Ah…grilled food. In my opinion, grilling produces some of the best and most flavorful foods in the universe. Gas or charcoal, smoked or non-smoked, if it’s cooked on the grill it’s all good. I prefer the flavor of charcoal, but often opt for the convenience of gas, with flavored wood chips for added flavor. But however you grill, there’s no denying the flavor an open flame adds to meats, vegetables, and even fruits.
So, sure the flavor is undeniable, and cooking on an open flame is healthier than many “indoor” cooking methods. But who has time to fire up the grill (even a gas grill) every night? I certainly don’t. But we prefer grilled foods. So, I decided to pick a day and just grill everything on my off day (for me, that’s Saturday or Sunday). Grilled food keeps well, when properly stored, and reheats easily, so why shouldn’t you be able to have grilled food every day?
Beef, Chicken, Pork, Veggies – Grill EVERYTHING!
When I say “everything,” I mean all the grilled foods I will eat all week long. Chicken, steak, pork chops, smoked sausages, burgers, vegetables, etc. I make or buy various marinades for each meat/vegetable, and let them each marinade in their own container or zip-top bag until it’s time to put them on the grill. Setting aside time just for prepping and grilling so much food may seem like a lot. But consider that the time you spend now will feed you and your family for the rest of the week. What’s more, you’ll get delicious, grilled food every day, and you’ll only have to fire up the grill once. Then, for the rest of the week, you can just reheat your delicious dinner.
Once all the grilling is done, I display everything on plates, bowls and serving platters on the table and/or kitchen island/counters and let my family dig in, smorgasbord-style. It’s fun to watch how excited they get about having so much awesome food to choose from. Witnessing moods brighten instantly, is a real treat. It’s amazing how simple food can have such an impact on people.
A few Grilling Basics
- Choose your method: charcoal, gas, smoked, non-smoked. If you’re using charcoal, use a good quality and as little lighter fluid as you can and still get the coals to light. Let the coals begin turning white before spreading them out and adding food to the grill top.
- Prep as much as possible before putting any food on the grill. Marinating foods should be near completion. Any food requiring cleaning chopping, skewering, etc. should be prepped.
- Have all grilling tools hanging on or near the grill. Any plates or bowls required to hold the food once cooked should be placed close to the grill.
- A table or free space on the grill side trays to hold the plates and bowls of cooked food is also a good idea. This will ensure your hands don’t get too hot holding the plate as it’s being filled with hot-off-the-grill food.
- Have a spray bottle filled with water, or water gun, handy.
- Be careful of overloading the grill. Some cooking/grilling gurus recommend leaving at least half the grill top empty. I don’t go that far, but I do leave plenty of space between the various food items to be able to turn them and remove them from the grill without knocking something else off.
- Don’t leave your grill unattended. OK, I admit, I DO leave the grill from time to time. I actually make a challenge of it. I make a mental note of things I need to do, estimate the time for each, then perform one (or even just a partial task) before returning to the grill to check on the food. Try to never be away from the grill for more than 45 seconds, I sometimes run back and forth between the kitchen and the grill enough times. It’s also a productive way to sneak in a mini-workout.
- PLEASE DO NOT CUT OR STAB THE MEAT! That releases all the moisture and your meat will be dry and less tasty.
- When to turn the food over: There are lots of opinions on this. I tend to flip beef (steaks and burgers) and pork chops only once. This seems to sear in the juices perfectly. But the exterior of chicken, sausages and vegetables seems to burn more quickly than the interior gets hot, so I tend to turn them over pretty often.
Reheating Grilled Food Later
Grilled food keeps well in the refridgerator in covered glass or plastic containers…or in zip top bags. And heating it back up for meals throughout the week is quick and easy, via microwave, stovetop or oven. When using either method, be sure not to overheat. The oven is my favorite method, followed by stove top, then microwave. But using the microwave is usually the quickest and involves the least clean up, so…
Stovetop
If using the stovetop method, be sure to add a little liquid to the pan. Oil (butter, olive oil, etc.) works well for most meats and vegetables. But if you want to limit the number of calories you’re adding, try a high-quality balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce or even beef, chicken or vegetable stock. Each of these adds it’s own flavor as well, so you can mix it up a bit with each reheat.
Oven
For heating in the oven, use an oven-safe dish with a lid. If your dish doesn’t have an oven-safe lid, cover with aluminum foil. For smaller portions, you can simply make a pouch out of the aluminum foil and forget the dish altogether. Either way, adding a little liquid is a good idea to keep the moisture levels at their peak. (See previous paragraph for suggestions for which liquids to add.) Without added liquid, your food could dry out too much in the oven. Heat at 300 to 350 degrees until heated through…how long depends on the food itself and how much of it is in the dish. For a single serving, ~5 minutes is usually enough. If you’re heating enough for a family of 4, try 12 – 15 minutes, adjusting as needed.
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