Grilling Tips & Resources

Summer will be here soon, and grilling season will be starting. Will you be prepared? With our help, you will be. If you need a grill, or a good set of grill brushes, you can find it here. We also have some great recipes that go beyond just plain hamburgers and hot dogs. Our grilling tips and resources will make sure that by the time you light up that grill, you'll know exactly what you're doing. Let us guide you, and you're next backyard barbecue will be a success.

Featured Recipe

Stuffed Steaks

4 steaks, about 8-10oz each, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 strips of bacon
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 of a medium onion, sliced (optional)
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
salt and pepper

In a non-stick pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan, when cool, crumble the bacon and set aside.

In a skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the garlic and the onions, and sautee until soft, about 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the feta cheese, crumbled bacon, and the sauteed onion and garlic. Mix well, and set aside.

Preheat your grill to high.

Season each steak with salt and pepper. Carefully cut a pocket in 1 side of each steak. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Stuff each steak with 1/4 of the cheese mixture.

Grill the steaks on high, for about 7 minutes per side for 1 inch thick steaks, 9 minutes per side if using 1 1/2 inch thick steaks, turning them over once during cooking.

Remove the steaks from the heat, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let them sit and rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

4 servings

Recipe Courtesy of Classy Cooking.

Featured Article

Choosing A Gas Grill

Well, you've made your decision that you want a new grill. You've decided that you want a gas grill. That's fine, gas grills have advantages over charcoal. A gas grill will be ready in 10 or 15 minutes, while charcoal may take an hour. You don't have to worry about emptying ash from a gas grill, so they're easier to clean. But even though you've decided to get yourself a gas grill, you still need to decide which grill you want.

A gas grill is fairly simple. You have a fuel source, which can be either a propane tank, or for some larger grills, a connection to a natural gas line. The burners create the heat to cook the food. Above the burners is some kind of system to disperse the heat over a larger area. Above the heat dispersal system is a grate on which the food will be cooked. Some small gas grills have only one burner. If you can afford it, you'll want a gas grill with two or more burners. That way, you have better control over your heat. You can have one burner set to the desired cooking temperature, and the other burners on lower heat, so you'll have a place to move the food if it starts to cook to quickly. On some gas grills, you'll also find something below the grate to catch the drippings from the food, and convert them to smoke, to enhance the flavor of the food.

You'll find grills from about $150 and up. The less expensive grills will probably have one or two burners, and not much else. They'll have enough space to cook for 2-4 people. If you plan on grilling often, or for more people, you'll want a larger grill with more cooking space. Some of the larger and more expensive grills have not only several burners, but they may have a side burner where you can heat pots and pans, or maybe a smokebox where you can add wood chips. Some of the more expensive grills may also have a rotisserie attachment.

Look for a solid, stable grill. A cheaply made grill will be wobbly, and possibly collapse while you're cooking. Check the grill to make sure that it is well built with solid construction. The cooking grates should be stainless steel or aluminum, or cast iron, or porcelain coated cast iron. The grates will need to be able to stand up to the high heat of the grill without warping.

Easy maintenance is a plus. You should be able to easily remove the cooking grates for cleaning, and you'll also want easy access to the other parts of the grill for cleaning. The grill should be constructed of stainless steel, or have a quality paint coating to stand up to the heat of cooking, and the weather outside. You'll probably want to buy a cover for your grill when you're not using it. But even with a cover, some dust and moisture will be able to get in, so you'll want a grill that can handle the weather.

You're investing your hard earned money in a gas grill. You don't want a grill that will fall apart after one season, you'll want something that will last. Take your time to do some research, and look around. Your patience will be rewarded with a quality grill that will last you for years.