Saturday, March 2, 2013

BARBECUING DOESN'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ABOUT MEAT!


Well, we are on the downside of winter which is good news for you “seasonal” BBQ/grillers! I have to admit, this time of year I tend to start getting Spring fever as well even though I BBQ all year long.
This time of year; especially here in Colorado, can cause drastic outside temperature variations. I have already blogged about some easy ways to help maintain constant temperature in your grill or smoker.  One cheap and easy way is to wrap your grill with an inexpensive welder’s blanket.
Lately I have been asked about alternatives to meat when it comes to using the grill or smoker. Although I am somewhat of a carnivore myself, there is nothing wrong with looking for healthier alternatives in cooking.
There are all sorts of vegetables that are awesome on your grill and/or smoker. Corn and potatoes can be done many, many ways on both! (One of my personal favorites is Twice Baked Potatoes on the smoker. Simple and very tasty. With the use of skewers, you can put many veggies on the grill at once. By just brushing a bit of olive oil on the veggies and then flavoring to taste (our store has many rubs and spices that are great on veggies!), you can get that bit of smoky flavor or grilled ambience on your vegetables.  Here is a great website for grilling vegetables as a reference guide: Grilling Vegetable Reference Guide.
Fruit also makes a fun alternative to meat on the grill. Yes, I said fruit! Another great article for reference on grilling fruit: Grilling Fruit. Again, my favorite is grilled peach halves and then serve warm with fat free frozen yogurt. Yum!
Also, I will smoke a lot of casseroles and whatnot in my smoker. I have a cast iron 5 quart seasoned pot that I use quite a bit. They can be cheaply found on Amazon and free shipping! Most of the Lodge cast iron products come pre-seasoned these days.  Even something like box dinners can be easily made in a cast iron pot or equivalent on the grill/smoker!
You will find that grilling and barbecuing (yes, there is a difference!) can be fun and adventurous. It doesn’t always have to be about the meat!