10 Grilling Tips From Food Republic's Grilling Gods
The Food Republic Month of Grilling may have come and gone, but grilling season remains in full force as the dog days of August fast approach. In order to refresh your backyard barbecue knowledge, we revisit some tips from the almighty Grilling Gods, along with some of our most popular grilling recipes.
BOBBY FLAY, host of seven Food Network shows
"My favorite vegetables to grill are asparagus, corn, mushrooms, squash and eggplant. Each year I wait for the end of summer so I can eat fresh Jersey corn on the cob until I burst. Grilling it in the husks steams it and concentrates the natural sweet flavor, while imparting the taste of the husk into the corn. Corn prepared this way is so good that all it needs is some butter and salt." Use the tip: Summer Corn With Lime And Manchego
"I always serve a specialty cocktail at my outdoor parties. Some of my current favorites are tropical sangria white wine and passion fruit sweetened with a lemongrass simple syrup. I also like to do blackberry mint juleps, a watermelon tequila cocktail and a strawberry rhubarb margarita." Use the tip: Cocktails For Your Backyard BBQ
MARC VETRI, Head Chef and Owner of Philadelphia's Vetri
"Everyone sticks fish in the oil and then on the grill. I like to take a rag and dip it in oil and rub it on and let it get hot and stick the fish on there. Then it won't stick." Use the tip: Grilled Salt And Pepper Tuna Recipe
"For a recent Halloween I did a whole pig. We stuck a big grill outside and we did like the whole suckling pig and made pork sandwiches with it. It was lots of fun." Use the tip: Pork And Pineapple Kebabs Recipe
RICHARD BLAIS, winner of Top Chef All-Stars
"Hanger steak is the perfect cut for the grill." Use the tip: Tequila-Marinated Hanger Steak Recipe
"Marinate your vegetables, and don't be afraid to let them char. Almost-burnt vegetables are such a trend currently. Use the tip: Guinness-Dijon Marinade Recipe
MARTHA STEWART, Chairwoman of Martha Stewart Living and maker of many things
"My potato salad is amazing." Use thie tip: Best Basic Potato Salad Recipe
MICHAEL LOMONACO, Executive Chef of New York's Porter House
"Rib-eye is a great steak to cook on the grill — a real bone-in cowboy rib-eye because it's a thick cut, 1 1/2-inches. My second favorite is exactly the opposite, a skirt steak. When I say the opposite, I mean 'not on the bone.' It's a very thin cut of meat, but it's really excellent over some wood chips; it's beautiful." Use the tip: Perfect Grilled Skirt Steak Recipe
LINTON HOPKINS, Executive Chef of Atlanta's Restaurant Eugene
"[At the market] I'm looking for bone-on chicken, and thick cuts. I think that's critical. I don't like grilling very thin pieces. You lose the ability to hit certain temperatures like the oyster on the inside of the meat. The beautiful part of grilling is the char, the burnt-y smokey element of fire and metal and sizzling protein and fat. You gotta have that! But you've gotta have that well-rested pink middle that goes soft and sexy and voluptuous contrasting that—that's why we like grilling." Use the tip: Grilled Chicken Under A Brick Recipe
JONNY HETERINGTON, Lead Singer of Canadian hard rock band Art of Dying
"Sex, Drugs and Habanero is my hot sauce. I started making my own [hot sauce] by experimenting with combining habaneros and locally grown fruit from British Columbia. Once I perfected my recipe I started bottling it up and giving to friends and family. It was a hit with people, so I took things up a notch by working on my own BBQ sauce as well, which has become a staple in my grilling arsenal." Use the tip: Homemade Barbecue Sauces For Sunday Grillouts