Summertime is great grilling time

By DENISE BUZZY / Special to My Clay Sun

Grilling is what summer is all about, and it is so simple.

Just turn a few valves, hit a button and wait about 10 minutes. When done cooking, turn it off; wait 10 minutes for the grill to cool before you lightly scrape the grates and you are done.

One trick to great barbecue is to use a marinade or rub to add tenderness and flavor. Marinades can be made of just about anything. Use some lemon juice, or something acidic, along with some kind of fruit or fruit juice to tenderize meat.

Don’t marinate too long because meat can get mushy. Seafood should be marinated about 15 minutes, thin cuts of meat about four hours and 12 hours for larger portions of meat.

You can boil the leftover marinade for 3-5 minutes to create a sauce. I like to whisk in a bit of whipping cream.

Rubs are dry spice blends. Use whatever spices you favor and a mixture of salt and sugar. You can rub onto meat a few days in advance to allow the spice flavor to penetrate deep into the meat. 

If you prefer, you can rub your meat immediately before cooking. A quick way to do this, is by shaking meat and rub together in a sealed zipper lock bag.

Wait until your meat is almost cooked before brushing on your favorite barbecue sauce. This allows the meat to cook thoroughly without the sugars in the barbecue sauce burning.

Grilled corn is one of my favorite things. Just peel back the husk, but do not remove. Clean out as much as you can and soak in salted water for about 30 minutes.  Remove any excess water and pull husks up to cover corn. Grill for 30 minutes then brush with some homemade garlic butter. Grab a fresh Caesar salad and you have a great meal.

Denise Buzzy is the former owner of Buzzy’s Incredible Edibles.

Roasted Tomatoes and Proscuitto on Ciabatta
8 plum tomatoes
1⁄2 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves chopped
1⁄4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
16 slices Chiabatta bread
16 slices Proscuitto
Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until charred on all sides. Chop tomatoes and add garlic, 1⁄4 cup oil and pine nuts. You can either leave mix chunky or process until smooth in processor. Put in bowl with thyme and salt and pepper. Brush each side of bread with oil and grill until golden brown. Top each slice with teaspoon of mixture and one slice of proscuitto.

Grilled Fruit Kabobs
4 bamboo skewers, soaked 1 hour
1 pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 banana in 8 slices
1 apple cored, cut into 1- inch chunks
1 mango cut into 1-inch chunks
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Mix 2 teaspoon honey and 1⁄2 t lime zest mixed together for marinade. Apply fruit onto skewers. Cook about 3 minutes on each side till charred, brushing with lime marinade as you cook. Serve immediately.

Lemon-Pepper Beer Can Chicken
1 whole fryer chicken
1 12 oz. can domestic beer
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lemon
2 tablepoons lemon-pepper seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon season salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Olive Oil
Apply a light coat of olive oil to the outside of the chicken to allow spices to stick and allow the outside to brown on the grill. Mix spices together and coat outside of chicken with 2/3 of the seasoning, apply 1 1/2 rosemary stems after seasoning. Zest 1/2 of the lemon over the chicken, then squeeze 1/2 of the lemon juice over chicken. Pour out — or drink — half the can of beer. Pour the remaining seasoning into beer, along with the remaining rosemary and the other half of the lemon. Insert can into chicken cavity.
Sit chicken standing upon beer can directly onto grill grate. Grill chicken on high in-direct heat for an hour and a half. To make sure chicken is done, cut drumstick joint and if the juice is clear, chicken is ready. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve along with yellow rice for a complete meal.

Garlic Mustard Grilled Beef
1 2-pound tenderloin
4 cloves garlic chopped
1⁄2 cup grainy mustard
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Whisk together all ingredients except for the beef. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Marinade the meat either cut into 1 inch chunks on skewer or sliced thick for 10 minutes. Cook to your liking, 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare, brushing continuously while grilling. Discard or boil remaining marinade. Cream would be good with this to make a sauce!