybe even a snack to nibble on, since you will be the happy gourmet griller for the day.

Try to have someone who can run back and forth and help you, and perhaps put things in the oven to keep warm until everyone is ready to eat.

Learning to grill can be a lonely job, but one whose product will be greatly appreciated by everyone when it comes time to eat.

Remember, the more you grill, the better you’ll get at it, so cook out as much as your heart desires this summer.  Learn about your grill, the correct times for the meats and vegetables and fish, with foil, or without (with is very handy for quick clean ups, and you can still get the BBQ’d smoky taste if you prick holed in the foil.

Your network of family and friends will grow once the word starts spreading that you are the king (or queen) of the neighborhood grill.

Grill at the proper temperature. A gas grill will give you a more even cooking temperature over the entire surface of the grill.

If you use a charcoal grill or a smoker, know where the temperature is the hottest on the rack, and start your meat out in that area. When it is close to being done, move it to the cooler side to finish cooking more slowly, or even to rest the meat and keep it warm.

Remember that meat will continue cooking once it is left to stand, so keep it warm and it will be just right when it comes time to eat.

While we are speaking about temperature, let your grill get good and hot before putting anything on it. Some people think that you don’t have to preheat a grill, but meat cooks better when it has reached the correct grilling temperature.

You wouldn’t put your roast in a cold oven would you? The same goes for the grill. If you want, use a thermometer to gauge the temperature before grilling your meats. You should have a meat thermometer ready as well to help you gauge how well done your beef is.

It is also handy for chicken, because you sound always cook a chicken with a bone in it to a minimum internal temperature of 160 F.  Anything else is unhealthy and puts you and your family and friends at risk of salmonella.

Chicken takes a long time to cook depending on the parts of the bird you are grilling, and especially if you are cooking it with the bone still in. 

One good way to be sure that your chicken is cooked just right is to pre-bake your chicken in the oven as if you were going to eat it roasted, and then put it on the grill to reduce the cooking time.

Or, you can roast it, and just add BBQ sauce, so that way your whole grill is not being taken up with chicken when others are waiting for burgers and hot dogs. And so you don’t have to worry about how to keep all the chicken warm while the other food cooks.

With summer almost upon us, barbeque grills everywhere are being dusted off and cleaned for the new season. If you’re ready to try your hand at grilling this year, here are a few tips to get you started off on the right foot.

 
Grilling properly is something that you learn over time. It is like anything else in life. You get better with practice. To learn how to grill a chicken breast or a steak properly, you will have to cook more than one or two a season.

No two grills are the same, so you will have to learn how to deal with the heat of your grill, and its material, which will produce varying results depending on what it is made from, size, type of rack, and so on.

In the summer, most people have barbeque on the brain and there’s no stopping them. So, here are few quick tips to make this summer’s backyard barbecues the best yet.

The first thing to do is to start out with a clean grill. No one wants to put fresh cuts of meat on a grill that is crusted over with pieces of pork or chicken from the last time you used the grill (a year ago-ick!).

Besides the fact that it’s unhealthy, you don’t want that hamburger to taste like a chicken burger. Clean the grill after each use while it is still warm so the charring comes off easily.

What You Need:

 
6 TBSP olive oil

Juice of a fresh lemon

Zest of a fresh lemon, grated

1 TBSP fennel seed, crushed

2 TBSP fennel, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 (2 lbs each) bass

2 fennel bulbs, sliced

1 TBSP brandy, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It:

Stir together in a large mixing bowl the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, fennel seed, fennel and garlic. 

Place the fish in a shallow container that has a lid.

Score the fish four times on both sides.

Pour the lemon mixture over the top of the fish.

Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to grill, remove the fish from the marinade, and discard the marinade.

Place a slice of fennel bulb in each scored area on the fish.

Heat the grill to high.

Grill the fish 12 minutes turning after 7 minutes.

Remove the fish and place on a heatproof dish.

Pour the brandy over the fish.

Light the brandy and allow it burn out.

Serve with fresh lemon slices, and salt and pepper to taste.

This dish not only tastes good, but is fun to cook.  Lighting the brandy removes the alcohol content and gives your dish a flare. 

What You Need:

 
8 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

Juice from 1 whole fresh lemon

2 tsp rosemary

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp marjoram

2 tsp pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

Fresh lemon slices

How to Make It:

Mix together in a large bowl the butter, lemon juice, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, pepper and garlic. 

Pour the mixture into a large zip lock bag.

Place the shrimp in the bag and seal tightly.

Turn the bag over a few times to make sure the shrimp are covered well with the marinade.

Allow the shrimp to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Remove the shrimp and discard the marinade.

Run the shrimp on a wooden skewer.

Heat the grill to medium high.

Cook the shrimp about 6 minutes turning over after 4 minutes.

Serve with a fresh slice of lemon.

Grilling with a skewer can make for faster grilling and tasty meats.  Bamboo skewers are great for grilling seafood, but should be soaked in water for 30 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill.  Always remember to oil your skewers so food won’t stick.

