Fire up the Grill! Grill a Father’s Day dinner!

 

 

People in our part of the country know what barbecue is: it's a type of meat, slow-cooked over hardwood. It's not hamburgers, steaks and hot dogs cooked in the back yard. That's grilling, and we love grilling just as much as barbecue—but they're two different things!

 

Father’s Day is the perfect time to grill dinner outside. Regardless if you’re cooking steaks, seafood, chicken or vegetables it's important to remember the rules of food safety and grilling procedures.

 

 

• Plan on 30 to 40 minutes from the time the charcoal is lit until you can put food on the grill. Gas grills need about 15 minutes to preheat.
• Allow food to come to room temperature before it goes on the grill, about 30 minutes out of the refrigerator.
• To prevent food from sticking, lightly coat the grilling surface with a small amount of cooking oil.
• Don't put cooked food back onto platters that held raw meat, especially poultry and beef. This contamination can cause food poisoning.
• If you're grilling chicken pieces, put the dark meat on the grill about 20 minutes before the light meat.
• Use a grill basket for vegetables that are hard to turn, or that might fall through the grates.
• Soak wooden skewers in water 15 minutes before using, to help prevent the skewers from burning.
• Turn meat using tongs rather than a fork. Forks pierce the food and allow juices to escape.
• Add sauces toward the end of cooking. The sugars caramelize and burn easily.