Grilling adds a unique depth of flavor to food, allows you to catch some vitamin D if you’re outside, and helps decrease the AC bill at the end of the month. What’s not to love?! So brush off the grill set and brush up on your internal temperatures for meat:
- Chicken - 165 degrees
- Pork - 145 degrees
- Seafood - 145 degrees
- Red Meat - 145 degrees
- Kabobs (1 inch cubes) - 150 degrees
And don’t forget these general grilling tips before you fire up the grill for Father’s Day:
- Start with a clean grill
- Be organized and ready to go with food and clean prep plates to pull things off the grill
- Grill with flavored wood chips for added flavor
- Think about how fast your food cooked (indirect or direct heat)
- Invest in a meat thermometer
- Rest meats before cutting them
- Trim excess meat fats to avoid fire flare ups
- If you use skewers, soak them in water for 10 minutes prior
But the grill isn’t just used for meats. You can grill fruits and vegetables which generally take 3-6 minutes (depending on how hard or soft you desire them). You can also do dinner entrees like pizza, quesadillas, fish foil packet dinners, and even use it as a stove with your stainless steel or cast iron pans. Here are a few ideas for veggie and fruit side dishes:
- asparagus
- Green beans (PRO TIP: place a cooling rack on the grill to make sure they don’t get eaten up by the grill grates)
- Onions
- Skewered Bell pepper chunks or mini peppers
- Brussels sprouts snaked with a strip of bacon
- Zucchini and Squash sliced in large diagonal pieces and seasoned with fresh chopped garlic and parsley
- Mushrooms
- Cauliflower steaks seasoned with a chimichurri
- Sweet Potato sprinkled with cinnamon and
- Artichokes that will be dipped in a tatziki sauce
- Cubed Eggplant, tomatoes, and red onion
- Cherry tomatoes on ricotta and toast
- Peaches with ricotta and cinnamon
- Pears with walnuts
- Pineapple to top crilled chicken teriyaki tacos
- Watermelon with arugala, pistachios and balsamic vinegar
- Cherries with grilled brie
- Grapefruit topped with whip cream, mint and pistachios
- Lemons and limes to spruce up ANYTHING