ISO outdoor meal planning help!

[suziquzie]

So here's what I want to do.
I finally figured out griling meat last summer. This year I want to become one with my grill.
What I'm looking to do it find entire meals I can prep in the morning, haul everything outside and just stay out there with it while I keep an eye on the munchkins. Our deck is.... missing (replacing soon?) and we have a split level house, so running up and down the stairs gets so old!!!!

My trouble is we have a grill with no side burner, hence the running to keep checking on the side dishes. And for the fridge of course. I want to be able to go out, cook, not come back in until it's done (ok maybe for another beer or glass of wine), and just eat, no messing around with more prepping.

this is your mission, should you choose to accept it.
Thanks!

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi, Suzie. A couple of things come to mind:

- If you want rice as a side, cook it in the microwave (I have a recipe if you need it). When it's done, the microwave shuts off and it just sits there, waiting for you to dish it up.

- Do as much in advance as you can - make salad and refrigerate. Serve more things at room temp or cold. I had some cold boiled potatoes at a Peruvian restaurant recently, with a spicy green sauce over the top. It was surprisingly good.

- Grill veggies, potatoes and bread along with meat, so it's all done outside. Grilled veggies have a wonderful, caramelized flavor.

- Make something like panzanella salad (Italian bread salad) before starting to grill. It gets better as it marinates.

HTH.

 

[Loprraine]

I did dinner on the grill last night. Steaks, potatoes, a few peppers, and some asparagus. Grilled fruit for dessert is great, pineapple, melon. I hate running back and forth into the house also!

 

[suziquzie]

I'll take the rice in the microwave recipe when you have time, GG!
I think I just need to do some more research... like I got time for that!! It's all in the timing I think. I also worry too much about ruining my pots on the grill.... maybe I should find a cheap set with metal handles I cant melt.... that would help huge!!
Thanks ladies!

 

[JMediger]

I've done pans of "The Potatoes" to take to bbq's and have just put them in the grill to reheat when 1/2 the rack is free. I just use those disposable aluminum pans and foil to cover. I've done sliced potatoes with onion, a little oil, salt and pepper wrapped in a foil pouch and cooked on the grates too. You could do baked potatoes the same way, wrap in foil, put them in about 45 minutes before your meat and bake in the grill.

My sister's FIL does corn on the cob on the grill while he does meat (he actually starts it a little bit before the meat). He soaks the whole cob in water, stacks them up in the grill and they steam themselves in their natural wrappers.

Are those the types of things you are looking for?

 

[*amy*]

How about kebabs, Suzi? You can cut up the veggies (peppers/onions/tomatoes - or cherry tomatoes), chicken and/or beef or fish, & thread your skewers in the A.M.

Most of the sides I like w grilled food during the summer is/are cold salads, pasta salads, potato salad, macaroni salad, fresh fruit - watermelon. Grilled fruit is yummy, i.e. peaches,- & serve w ice cream. Like those mozzarella/tomato/basil skewers. Put them on a toasted baguette or serve w grilled meat - steak etc., etc. Couscous is quick & easy.

Make a big pitcher of ice cold lemonade, & you're good to go.

ETA: Here's a bunch of grill ideas. How about Grilled Pizza or foil packet meals?
Reynolds Kitchens: Recipes & Meal Ideas

 

[VeraBlue]

This is sure to make your kids and your back happy...

Rub some ribs the night before you cook. The morning of, dice potatoes ( I like sweet pots with ribs, but white will work fine). Toss the potatoes with rosemary, crushed garlic and olive oil. Put them in a foil pouch, double thick.

Take fresh corn, pull the husks back, remove the silk. Mix butter with cumin, S&P, lime zest and a dash of cayenne. Rub this on the raw corn, push the husks back around the ears, and wrap each one in foil.

Put some sliced mushrooms into a fire proof skillet (I love cast iron for this) with crushed garlic, olive oil and chopped parsley, S&P.

Two hours before dinner, put the ribs, triple wrapped in foil, bone side out onto the grill, off the heat. Keep the grill at about 300. Flip them after an hour.

With 40 minutes to go, put the potato pouch on the hot side of the grill. Flip it after 20 minutes.

When you remove the ribs, which should be done in about 2-2.5 hours, and the potatoes, which take about 30-40 minutes, put the ears of corn on, and put the frying pan on the hottest spot. While you cut up the ribs, the corn and mushrooms will cook.

Serve the entire thing with salad and corn bread. Have bbq sauce for the ribs.

Mojitos work really well with this. Trust me...I just did this on Saturday evening.

 

[DaveSoMD]

I live in a split foyer also and I hate the running up and down. I have a 2nd refrigerator on the ground floor for keeping the salads and stuff cold.

Foil-pouch cooking is a great solution, I found it works best with chicken, fish, and things like kielbasa all with veggies. You can also "bake" regular and sweet potatoes on the grill wrapped in foil.

If you have a large enough grill for cooking with pans, get a cast iron skillet or 2. You can use them to saute onions and mushrooms for steaks, cook corn bread in, heat beans, things like that. If you have or can find and old percolator you can even make coffee. I did the the year we lost power afer the hurrican.

I'm thinking of trying pizza on the grill this summer.

Oh, and have you tried corn on the cob roasted on the grill??? YUM

 

[GotGarlic]

I'll take the rice in the microwave recipe when you have time, GG!

Here ya go: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showpost.php?p=465760&postcount=8

 

[GotGarlic]

Another thing you can do is the beer-can or wine-can chicken. It takes about 1.5 hours to grill it, so you could get that going, and then go inside to take care of the rest: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f38/beer-can-chicken-9336.html

 

[suziquzie]

This is sure to make your kids and your back happy...

Rub some ribs the night before you cook. The morning of, dice potatoes ( I like sweet pots with ribs, but white will work fine). Toss the potatoes with rosemary, crushed garlic and olive oil. Put them in a foil pouch, double thick.

Take fresh corn, pull the husks back, remove the silk. Mix butter with cumin, S&P, lime zest and a dash of cayenne. Rub this on the raw corn, push the husks back around the ears, and wrap each one in foil.

Put some sliced mushrooms into a fire proof skillet (I love cast iron for this) with crushed garlic, olive oil and chopped parsley, S&P.

Two hours before dinner, put the ribs, triple wrapped in foil, bone side out onto the grill, off the heat. Keep the grill at about 300. Flip them after an hour.

With 40 minutes to go, put the potato pouch on the hot side of the grill. Flip it after 20 minutes.

When you remove the ribs, which should be done in about 2-2.5 hours, and the potatoes, which take about 30-40 minutes, put the ears of corn on, and put the frying pan on the hottest spot. While you cut up the ribs, the corn and mushrooms will cook.

Serve the entire thing with salad and corn bread. Have bbq sauce for the ribs.

Mojitos work really well with this. Trust me...I just did this on Saturday evening.

Tomorrow it's supposed (a term I stick to loosely these days) to be 80 and sunny. It is also DH and myselves' anniversary. It's also yardwork week.... and I will be testrunning this baby for the occasion. I've been waiting A LONG TIME for some decent weather for this VB, thank you, and I shall report back Wednesday!

 

[VeraBlue]

Good luck!

 

[PanchoHambre]

this looks like an awesome plan I am going to have to try it myself..... timing is always a total disaster when I grill everything ends up getting eaten spereately.

 

[CharlieD]

There is all kind of gadgets out there for side dishes. For veggies you can even use simple wooden skewers.