Grilling Expert Elizabeth Karmel's Tips for Upgrading Your Grilling Experience
Keep it clean. Use a brass-bristle cleaning brush to clean your grill without damaging the grates.
Clean the grates after use by heating the grill with all burners on high to burn off any cooked-on residue.
Preheat a gas grill on high. For a charcoal grill, preheat until charcoal is covered with a white ash.
When using charcoal, use fire starters, a chimney starter and long wooden kitchen matches to start the fire.
Tongs, tongs, tongs. Always use two long-handled locking tongs—one for uncooked meats and the other for cooked meats—to avoid cross contamination. Color code your tongs with red and green duct tape so you can tell them apart. Red means STOP; raw food touched these. Green means GO; cooked food touched these.
Use the best quality ingredients.
Oil the food with a light coat of olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
The key to making hot dogs that are perfectly caramelized on the outside and done on the inside is to control the heat! The best hot dogs are cooked on medium to medium-low heat.
Always use an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness.
Additional Tips to Upgrade your Grilling Experience
Start with the grill. Whether it is gas or charcoal, make sure it's clean and that there's plenty of propane or charcoal on hand.
For safety, never place the grill close to combustible materials or on uneven ground.
Purchase quality meats such as Hebrew National® Franks, which are made from only premium cuts of 100% pure kosher beef. Hebrew National wins time after time in national taste tests.
Use the Internet for new recipes or ways to add to your own. For everything from the comfort classics to ethnic entrees, visit HebrewNational.com and www.GirlsAttheGrill.com.
Grilling Go Time
Hot dogs can be served in many ways—on a bun, on a tortilla, as part of kabobs or even as a topping for a grilled pizza. There are many great ways to enjoy premium Hebrew National Franks.
For lighter fare, offer low-fat options such as Hebrew National's Reduced Fat or 97% Fat Free Franks.
Switch up the side dishes. Grill veggies such as Portobello mushrooms, asparagus, patty pan squash, peppers, shallots and eggplant and serve them hot off the grill with a brush of best-quality or homemade pesto.
Entertaining Extras
For an evening meal, decorate the lawn with colorful paper lanterns and white Christmas lights. This great lighting will add a beautiful glow to the night and your party!
Make mini hot dogs by cutting full-size grilled Hebrew National Franks in half and slipping them between small dinner rolls.
Adorn your hot dogs with more than just ketchup and mustard. Fill ramekins with colorful condiments, such as jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, mild and spicy mustard, grilled and raw onions, barbeque sauce, relish and an assortment of cheeses. These little dips and sides are a hit with the kids, too. Add a theme to your condiment table with a "Putting on the Dog" Bar?fill the ramekins with favorite toppings from the All-American hot dog capitals: New York, LA, Chicago, Boston and Cincinnati, to name the majors!
Serve iced tea and lemonade in mason jars. Garnish with a full slice of lemon, a sprig of mint and a colorful straw for a refreshingly tasty beverage.
Grilled for the Plate
Go kabob-ing! For easy finger appetizers thread Cocktail Franks on skewers with chunks of pineapple and green or red pepper, then brush with sweet-sour sauce. For casual dining (and a "meal on a stick"), lace 1-inch slices of Beef Knockwurst or slices of deli meat, on skewers with mushrooms, new potatoes, bell pepper, and onion then brush with barbecue sauce. Grill over medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning often.
Layer the flavor -- on raw meat, poultry, and fish -- with flavorful rubs and marinades.
If time is short ... before grilling rub the surface with a homemade or store-bought mixture of dry herbs or spices and a little oil or mustard.
If you have time ... marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight to tenderize meat and add flavor; shorten the marinating time for some tender meat cuts and delicate fish. Figure 1/2 to 1 cup of marinade per pound. A safety "must": discard marinade used for raw food; never brush it on cooked meat, poultry, or fish.
