Ok it was requested so I am taking it on-the GRILL! Who doesn’t love a good grilled hamburger or steak? A piece of meat grilled correctly is a work of art. The flavor, the texture, the smell, and the taste are blissful. Have you ever watched a grill master? They might test their food to make sure, but they seem to just know when it’s done. If you grill, there isn’t much I can say that will change your habits, but if you are not confident or just starting out, here are a few tips that might benefit you in this venture.

So what makes a good griller? First, know grilling skills don’t come from some mysterious know-how or talent. Guys are not born knowing how to grill and yes, women can get out there and grill too. Like most things, the expertise comes through practice. Only through time and experience do you gain consistency. You must spend time learning the feel of it — how to gage when the coals are the right temperature, when it’s time to flip your chop, or how to judge the doneness of a perfectly rare steak. So first, don’t be afraid of the grill and just start practicing. There are plenty of tips on the internet and books for those readers out there that can help you along the way if you don’t have a master you can learn from.

Practice patience with your fire. Never put food on a grill that isn’t ready. Be sure to take your time getting the fire going, making sure the coals are uniformly ashy gray. Remember not all foods take well to the same fire or the same temperatures. If you are going to grill chicken, hamburgers and hotdogs, you need to know that they don’t all cook the same. Check your recipe or your grill manual to find out what temperature you need for each type of food and then plan accordingly.

While we are speaking of the fire, don’t skimp on fuel. Be sure to build a fire that won’t lose its heat before you finish grilling. This is especially important with a charcoal grill. Even though you can always replenish your coals, it’s better to use too many than not enough. Just remember to spread the coals about 2 inches beyond the edges of the food, and if you do replenish the coals, you must wait until they turn ashen gray — usually about 20 minutes — before you get back to your ideal heat.

Organize your grill space. Set up a small table next to the grill with all your ingredients, seasonings, utensils, serving platters, and so on. Grilling can proceed quickly especially as it nears being done so you need to be ready to get the food off the grill and serve when it’s at its peak.

Flavor your food. Grilling a hamburger, a steak, or some fish on the grill is simple and wonderful all on its own. But to add flavor to the food and seal that flavor in is the mark of a master griller. Marinating, which is a liquid flavor enhancer, adds moisture and is great for almost all foods. Oils are great for keeping delicate foods moist on the grill, and rubs help create a nice crispy crust.

Once you start cooking, watch the fire! A fire changes constantly and demands your attention at all times. As you add food or the grease drips from the food, you’ll likely have flare-ups, so monitor the cooking closely at all times. If you leave the grill with fire licking the sides of the food, you may come back to a charred meal. Later on, when the fire has died down, you want to maintain a consistent heat so the food cooks evenly. If you are planning on cooking something over a few hours, you will most definitely have to replenish the coals. Just pay attention to the heat and fire your next set of coals before the current one has completely depleted.

Figure out when food is done. Overcooked food doesn’t have a magic reverse to take it back to rare, and an overdone piece of meat is a shame. So be sure to hover over your grill and check the food often. If you’re just starting to learn the grill, test every couple minutes once it is getting close to being done. To test for doneness, make a small cut in the center of the food so you can peek inside or use an instant-read meat thermometer. You should also gauge the searing on the outside of the food. Some folks love a black char and others prefer a light one. However, if you let the fire flare up too much, you may just get a coal-black exterior and a blood-rare interior.

Don’t be afraid to grill your whole meal. Veggies and fruit take on a whole new flavor on the grill. Yes you can even do dessert fresh from the grill. Practice makes perfect and you can start today! Make your list and go shopping. Then meet me at the grill this weekend!

Grilled Shrimp

So good and so simple!

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 Tbsps. lemon juice

2 tsps. chili powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 pounds uncooked shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined

In a small bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, chili powder and ginger. Reserve 1/4 cup. Thread shrimp onto eight metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill shrimp, covered, over medium heat 3-5 minutes on each side or until shrimp turn pink, basting occasionally with butter mixture. Remove from grill and brush with reserved butter mixture.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.

