July is National Grilling Month, and it’s the perfect time of year to give your oven the night off and let your grill do the cooking. As the temperatures rise ever higher, there’s nothing I love more than firing up the grill for simple, quick, delicious meals with minimal clean up. With the right tools and recipes at your fingertips, your grill will soon become the light of your life.
Top 3 Grilling Tools
There are tons of grilling gadgets on the market, and it’s hard to know what you really need and what is just a gimmick. When it comes to grilling, a few high-quality basics will do the trick.
Grilling gloves
It comes as no surprise that you would want to protect your hands as you’re handling food over flames. However, the type of gloves you chose, will make your grilling experience easier and better.
I got my husband these BBQ “Ove” Gloves, and he loves them. They are highly heat resistant, thin, and comfortable to wear, and they have grips on the fingers that make it easy to use grilling tools while wearing them.
Quality grill cleaning brush
Not cleaning a grill, or not cleaning it properly, can lead to sickness. Anything that is left on the grill from its last use, ends up on the new food that is placed on top of it. That’s why it’s important to have a good quality grill brush that can rid your grill of debris and hold up to repeated cleanings, like this Weber Grill Brush.
Tongs
A good, sturdy pair of grilling tongs will drastically improve your grilling experience. Things to look for in your grilling tongs: length (can they reach the back of the grill?), ease of washing, and a locking mechanism. The Shark BBQ Grill Tongs are one of my favorites.
Recipes for a Complete Dinner from the Grill
The grill can be used for so much more than just burgers and hot dogs. I love when we can cook our whole meal on the grill, dessert included! Below I’ve included recipes for one of our favorite go-to summertime meals straight from the grill.
Honey Butter Chicken Wings
For the honey butter sauce:
- 1 stick butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
Melt together in saucepan. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer until ready to use.
For the chicken wings:
Salt and pepper all sides. Place on grill for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Once the wings have finished cooking, baste with the honey butter sauce over low heat, allowing the sauce to stick to the wings.
Grilled Vegetables
Why mess with a heavy, time-intensive side dish, when you have so many delicious, fresh, seasonal vegetables to choose from? Our favorites to put on the grill this time of year are corn on the cob and squash or zucchini.
For the corn, we simply shuck it and place it directly on the grill for approximately 10–15 minutes.
For the squash and zucchini, cut them in quarters and place on a sheet pan. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place them directly on the grill until fully cooked, approximately 8–12 minutes.
Dessert from the Grill
One of our very favorite desserts in the summer is grilled peaches or figs over vanilla ice cream. It tastes decadent, but it’s quick and easy to make.
Ingredients for Grilled Peaches:
- Peaches
- Butter
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla ice cream
Cut the peach in half, removing the pit. Place peaches directly on the grill, cut side down for 2–3 minutes, to achieve grill marks.
Remove peaches from the grill and place each half cut-side up on a sheet of foil. Top with a pat of butter, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Fold foil around each peach half, forming a packet.
Place packets on the grill for 8–10 minutes to soften the peach. Remove from the grill, carefully unwrap the foil, and place peach on top of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
This recipe is also delicious with fresh figs!
Grilling Resources
If you don’t know how to grill or you’re looking to become more confident on the grill, grilling classes are a great option. I recommend Premier Grilling in Dallas. They offer various class options, from Grilling 101 to Date Night Fare and everything in between.
Do you like to grill?
If you have a favorite grilling recipe, I’d love to hear it. Be sure to share it in the comments below.
Read More: 5 Sides to Bring to a Summer BBQ