Grill the "sides" - veggies of all kinds -- along with your meat. Besides the convenience (fewer trips to the kitchen), grilling gives vegetables a smoky, fragrant flavor. Try carrots, eggplants, squash, bell pepper, sweet potato, leeks, and more. Simply slice and brush them first with olive oil, sprinkle on some herbs if you'd like, then grill (turning once) over a hot fire until they're tender-crisp. Hint: toast or warm bread or firm polenta (brushed olive oil with garlic or herbs) on the grill, too!
Ever think of grilling cheese or deli meat sandwiches, quesadillas, and even pizza? You can! For sandwiches and quesadillas, simply grill over medium heat on both sides. For pizza or open-face sandwiches, cook with the grill cover on so the top gets cooked, too. Tip: Thinly-sliced franks make convenient ingredients for these quick-and-easy grilled pizzas.
Turn grilling into a fun, hand-held meal for the kids! Skewer a whole frank (regular or cocktail size) end-to-end the long way, right through the center, then grill. Use sturdy wooden skewers that kids can hold in hand once their frank is grilled.
Safety at Your Grill
Start clean! Between each use scrape and clean your grill grates (and clean the grease catch pan on a gas grill), removing any debris. Follow the manufacturer's directions for cleaning the inside of the grill, the burners, and any lava rocks or ceramic briquettes.
Check the inside "temp." Use a meat thermometer to make sure meat and poultry are safely cooked from the inside on out: hamburgers, 160°F; sausages (precooked and uncooked), 160°F; steaks, at least 145°F; pork, 160°F; chicken or turkey breast 170°F; turkey or chicken legs, 180°F; whole chicken, 180°F.
Adjust your grill grates ... for even cooking. Cooked too close to the coals, meat or poultry may look done on the outside, even though they're still raw inside. Check for doneness with your meat thermometer.
Separate ... raw and cooked meat to keep harmful bacteria from spreading. Wash or use different plates, cutting boards, or utensils for raw and grilled meat, poultry, or fish. Tip: Plan ahead; before starting to grill, have a clean plate and utensils ready to take grilled food to the table.
Flare-ups? "Prep" ahead to avoid the flames and smoke caused by fat drippings. Trim away visible fat, and drain off high-fat marinades. Then if the flames flare up: 1) for a gas grill, shut off the burners until the flame subsides then re-light, and never use water on a gas grill, and 2) for a charcoal grill, simply move your food to another part of the grill.
Tools of the Trade
Get a metal grill basket: great for grilling cut-up vegetables, Cocktail Franks, shrimp, other small pieces of meat, and fish filets that get flaky as they cook. Another benefit: it's easy to take from kitchen to grill.
Invest ... in long-handled (15 to 18 inches) grill utensils (turner, fork, tongs) and a flame retardant kitchen mitt to protect yourself from burns. While you're shopping, get a sturdy wire brush and scraper for clean-up.
Sauce it up fireside. No side burner? No problem. A small iron skillet, set on the grates, is perfect for sautéing mushrooms, onions, and peppers, or heating a flavorful sauce to spoon over franks, burgers, steaks, chicken, and more.
Easy Entertaining
Frank-ly speaking, go ethnic! Grill the franks. Let your guests choose their toppings and "bun." Set the buffet table with plenty of choices:
Italian style frank, with tomato sauce, roasted peppers, sliced olives, shredded Mozzarella, and Italian rolls
German style frank, with mustard, sauerkraut, pickles, shredded Muenster cheese, and rye bread
Mexican style frank, with salsa, chili peppers, avocado slices, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and tortillas
Hawaiian-style frank, with crushed pineapple, teriyaki sauce, and crusty rolls
Middle Eastern-style frank, with tabbouleh, sliced cucumber, crumbled feta cheese, and pita bread.
Feature a grilled menu ... for a party with casual, outdoor elegance. Roast meat or chicken for a delicious smoked flavor. Hardwood chips for grilling (alder wood for seafood, apple wood for poultry, mesquite for beef, and hickory for pork), used for indirect cooking on a gas grill when the grill lid is closed, give a delicate flavor.
