You might think that winter is not a time to barbecue or grill or cook outdoors.  Think again!  Although it may be a little chilly, you can still grill and your neighbors will wonder who is making that great smell!  I always say that everything tastes better when cooked outside and nothing changes that in the winter.  You don't have to fight bugs, you won't roast in the heat while you are working the grill, and you won't work up a sweat.

Just make sure that you don't move the barbecue indoors, even in the garage.  Grills need lots of fresh air and you don't want to send to much carbon monoxide into your home or risk the chance of a fire.

See Winter is BBQ Time for more winter barbecuing tips.

Imagine taking your tomatoes right from the garden to the grill!  This grilled tomato recipe is perfect for that.

Slice two large tomatoes in half.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Combine 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 tablespoon margarine or butter in a bowl and then sprinkle over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle parsely or other herbs (use your imagination).  Place them tomatoes on a 18x18 inch piece of heavy-duty foil.  Fold in the sides and seal. 

Grill the tomato packats, seam-side up, over medium-hot heat for about 20 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

That's all there is to it!

Grilled peppers have a great taste.  You can often find peppers at your local farmers market at a reasonable price.

Take 8-10 green, yellow, red sweet peppers and quarter them.  Remove the seeds and membranes.  Brush the skins with olive oil and them grill them, skin side down over medium low coals or heat.  They should take about 15 minutes, or until them are just crispy tender or charred.  They make a great side dish for almost any meat that you are grilling.

I love grilled vegetables.  Grilling vegetables gives them an extra special flavor that can't be beat.  Try this recipe and see if you don't agree. 

Peel onions and cut them into large wedges from top to bottom. Cut the tops from the bell peppers, remove the core, and cut in these into large pieces also (from top to bottom).  Trim the ends from the squash and cut diagonally, into round shapes, about 1/2" thick.  Toss all the vegetables in a large bowl with olive oil and seasoning.  It will help season the onions if you open up the onion wedges so the seasoning can get into the wedge.  Cook the vegetables on a very hot grill, turning occasionally, until the peppers are slightly charred and vegetables are tender.  This won't take long, about 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Burgers on the grill are about as good as it gets. But cooking them on the grill makes it easy to dry them out. Here are 12 tips to make the juiciest burgers you can find.

photo credit: (nutmeg)

1. Mix 1/2 tsp of salt into 2 tbps water for each lbs of meat you will be using. Add pepper according to your taste. Mix the seasoned water with the meat. This is similar to how seasoned sausage is made. The water helps distribute the seasoning while giving the meat extra moisture. Now crush up 2 ice cubes and gently work the crushed iced cubes into the meat. Make 1/4 lb patties (four of them) and grill.
2. When you grill hamburgers, sear both sides on high heat, then move the burgers to the top rack to complete cooking to the level that you like. Searing the meat helps keep the juices inside.
3. Add finely minced or grated onion to the meat before grilling. The onions will release their juices as you grill, while the onion adds flavor.
4. CookbookNut.com uses beef base to make juicy burgers. Add enough beef base with other seasonings that you like to the meat until the meat is really juicy. Then grill. The added moisture will give you really juicy burgers.
5. Add vegetable juice (like V8), or Heinz 57 or Worcestershire sauce to the hamburger meat before you make the patties. Read the rest of this entry »