In the South, we usually have to take a short break from grilling outdoors come August due to the heat. As soon as slightly cooler temperatures and football season set in, we move back outdoors to the grill.
Thankfully that time is here. Living in a college town -- Athens, Ga. -- it seems we start doing even more entertaining. Sometimes I use this time to experiment with new recipes, but if time does not allow, I have some favorite recipes that are quick but well-liked.
Most people love an Asian-inspired menu and it's certainly more innovative than traditional burgers and hot dogs on game weekends. Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls are a divine starter and can easily be made vegetarian. My Pineapple and Red Pepper Pork Kebabs are easy enough to make even for a weeknight meal or ahead of time tp be taken them to a tailgate. Get these fall grill recipes after the jump.
Labor Day -- the most bittersweet of all national holidays. Sweet because the majority of folks have Monday off; bitter because it marks the end of the summer season.
And as you cut open that watermelon, why not find other ways to enjoy the juicy summer staple?
So while Labor Day may mark the end of summer, it means stores are spending the weekend unfurling their Halloween decorations. We're sad to see summer go, but can't wait for the candy, turkey and eggnog!
Why is it that everyone plants zucchini, even though it is blatantly obvious that one plant is enough to feed an entire village? (At Beekman 1802, we count ourselves among the guilty.)
Anyone who has ever grown one knows that this prolific plant produces far more zucchini than one could ever want. You never know what to do with it all, which is probably why zucchini bread was invented, and our neighbors pass it around like Secret Santa gifts: Someone is bound to come to your doorstep with zucchini right as you're ready to give some away.
Rumor has it that folks keep planting it because of our fabulous recipe for grilled summer squash. We dare you to find a recipe that beats this melange of fresh herbs and creamy squash for embodying pure summer.
Part of a continuing summer series by grilling expert Gena Knox.
When most people think of honey, they think of breakfast and hot tea, but honey is actually one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen -- so versatile, in fact, that I use it on an almost-daily basis. A natural way to sweeten marinades and salad dressings, honey can be used to add flavor to savory dishes and not just desserts.
Of course, as with any food, you want to use a good quality honey. One of my favorites is Savannah Bee, and my friend Ted, the owner behind this delicious honey, has chosen his favorite full-bodied honey for grilling. The rich amber color and robust flavor stands up to the smokiness of grilled foods and the easy, no-spill pump isn't bad either.
Gena's grilled corn with ancho. Photo: Erica George Dines Photography
Part of a continuing summer grilling series by expert Gena Knox.
Nothing says summer like fresh sweet corn on the grill.
This year, our garden does not seem to be performing very well, but for some reason my corn is growing like a weed. I harvested my first crop of Silver Queen and Peaches & Cream Sweet Corn just this week, and the taste is absolute heaven.
When I think of grilling corn, I generally think salt, pepper and butter. Sometimes when you just want to keep a side dish simple this is the best way to prepare it, but there are other times when spicing up the traditional summer side can be fun. I experimented with some simple, but creative ways to top grilled corn and these recipes can be paired with a variety of dishes.
Pork tenderloin. Photo: Erica George Dines Photography
Part of a continuing summer series by grilling expert Gena Knox.
Pork tenderloins are served at our house pretty often. Not only are they lean, but also they are flavorful and easy to cook. Like chicken, pork easily takes on the flavor of the rub, marinade or sauce you pair it with. Traditional supermarkets sell already marinated pork tenderloins, but I generally avoid these. Filled with sodium, artificial ingredients and flavors, these pre-marinated meats generally turn out mushy and very salty.
The marinade, overtime, actually begins to "cure" the meat, causing it to turn grey and the proteins to break down. I generally prefer buying the all-natural pork from stores such as Whole Foods. These are usually not packed in a salty brine and they allow me to brine my own if I want.
The problem is, most people don't know how to cook pork tenderloin properly and they often turn out tough, overcooked and lacking in flavor.
Learn the proper way to cook them and get my coffee-rubbed pork tenderloin recipe after the jump.
The combination of grill marks and paprika is a timeless and potent one, up there with martinis and olives or biscuits and gravy. It has the power to evoke all of the five senses, to say nothing of a Pavlovian response. T
his photo of grilled chicken, liberally seasoned with the smoky, peppery spice, was taken by Kristin of The Kitchen Sink. It could cause a slab of Sheetrock to salivate, to say nothing of the unfortunate mortals who happen to stumble upon this photo on an empty stomach. So behold with caution ... and possibly a napkin or two.
So Fourth of July has come and gone again. Lest you already be feeling nostalgic, here's one last photo to make you feel a bit misty. Grilled and photographed by marilyn819 at Flickr, these fat brats, with their artful tan lines, are for many people the sight and smell of the Fourth, as well as the approximately two remaining months of summer. They're a reminder to go out and buy some sunscreen and lighter fluid, drop a lit match through the grates and wait attentively for dinner to be ready, as yet another summer afternoon disappears into the realm of lightly charred memory.
As summer kicks into high gear, roadside stands and greenmarkets are bustling with fresh produce.
Fresh herbs, cut just that morning, perfume the air: sultry thyme, sprightly parsley and rosemary for remembrance. Sweet onions tumble out of bushel baskets and into burlap bags. Piles of peppers fight for your attention in red, green, orange, yellow and even black. And who can resist fresh ears of satiny corn?
As you lug all of your fresh produce home, don't worry -- as always, we've got your back. Beyond the jump is an original recipe to use that corn, those peppers and those onions to make a quick, fresh corn relish.
This relish has a Southwestern twang, but it can accompany virtually anything coming off of your grill for Fourth of July barbecues, from juicy burgers and seared steaks to perfectly smoked chicken. And if the summer corn is too irresistible to resist buying a bushel, you can double the recipe and send some home with your guests.
Nearly 80,000 people descended on a farm in Manchester, Tenn., last weekend for Bonnaroo, a four-day music festival headlined by 1990s jam band Phish and rock star Bruce Springsteen. Because most of the attendees camped on the 700-acre site -- and individual tickets started at a whopping $225 -- most festival goers opted to forgo food from pricey vendors and rough it.
By noon each day campsites were filled with empty PBR cans, half-empty industrial-sized jars of generic peanut butter and remnants of canned beans warmed over propane ranges. A few industrious music lovers, however, weren't going to let a lack of gas or electricity keep them from eating well.
More photos, bison chili, pork chops and Rotel after the jump.
According to industry research, the majority (58 percent) of grill owners use them year-round (I'm one of them, and have been known to dust a foot or so of snow off the barbie in the middle of January), but summer is really when grilling gets smokin' hot. With Father's Day and the whole "let's grill a big juicy steak for dad and buy him a tie" cliché less than a week away, let's talk a bitmore about barbecue-friendly wines. (And be sure to check out our expert grilling tips here).
Wine and grill pairing basics and four recommended vinos after the jump.
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