Grilling Tips and Recipes
Summertime, and the grilling is easy… at least for Howard Taylor of Kaysville, who is known as a grill master around his friends and family. A few weeks ago he shared some of his grilling tips and recipes in an informal neighborhood class with our ward LDS Relief Society. I used some of his grilling tips for a story in the Standard-Examiner.
Here are some of his grilling tips:
- All grills are not created equal. Invest in one that cooks evenly. His Weber grill is pricey, but it cooks evenly in every spot on the grill. Many grills have hot spots — one burger is still raw on one side, while another burger burns. The cook spends much of the cooking time shifting the items around the grill.
“For those who have grills with hot spots, you have to get to know your grill and know where the hot spots are so you can move things around as they cook,” he said.
- After you’ve lit a gas grill, shut the lid and let it heat up before cooking with it.
- Don’t squish the burgers (or other meats) with a spatula as they are grilling. You’re squeezing out all the meat’s flavorful juices, so your meat will be dry and flavorless. The dripping juices will also cause flare-ups when they catch fire.
- Flip burgers, steaks and other meats over just once, so that the bottom has time to develop a sear that will hold the juices in.
Howard Taylor came up with the idea for his grilled Teriyaki Burgers when he tried them while on a trip to Hawaii. He came home and began making his own.
His wife, Chris Taylor, likes grilling pizza. She uses refrigerated pizza dough, although you can also use pita rounds. If you want to brush on tomato sauce on the pizza, pita rounds will hold up better during cooking.
The couple also likes grilling vegetables and fruit. They toss the cut-up vegetables such as eggplant, sweet onion, peppers, and squash with olive oil and sea salt. Then they are cooked in a metal grill basket, which has holes large enough to let the smoke in but small enough so the pieces don’t fall through.
Teriyaki Burgers
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 20-ounce can pineapple slices
- 6-10 hamburger buns
Mix beef, soup mix, and sauce together. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for about an hour. Form into patties. Grill on medium-high heat, turning once, until done. When patties are cooked, place pineapple slices on grill for 1-2 minutes; turn and grill 1-2 minutes more. Serve the patties topped with pineapple. Add lettuce or mayo if desired. Makes 6-8 burgers, depending on the patty size.
— Howard Taylor, Kaysville
Grilled Fruit with Spicy Maple Cumin Glaze
- Bamboo skewers
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Fresh peaches, bananas, or pineapple, cut into chunks
Soak bamboo skewers in bowl of water and set aside. Mix glaze ingredients well. Toss chunks in glaze to coat. Cover and refrigerate until time to grill. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Thread peaches, bananas or pineapple chunks on soaked skewers. Place skewers on grill and cook directly over heat for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until fruits are browned and caramelized.
— Howard Taylor, Kaysville
