Do you smell the delicious scent of grilling in the air? It’s that time of year, and we love enjoying outdoor cooking as a family. Plus, keeping that heat out of the kitchen. So, we decided to share our grilling 101 tips for the best grilling season ever.
If you are anything like our family, we were looking forward to this school year being over. And most of all, we wanted to let go of the stress from this past year. Cooking and eating outside is our happy place, so we were all in this summer.
We love celebrating Father’s Day, the 4th of July, and Family Nights with great food and fun. We definitely love to put our grill to good use. Over the years, we’ve learned how to raise our grilling game to the next level.
Let us share our best grilling 101 tips to help you get the most out of your summer.
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Grilling Season 101 Tips You Need to Know
When it comes to grilling 101, we’ve made it into a way of life. We live, love, and play outdoors during the summer. Our kids spend lots of time in the pool, and we try to enjoy as much outdoor time as we can as a family.
Since we are already outside it is natural to continue the fun with outdoor cooking and dining.
The following are the best grilling 101 tips to help your family get started too.
Set the Scene
Ever since buying our house, we have focused on making it our dream home. This involves a lot of creativity and sweat equity. We’ve spent a lot of time on our outdoor space.
Some of our most popular posts are our outdoor DIY how-to’s. A little TLC can go a long way to improve your enjoyment of your outdoor space.
Take a peek at some of our favorites, like the horizontal slat fence, the outdoor shower space, and of course, our DIY grill table. Invest in a few layers to make it special, like pillows, blankets, and lanterns. I always have my eye out for a good deal.
Great Meat Equals Great Eats
When it comes to grilling season, only the best will do. That’s why we always stock our freezer with products from Omaha Steaks.
Omaha Steaks has the highest quality meat and seafood, so it’s not only convenient, it’s absolutely delicious.
My best tip for shopping Omaha Steaks – I watch for when they have specials on packages and stock up on our favorites.
And I also love that their meat is individually wrapped. When our family size changes with summer activities (meaning someone is away for camp or staying with family), it is easy to adjust our meal plan, and nothing ever goes to waste.
The following are our grilling season favorites you don’t want to miss.
The most popular foods on the grill are burgers with 85%, followed by steak at 80%, hot dogs at 79%, and chicken at 73%.
food truck empire
Red Meat Delights
There is one thing for sure in our family, we love our meat. And with Omaha Steaks, we always know our selection of meat is going to be good. The kids get excited when they see us pull out these family favorites.
Hamburgers
Grilling season isn’t complete without several burger nights. We love trying out different flavor profiles like Thai burgers, BBQ bacon blue burgers, and Caribbean blue burgers. If you want to grill your burgers like a pro check out our grilling 101 guide for burger doneness.
Hotdogs and Brats
The kids love hotdogs. Hubby and I prefer beer brats and knockwurst sandwiches (which can be made in a slow-cooker OR in a cast-iron skillet over the grill – both reducing the added heat in the house!). We try to make sure we have both on hand when we stock up our freezer. This way everyone is happy on grill night.
Steak
Omaha Steaks guarantee a great steak every time. They are all aged a minimum of 21 days which enhances the flavor and makes them super tender. Does your grocery store do that?
Whether you pick a filet mignon, top sirloin, or a ribeye the recommended cooking temp and time will change. When in doubt I like to refer back to Omaha Steaks cooking chart for the perfect steak.
Seafood Must-Haves
We enjoy surf and turf for sure. But there are lots of wonderful things you can do with seafood during grilling season, and, yes, our kids totally eat it. Be sure to stock up on these seafood favorites.
Fish
We love grilling white fish to make fish tacos. I’ve got a great recipe for fish tacos with a mango salsa that is insanely good.
Shrimp
Shrimp is always a win with our family. We love grilling them on wooden skewers. One of our favorite recipes is shrimp and pineapple skewers with fun pineapple fried rice.
It’s SO good and it really sings the flavors of summer.
Other Shellfish
If you haven’t ever tried a seafood boil, you have to this year. It may be a bit of a southern thing, but y’all don’t know what you’re missing. It is surprisingly easy, super delicious, and is a great choice to feed a gathering or large family like ours.
Shrimp, lobster, and crab legs with corn and potatoes. Pick what speaks to you, and put it all in one pot of goodness.
In addition to holidays, owners over the past year cooked out for a birthday party (45%), during a camping trip (19%), while on vacation (17%) and tailgating at a sporting event (10%).
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Make It Special With Drinks
I love making special drinks for our grilling season. The kids light up with excitement. It’s my grilling 101 trick to elevate your meal or to impress guests.
We make mocktails, sparkling punch, and we even make flavored simple syrup for our tea. There are lots of fun options to experiment with.
Final Thoughts on Grilling 101
We hope you enjoy your grilling season as much as we do. When it comes to grilling 101, the first rule is to have fun.
Enjoy the outdoors with your family. Don’t be afraid to try new things. And when in doubt look up recipes and tips.
Omaha Steaks is my go-to for grilling tips and great meat, but if you are looking for some recipes, check out some of the great food we have on this blog.
They are all family tested and approved.
What are your 2021 grilling season favorites? Let us know in a comment below!
Now, let’s get cooking!
More Mouthwatering Meal Ideas!
Easy Weeknight Crockpot Meals: Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef Tacos
The best slow cooker Barbacoa Beef recipe! This tender, flavorful beef sirloin is cooked low and slow and one of our top easy weeknight crockpot meals with the most delicious seasonings while you go about your day. Layer with all your favorite toppings for a crave-worthy dinner!Â
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