Alternative Grilling Foods

Summertime: the season of hot days, cold drinks and cookouts galore. Cheeseburgers and steaks are sizzling as backyard chefs and culinary academy students fire up their grills and prepare for a classic barbecue with family and friends. On your next trip to the grocery store, though, you may notice that beef products are more expensive – and not just the steaks, either. Because of a recent drought that has plagued the Midwest and much of the country, cattle ranchers have had to severely deplete their herds in order to keep the feeding costs  down. The further we get into summer, especially if its a dry one, the pricier beef will become.

However, you shouldn’t hang up your spatula and tongs just yet. There are plenty of other foods that you can fire up on your grill!

Fish
Grilling fish is a great way to get some meat on the grill without having to break the bank by buying beef every weekend. Salmon is a great option because it benefits from the light smoky flavor that cooking over an open flame brings. Even better, salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lower in cholesterol, making it a healthier option than beef.

Veggies
Vegetables are probably the easiest foods to prepare on the grill while you learn to cook online. Since you aren’t working with raw meat, you don’t have to worry about the stress of cooking them “just right.” Eggplant, corn, zucchini, squash and peppers are just a few of the veggies that make for a great grilled dish. Give them a light coating of olive oil to retain their moisture, and either arrange them on a skewer or toss them on the grill as they are.

Pizza
Instead of molding burger patties, get ready to roll out some pizza dough. Grilled pizza has a fantastic taste that their oven-baked counterparts just can’t achieve. Cooking pizza over an open fire on your grill comes pretty close to using a wood-burning oven, especially if you are using lump charcoal rather than briquettes. The trick to grilling pizza is actually quite simple: After you have your dough rolled out, brush both sides with olive oil to prevent sticking. Grill one side for 4 to 5 minutes and place it on a cooking sheet. Cover the cooked side with sauce and a light assortment of toppings before sliding the pizza back onto the grill for a couple more minutes.

If you like this post, please be sure to check out the following!

Cookout And Veg Out
Barbecuing The Egghead Way
Choosing The Right Fuel For Your Charcoal Grill