It’s summertime and when it comes to food, that can only mean one thing—it’s time to get grilling. Now I’m no grilling queen, but warm nights beckon even us studio apartment dwellers to the nearest barbecue.
If you’re wondering what to actually throw on the barbie this year, now’s the time to spice up the usual menu with some flavorful chicken, juicy steak, fresh corn on the cob, and creative side dishes. From entertaining inspiration to cool cocktails, consider these your first steps toward grilling up a summer storm.
Kick It off Right with Stellar Small Bites
There are two options here: make-ahead appetizers that you can set out on platters as friends start to arrive, or some simple snacks you can quickly fire up on the barbecue. You can’t go wrong with guacamole, and Aztec Guacamole with Peas will leave guests wondering what that little twist is on the classic dip. If you’re dedicated to making it a purely grilled meal, try Orange Teriyaki Wings, Flaming Weenies and the Purple Cabbage, Seafood Skewers with Cajun Red Butter, or Oysters Kilpatrick. (Yes, oysters.) The weenies are social too; guests grill their own little dogs before they eat them, sort of like s’more marshmallows—less work for you, more fun for them. Whatever you make, serve along with the pre-dinner drinks to set a laid-back mood for your lucky guests. Or just you. No judgment.
Relax with a Drink … or Two
Branch out from the usual cooler of brews and shake up a festive cocktail. A Strawberry Basil Martini celebrates the season’s produce, and the combination of sweet fruit with basil is both interesting and refreshing. Want to step it up a little? Serve up something with a real kick (caution everyone to sip slowly), like Planter’s Punch—a two-types-of-rum cocktail with some pineapple juice and grenadine—or an amazing, put-all-other-sangria-recipes-to-shame Sangria. (Hint: the secret’s in the booze.)
Go Veggie
Maybe you’re too broke to spring for the filet, too traumatized by The Omnivore’s Dilemma to even go near the meat section, or just want to break free of the dog-and-burger rut. Grilling doesn’t have to be synonymous with greasy slabs of meat—you can easily create a meat-free meal, too. Really, it doesn’t get much better than corn on the cob cooked in the husk, and pretty much any other vegetable—peppers, onions, asparagus, potatoes—tastes amazing grilled with some salt, pepper, and rosemary. Wrap something in foil that you’d usually do on the stove, like Simple Squash Saute or Truffle Oil Roasted Potatoes, and let it cook itself while you tend to other things. Serve up a hearty main course of grilled Portobellos topped with pepper-jack cheese and grilled pineapple between slices of fresh bread, like olive or focaccia. It definitely won’t feel like anything’s missing.
Make a Meatier Main Dish
If a barbecue sans meat leaves you wondering, what’s the point?, break out those tongs and make sure your friends come hungry. Grilling best emphasizes simply-seasoned, well-cooked meats. The Best Steak Recipe for the Grill has a steak rub made only of salt and confectioners’ sugar—simultaneously sealing in moisture and guaranteeing a caramelized outer layer. (Trust me; it tastes even better than it sounds.) As for the white meat, try spicing things up a bit. Marinate this Yummy Jerk Chicken a few hours before you heat up the grill for a break from the bottled barbecue sauce, or break out of that turkey burger rut with Divine Burgers, a combination of pork, turkey, and Herbes de Provence.
