We were grilling novices when we moved to Wichita two years ago and bought a gas grill. It was January and winter cold didn't stop us from wanting to use our new toy, though after years of East Coast apartment life, we really didn't know how.We've gained a degree of confidence since then, and we grill all the time. This week autumn cold is setting in, but I see no cause to turn off the gas. Here are a few strategies I've decided on for grilling success:
1) Skewers are good. Preferably stainless steel skewers-- available for just a few bucks a dozen at the grocery store. No need to pre-soak. No need to buy skewers more than once.
2) When skewering food for the grill, segregate meat from vegetables. Peppers and onions don't take as long as pieces of steak or chicken. Brush vegetables with olive oil and you're good to go. When cooking steaks or burgers or anything that doesn't require skewering, always chop up a sugary sweet onion into big chunks to cook on a skewer or two with pieces of fresh pepper. Always.
3) Have fun with marinades. Tonight, I was feeling really lazy, so I just threw ingredients into a plastic bag rather haphazardly-- some red wine, balsamic vinegar, a clove of crushed garlic, a shake of thyme, a shake of dried rosemary, a quick shake of Tabasco sauce, some soy sauce. I have no idea how much of anything went into the ZipLoc bag. Then I added 1-inch pieces of chicken breast, and let everything soak in the fridge for an hour. Laced the pieces about five to a skewer and handed 'em over to Dave to grill. They were heavenly.
4) Grill whenever you feel like it. Summer, winter, spring, fall.
2 comments:
Don't you have to worry about the metal skewers getting to hot?
Just remember to use hot pads or oven mitts to handle them. Or they're sturdy enough to lift with a pair of BBQ prongs.
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