The month of August has always felt slightly bittersweet … yes, it’s still summer, but the end is near. Plus, it can be a busy time for military families; perhaps you’re welcoming your servicemember back home, transitioning from PCS orders, or sending the kiddos off to school. But how do you take advantage of the warm weather and unwind during this busy time of year?
For my husband, nice weather = GRILLING. There is nothing he loves more (besides his lovely wife and his country, of course) than drinking a cold one while tossing meat on the grill. Usually it’s enough to feed a small army. Come to think of it, oftentimes we do end up feeding quite a few Army soldiers…
While the summer sun is still beating down and the sounds of screaming children playing poolside continue to fill the air, why not plan your own cookout? It’s a fun way to bring your family and/or friends together in a low-key environment. This makes it great for any occasion, from celebrating promotions to reintegration. And even if you over-char the drumsticks, they’re probably still better than the dreaded omelet MRE, right?
Here are four steps to reach the rank of a lean, mean Grill Sergeant:
1. Think outside the box.
Burgers and hot dogs are pretty typical, not to mention heavily processed and chock full of the unhealthy stuff – namely saturated fats and sodium. Impress your guests and trim your waistline by grilling chicken, fish, or lean cuts of beef instead. Double points for marinating the meat beforehand – try some of these marinade recipes from Allrecipes.com.
2. Spice up the side dishes.
Potato or pasta salads are the go-to sides for grilled meats, but they’re also prone to spoilage out in the heat. Why not throw some corn cobs on the grill instead? The grill makes pretty much any vegetable crispy and delicious (read: MUCH tastier than mushy microwave veggies!) My family’s personal favorites include zucchini, squash, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. Pro tip: prevent veggies from slipping through the cracks by using foil or grill woks. Check out Taste of Home’s Top 10 Grilled Vegetable Recipes.
3. Make creative combos.
Come up with meals made entirely on the grill. If you can think it, try it! For example, my husband makes the best grilled pork chops with sliced pineapple. (Yes, fruit on the grill. If you haven’t tried this, I HIGHLY suggest it.) Kabobs are another fun way to incorporate healthy vegetables such as tomato, onion, pepper, and mushroom with chunks of chicken, beef, or shrimp. Bonus: they’re fun to eat! Get some kabob ideas from Better Recipes.
4. Play it safe.
Nothing ruins a party quite like widespread nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, right? Avoid spoilage or cross-contamination during kitchen prep and by the grill. Use clean plates and utensils when handling raw versus cooked meats, wash your hands frequently, and ensure that meat is cooked thoroughly. Read up on more food safety tips from the USDA [PDF].
From BBQ dates to backyard parties, cookouts are a summer staple for civilians and servicemembers alike. What’s more American than a good ol’ barbeque, anyways? (OK, maybe a few things, but you know what I mean.) So grab your service member and make your next cookout healthy, delicious, and anything but ordinary.
Do you have any cookout tips you’d like to add? What are your favorite grilled foods? Please share in the comment section below, and happy grilling!
About Chrissy Vimini RD
Comments
One of our favorite things to do on the grill is a spatchcocked (basically, you remove the backbone and open the bird up like a book to flatten it out) Cornish game hen with a mustard rub consisting of Dijon mustard, a squirt of honey, and coarse salt and pepper. Grill skin-side up over indirect heat (coals piled on one side, drip pan underneath the bird) and covered until an instant read thermometer stuck in the meatiest part of the thigh reads 170° F.
You can do this with a larger broiler/fryer, too, but we like that one half of a game hen makes a single serving — simple! I'd recommend against using a great big roaster chicken for grilling, as the surface-to-mass ratio is unfavorable and could lead to a burnt exterior before the interior is fully cooked.
Ha! I see that the cussin' filter doesn't like my perfectly legitimate culinary term for flattening a bird. If you want to look up the technique, it's "spatch" plus a synonym for a rooster (also the start of the rooster's call that ends in "a-doodle-do").
LOL! This reminds me of the "cuss box" my parents had for our TV when I was younger. It was an overachiever, too, and was known to block out "Flying Buttresses" in Beauty and the Beast and "Horny Toad" in "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" (It changed "Horny Toad" to "Excited Toad." LOL