Top 3 Ways to Celebrate National Grilling Month

It makes sense that July is National Grilling Month. In most regions, the summer is in full swing by July and everyone’s ready to get outside and soak up the sun while it lasts and barbecuing gives you the perfect opportunity. 

Many of us are on the lake, at the beach, or floating down a river to keep cool. Pulling out a portable grill is the perfect way to bring hot, delicious meals wherever you go. Additionally, more people start cooking outside to avoid excess heat in their homes.

There’s no doubt that July really is the month to grill. How do you plan on celebrating National Grilling Month? Here are a few ideas! 

Photo by Maude Frédérique Lavoie on Unsplash

How to Celebrate National Grilling Month

1. Clean your grill. 

2. Make something new. 

3. Try a new technique. 

1. Clean Your Grill

It's ideal to clean your grill every time you use it, before and after you grill. If your appetite for the food you’ve just cooked is so strong that you forget, no worries. Now is the perfect time to give your trusty sidekick a thorough cleaning. 

How to Clean a Grill

1. Start by removing the charcoal and ash. You can do this effortlessly with our Kick Ash Basket and Kick Ash Cans. 

2. Clean the grill grates with the Juniper BBQ Scraper

3. Use a rag or a paper towel to apply vegetable oil to the clean grates to prevent rusting. 

4. Clean the inside of the grill with mild dish soap and a steel brush if needed. 

5. Wipe down the outside of the lid and bowl with soapy water or grill cleaner. 

6. Towel dry your grill. 

While steps 1 through 3 are best done after every grill session, National Grilling Month is a great time to make steps 4 through 6 a priority. 

2. Make Something New

Experimenting with new recipes will remind you just how versatile your grill can be. Try cooking things that you might have never considered before. Often we can get into a rut of cooking what we know and stopping there. Hotdogs and hamburgers, even steaks, are easy fallbacks when we don’t know what to cook. But National Grilling Month is going to be different. 

Make it a goal this month to grill something you’ve never tried before. Do chicken or ribs intimidate you? Have you tried making kabobs with veggies or shrimp skewers yet, or do you brush it off because it’s too much work? 

You might be surprised just how delicious your new recipe is, and it might become a new go-to for you. Even if you’re not ready to embrace grilled asparagus just yet, one way you can up your game this year is by making your own BBQ sauce. 

Don’t settle for a boring bottle of ketchup to compliment your burger. Take all your grilled meats to the next level with this homemade BBQ sauce. You’ll add your own special touch to any meal with this tasty recipe. It’s not only delicious but healthier because you won’t add the high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring, or preservatives found in store-bought sauces.

Feel free to make the following recipe your own. Play around with the flavors and add in unique spice combinations to create a one-of-a-kind condiment. 

How to Make BBQ Sauce

Ingredients: 

• ¾ cups of ketchup

• 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 3 tablespoons of molasses

• 3 tablespoons of apple juice

• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon of honey

• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika 

• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon of mustard powder

• 2 teaspoons of natural hickory smoke flavor

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan

2. Heat the contents over the stove on medium heat until it simmers, reducing the heat to low. 

3. Let it simmer for 8 minutes 

4. Let it cool slightly. 

5. Add to ribs, chicken, steak, or even tofu! 

Photo by Brian Chan on Unsplash

3. Try a New Technique 

Keep your grilling skills fresh by trying out new techniques this month. Learn how to reverse grill a steak or use your grill as a smoker. 

Another example of a grilling technique you could try this month is baking on your grill. Craving cookies and cake this summer? You don’t have to heat up the house to enjoy them. Try out the recipe below to enjoy delicious desserts right off the grill. 

Grilled Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

• 1 box of cake mix

• 1-ounce box of vanilla pudding mix

• 4 eggs

• ¾ cups of vegetable oil 

• 1 ¼ cups of cold water

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill to 400º Fahrenheit 

2. Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl

3. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners

4. Fill cupcake liners ¾ of the way full

5. Place a tin pie pan (or extra Kick Ash Can!) upside down on the grill, and then put the cupcake pan on top of it so that it is elevated above the flames. 

6. Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes. 

7. Rotate the pan 180º F, then close the lid for another 15 minutes

8. Remove from the grill and let cool 

9. Top with your favorite icing 

How to Double a Recipe

If you have a full house or are hoping for leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, you can easily double any of these recipes. 

Tips to keep in mind: 

• Things like meat, produce, eggs, stock, or water should be multiplied by 2. 

• Spices, herbs, and alcohol should be multiplied by 1.5 

• Spicy ingredients should be multiplied by 1.25

• Cook times might be a little longer, but they probably won’t be double the time. Make sure you use your thermometer and check your food regularly. 

• Do the math and write out the new measurements BEFORE you start cooking to avoid any complications or mistakes. 

Celebrate National Grilling Month With Us 

Hopefully, you’re all set now for the festivities of National Grilling Month. A clean grill and a few new techniques and recipes will help you celebrate the right way. 

We’d love to have you celebrate with us! Check us out on Facebook and join our Kick Ash Crew group. Share how you’re celebrating national grilling month. We want to learn what recipes and techniques you’re trying out this month and find out how they go!