When it starts to get hotter outside, you start to think about getting out your grill. You want to grill while you can, especially if it might get a bit too hot or if it might soon be too cold again. Whether you’re having a little grilling session just for yourself or your family or you’re thinking about inviting some friends or family over for some fun, you want to make sure that everyone eats well. Getting it right isn’t always easy, especially if you’re not very confident about your skills. However, there are plenty of ways to make your grilling exciting and produce some tasty dishes, including both meat and other options.
Before you fire up your grill, here are some ideas that might help to make everything more fun.
Use Flavors from Around the World
An easy way to shake up any boring grilling session is to look at flavors from around the world. You can find strong grilling and BBQ traditions in many countries and cultures, so there’s plenty of inspiration out there if you’re looking for tasty recipes. You could find grilled beef ribs with Spanish flavors or Korean recipes to add some spice to your grilling. Choose a type of cuisine that you already know you like or explore some different options to find something new that you’ve never tried before. There are so many choices and flavors to try.
Try Some Veggie and Vegan Options
Of course, meat is typically at the center of any barbecue. Whether it’s beef, pork, chicken, or something a little more exotic and unusual, it wouldn’t feel right to a lot of people if there was no meat. If you’re firing up your grill, it doesn’t have to be all about meat. You can have delicious vegetarian and even vegan options on the menu and they don’t just have to be side dishes. There are the classic options like corn cobs and bell peppers, which are great for grilling. But you can also try a range of other dishes using everything from mushrooms to tofu.
Grill Up Some Fish and Seafood
Another way to move away from meat (or add something extra) is to consider some fish and seafood options for your grill. You can cook fillets of fish or even whole fish if you want to, as well as try out some delicious seafood options like shrimp, shellfish such as oysters, mussels, and scallops, and even lobster if you’re feeling a little fancy. You can toss some things straight onto the grill, while others will be great with a marinade, rub, or sauce. Some more delicate pieces of fish might require wrapping up in foil or protecting from the heat of the grill in other ways.
Prepare Your Marinades
Getting some of your dishes ready for grilling before you’re ready to cook will make things easier. It also gives you time to make sure all of your dishes are going to be infused with flavor. Marinades can be prepared the morning of your barbecue or even the day before to give the flavors plenty of time to mix and make your ingredients taste delicious. There are all kinds of marinades you can use with lots of different flavors to try out. Many of them only need a few basic ingredients too, so it’s easy to throw them together.
Don’t Forget the Sides, Drinks, and Desserts
You might have your main dishes for grilling, but remember to include some extras to make a complete meal. Side dishes can help to elevate everything, whether you have salads, casseroles, or whatever else you want to add. There should be plenty to drink too if you want to keep everyone hydrated and refreshed. And once you’ve polished off everything you’ve grilled, you’ll probably want dessert. You can grill some desserts too, but it’s often easiest to prepare something ahead of time.
Get Guests to Contribute
If you’ve invited some guests for a bit of a party, you could just tell them you’ll provide everything. However, it’s likely that they will want to contribute in some way, and it would be rude not to let them if they really want to bring something. The best thing to do is often to assign everyone something to bring, whether it’s a side, a dessert, or something to put on the grill. Then you can avoid having too many of the same types of dishes.
Get ready for some fun grilling with these handy tips to prepare you for the season.