Grilled Romaine

Full heads of Romaine (this will depend on how many you are feeding)

Bacon

Grape tomatoes

Shredded parmesan

Dressing of choice

Place the lettuce, cut-side down, on a hot grill. Flip after 2 minutes and grill for another 2-3 minutes. You still want the lettuce to be crunchy in the middle. The edges should crisp up and you should see char marks. Remove from the grill and garnish with Parmesan cheese, diced tomatoes, bacon bits and your favorite dressing.

Recipe from thisrdeats.com .

Grilled Catfish

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup unsalted sweet cream butter; softened

1 clove garlic, crushed

6 catfish filets, about 5 to 7oz each

2 Tbsps. lemon pepper

Prepare the grill. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Combine lemon juice, butter and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Coat both sides of filets lightly with some of the butter mixture; sprinkle with lemon pepper. Place fish in a greased grill basket, tucking under any thin edges. Or, grill fish directly on the greased rack of the grill. For a charcoal grill, place grill basket or fish on the rack of an uncovered grill 4 to 6 inches above a solid bed of hot coals and grill until fish is barely opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork (allow 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish), turning basket once halfway through grilling, basting with remaining butter mixture. For a gas grill, preheat grill on high for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Place grill basket on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.

Recipe adapted from bigoven.com .

Grilled Caesar Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus, stalks trimmed

3 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Freshly ground black pepper and salt if desired, to taste

1/4 baguette, cut into cubes

3/4 cup Miracle Whip

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for garnish

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. honey mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat grill to high. On a large baking sheet, toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill asparagus until charred, turning occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Make croutons: Reduce grill to low heat. In a large skillet, toss bread with remaining tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Place skillet over the grill and cook until toasted, 3 minutes. Make creamy Caesar dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, parmesan, garlic, honey mustard, Worcestershire and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Transfer asparagus to a plate and drizzle with dressing. Top with croutons and parmesan.

Recipe adapted from delish.com

The Perfect Steak

10-12oz steak of choice (we usually go with New York Strip)

Head Country seasoning salt, to taste

Heat grill to high. Season steak on both sides to taste. I believe a good piece of meat doesn’t need a lot of seasoning because it is already good so I lightly season. You really want to enhance the flavor not mask it. Once seasoned either cook immediately or allow to sit for about 45 minutes to 1 hour to allow juices to be reabsorbed by the steak. How long you cook it will depend on how thick it is and how you like your steak cooked. Place on hot grill for 2-4 minutes. Flip and grill for another 2-4 minutes. Remove from grill for a perfect medium rare steak. I believe cooking any longer ruins the steak, but if you must have it medium or well done, continue to cook until it is how you desire. Let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into it. This will help seal the juices and flavor into the steak.

Bloomin’ Grilled Apples

Small baking apples (These don’t really have to be small. If you want to eat a bigger apple go ahead. These are just designed to be individual servings so a smaller apple usually works better.)

Caramel sauce

Chopped pecans or other soft nut, optional

Vanilla ice cream

Cut off the top fourth of the apples. Scoop out the core. Use a thin knife to make a deep, circular cut around the center of the apple. Turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. You want it to stay together but have plenty of cuts to be able to cook evenly and have the caramel sauce cover it well. Fill the center of the apples with caramel sauce and chopped pecans. This is going to be to taste. I usually use 1-2 Tbsps. of caramel sauce per apple and 1-2 tsps. of pecans per apple. Wrap the stuffed apples with heavy duty foil and grill over medium heat for 30 minutes, with the grill lid closed. Unwrap the grilled apple and use tongs to set it on a plate. If you are “roughing it”, you could shape a foil bowl while unwrapping the dessert, and eat the bloomin’ grilled apples right out of the foil. Top the apples with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or serve on the side if desired. Drizzle each one with additional caramel sauce or butter pecan sauce and additional nuts if desired.

Recipe adapted from thegunnysack.com .