Eight Summer Barbecuing Tips That Will Rock Your World

Whoo-hoo! It’s summer. And that means lots of fun in the sun, pool time and yummy barbecuing. Take advantage of the sunny days and pleasant evenings, outdoors on the grill.

Whether you use a charcoal or gas grill, The Roundabout team shares 8 handy tips for you to rock it on the ‘cue.

If you have the pleasure of owning a four row burner grill, take advantage of the temperature options. Far right on high, next row on medium, third row on low and fourth row off. This way you can quickly sear, move left to finish, third row to sauce and the last row to rest.
– Steve Kirch, Executive Sous Chef

I really love grilling vegetables. Halved endives, quickly seared, make an awesome salad. For firmer vegetables like beets, sweet potatoes or broccoli, I cut them in pieces and toss them with a paste made from tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and maybe a little honey or pomegranate molasses. I throw them in a perforated grill pan (love those things!) and grill-roast until tender. As the tahini cooks, it makes a delicious crispy coating. Yum!
– Camille Malmquist, Pastry Chef

From the healthier side of things, reduce flare-ups as much as possible to prevent the formation of Heterocyclic amines and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The use of fresh herbs and spices can really help decrease the negative aspects of these two harmful chemicals formed when meat gets blackened or charred.
– Shanti Wolfe, Program Director, Roundabout Meal Prep

Parboil baby-back ribs. I cut the ribs into individual ribs and boil for 15-20 minutes. Grill, and the ribs are moist and delish!
– Chef Colin Smith, Owner-Chef

For a great steak use you cast iron pan right on the grill. Makes it more like an oven, but keeps your house cool by not turning your hot appliances in the summertime.
– Beth McBride, Sales Director

For a nice chicken teriyaki dinner, get your bone-in chicken (I prefer skin-on) at the store and marinate in 1/3 parts shoyu (soy sauce), 2/3 parts water, a little bit of sugar and sliced garlic for about 24 hours if possible – the longer the better. Grill the chicken and in the final 10 or so minutes, brush the chicken with a little bit of Yoshida’s Teriyaki Sauce, available at most grocery stores. It makes the skin extra gooey and kicks up the flavor a notch. Enjoy with sides like Japanese steamed white rice, and a cucumber salad (thinly sliced through a mandolin) — mixed in with rice vinegar and a little bit of sugar.
– Chrisie Yabu, Marketing and PR

I’m no chef but I can cook up some yummy beef ribs! I cook it in my “Insta-pot” (pressure cooker/crock pot) for 15-20 min, slap some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce on it and barbecue until crispy.
– Jeanette Moore, Accounting

Whether you’re at home or camping, I use a small igloo cooler to rest my meats and chicken after they come off a barbecue. If you are grilling, let’s say tri tip, I grill the meat until it reaches 128 degrees and then set it in small igloo cooler for 10-15 minutes. I am talking about the lunch size/6-pack cooler. It allows the meat to stay warm without over cooking and then after it rests, I slice it up, and then pour over all the juices that are from the bottom of little cooler.
– Chef Colin Smith, Owner-Chef

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