What You Need:

 
1/2 C grenadine syrup

4 TBSP red wine

2 TBSP sugar

2 onions, grated

4 cloves of garlic, minced fine

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 slices of bacon per wooden skewer

4 chicken livers per wooden skewer

3 button mushrooms per wooden skewer

How to Make It:

In a large mixing bowl combine the syrup, red wine and sugar. 

Mix until all the sugar has dissolved.

Add the onions, garlic, oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients together.

Cut each piece of bacon in half.

Lay each piece of bacon flat and place one liver on top of each piece.

Wrap the bacon slice completely around the liver.

Thread the liver onto the wooden skewer.

Tread a mushroom onto each skewer and continue alternating back and forth between the livers and mushrooms being sure there are 4 livers and 3 mushrooms on each skewer.

Place the pomegranate mixture into a large container with a lid.

Place the skewers in the mixture and secure the lid tightly.

Turn the container over a few times to insure all the meat is well covered.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove skewers from the mixture and discard the mixture.

Heat the grill to medium high.

Grill each kabob 12 minutes turning often.

Kabob will be done when the bacon becomes slightly crispy.

When grilling chicken livers, remember they should still remain slightly pink in the center.  Overcooking will make the liver very dry, and take away from their delicate flavor.

What You Need:

2 C white bread crumbs

1 (8 oz) package Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 onion – chopped

1 TBSP parsley

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Olive oil for basting

How to Make It:

Place the bread crumbs and cheese in a food processor.

Add the onion and parsley and process until a dough forms.

Place the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and water in the processor.

Process just long enough to mix spices into the dough.

Add the salt and pepper and process 10 seconds longer.

Remove the dough and split into eight pieces.

Form each piece into a roll.

Heat grill to medium high.

Brush each roll with the olive oil on all sides.

Grill 10 minutes, turning each one over several times for browning on all sides.

These little rolls make great appetizers. They can be served with a honey mustard dipping sauce.

As for the side dishes and cold salads, prepare those at least an hour (for the side dishes) or two (for the salads) before the party. This cuts down on the work of the host and hostess.

 You can sit with your friends and await the goodies from the grill. Better still, everyone can watch the grill master at work and nibble on appetizers and enjoy their drinks, without feeling like they are starving.

 Make sure you lay out all the plates, utensils, napkins and condiments prior to everyone arriving. Have plenty of cold drinks in the cooler, and lots of ice.

The backyard barbeque should flow smoothly when you take the time to prepare. When the work is done early, the fun can begin as soon as the guests arrive.

 Punch is a good idea for a party where there will be children as well as grown ups. If the punch is meant to be sparkling (adding soda), chill the punch first without the soda and add it just before the guests arrive. That way, the punch won’t lose its fizz while in the fridge.

 
If the guests are told to bring their appetites, you may want to eliminate grilled chicken from the menu. Chicken takes a long time to cook depending on the parts of the bird you are grilling. It is also not safe to eat an undercooked bird due to health considerations.

If you try to do a chicken, this alone will cause some people to get their food ahead of others. To ensure that no guest is left with an empty plate, choose other meats, or pre-bake your chicken in the oven as if you were going to eat it roasted, and then put it on the grill to reduce the cooking time.

Or roast it, and then just add smoky BBQ sauce, so that your grill is not taken up with a bunch of long cooking chickens and you have no room for anything else.

Remember to always preheat the grill. When people come in and see smoke rising from the grill they expect that you have already put food on it. Don’t surprise them with the smell of smoldering charcoal.

 Forty-five minutes before the party, start the gas or charcoal grill so that the coals get hot and are ready for grilling once the guests arrive. You can also grill in advance, and keep warm in the oven.

What’s more fun in the warm months than grilling?

Grilling with friends.

Host your own backyard barbeque and invite all your buddies over for a tasty meal and some backyard fun.

Here are some tips to get your party started right.

The number one complaint most people have about throwing a party is that they have to do so much preparation and cooking that by the time the company arrives, they are exhausted.

People often underestimate the time it takes to prepare, and so leaving things to the last minute means that the food is not ready when the guests arrive.

It is hard to entertain and fix the food at the same time. A sit down meal can be a real ordeal. Multiple courses can be an issue as well.

Avoid this nonsense and have a BBQ instead. If you are going to have a barbeque get-together, plan ahead so that it is easy on the guests and the hosts. Know your menu.

Decide the week before what you will serve for the meal. Appetizers or finger foods, plus an array of salads, will allow guests to eat all sorts of things while they wait for the main course to finish on the grill.

Appetizers should be small, especially if you plan on serving a variety of grilled meats and vegetables. Try a veggie or fruit tray with some low calorie dip.

This is easy to make—you go to the store and pick one up! The name of the game here is to have fun and to do as much as you can ahead of time.

These appetizer trays have no preservatives so it’s okay to buy them pre-packaged from the store.