Grilling and Smoking

Summer is upon us – sort of. At least Spring is here! And for us that means more outdoor cooking. We like to plan for lots of grilling, and my husband really likes to use his smoker during this time as well. I just have a few hints for you.

First of all, plan for such occasions. You definitely need to make sure that any meat you are using is completely thawed if it has been frozen. There are also lots of times that the meat needs to marinate, so plan accordingly. 

You also want to make sure that your grill and/or smoker are clean when you start. The grates on both can get sticky from a previous time, and you don’t want that because new items will definitely stick. Get a good grill brush and scrape those off so that what you are cooking won’t stick. Some non-stick spray is also good. Just be careful – you don’t want to start a fire!

In my opinion, and from experience, low and slow is the way to go. You don’t want to cook anything too high as it will get done/burn on the outside, but the inside will still be raw. You also want to be careful with sauces that you are brushing on items. It is best to do a partial cooking before you start brushing that on unless a recipe says otherwise. By waiting, you won’t burn your sauce on your food. 

When it comes to smoking, and I guess really grilling too, but especially smoking, you want to make good use of your time and space. You have probably seen me mention many times in my menus that I have pulled something out of the freezer that was previously smoked. This is because when my husband uses the smoker, he makes sure that it is full. You don’t want to waste all that time and smoke! He usually does some chicken legs or quarters, ribs, pork loins, brisket, and sometimes even a turkey. It is a lot of prep work and time, but it’s only every-so-often, and by doing this, you can have lots of proteins already cooked for when times are busy. You can also do some extra grilling when you are using the grill so that you have some additional items cooked. All you have to do is portion it out and package it securely. I do know, however, that this only works if you have the room to freeze all of it. Fortunately, we do.

Just be sure when you are smoking to keep an eye on things, replace your wood chips as needed, and follow the suggested time guidelines. This is another way that we are able to smoke so much at one time. Not everything takes the same amount of time, so you can put items that take longer in and then rotate other items in and out that take a shorter amount of time.

Lastly, be creative! You don’t have to just smoke or grill meat. There are so many things that can be cooked on the grill or in the smoker. You can especially grill vegetables and even fruits and desserts. You can do the same in the smoker. You can even try your hand at smoked cheese! Just do a little research, and in no time you will have lots of delicious, easy meals, and you won’t have to heat up your oven and your house!