Here’s to a Sweet Grilling Season
4 tips to make your patio cookouts a success this summer
Backyard culinary artists use grills as their canvas, and they are known for their “secret” methods of creating edible works of art. Well, we have a secret grilling method, too, but since we don’t like keeping secrets, we’re just going to go ahead and say it: SUE BEE® honey is the secret to making summer grilling a sweet affair!
Adding honey to your grilling is ideal on so many levels. From helping meats maintain their moisture to spurring browning and crisping, honey is a versatile tool to have at your side when you’re building a patio picnic.
We’ve talked about grilling with honey tips in the past, but they are worth repeating as we officially begin the grilling season.
1. Add another liquid to SUE BEE® honey. Honey by itself can, naturally, be a sticky endeavor when you try to brush it straight onto your grilling items. Instead, try mixing honey with another liquid, like a juice or oil. This makes the golden goodness easier to apply. Additionally, adding honey itself directly to meats can char the surface. By adding a bit of orange juice, fresh pineapple juice, or even a touch of water to the honey, you shouldn’t have any problem putting the honey mixture in direct heat. One of our favorite ways to grill with honey is to mix SUE BEE® honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. It’s a salty-sweet combo that packs a mouth-watering zing.
2. On the other hand, sometimes crispy and charred is preferred. If you like your food to have a little crunch when it comes off the grill, try glazing it first with SUE BEE® honey. It’s the perfect way to add texture, color and, of course, flavor to popular dishes like pork, chicken, vegetables and even fruits. Help make the honey easier to brush onto grilling items by running warm water over your honey container. Or let the bottle of honey sit in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before applying.
3. Heat zones are crucial. Creating different temperature zones on your grill is also important for grilling with honey. One for direct heat and one for indirect heat. With a gas grill, this is easily accomplished. With coal grills, you can separate the coals accordingly. In a zone of indirect heat, you can apply your honey-juice mixture freely to the outer surface of your meats – pork or chicken are great options – to lock in flavor and moisture while contributing to the caramelization process. For a beautiful mahogany finish and a fast sear, move your honey-glazed meats into the area of direct heat and cook briefly.
4. Here comes the marinade parade! Marinades are great for honey since they also help meat hold moisture. Honey can also help marinades last longer while adding the perfect amount of sweetness. Add 1/4 cup of SUE BEE® honey to your favorite mixture and toss and mix the marinade in a plastic food storage bag with the meat. Then refrigerate and let it soak. For fish and vegetables, which tend to absorb flavors faster, marinate for 30 to 40 minutes. For chicken, soak for at least 2 to 8 hours (overnight is even better). Meats like pork or beef also need 2 to 8 hours for the flavors to develop.
Try these griller thrillers
Now that you have the scoop on grilling with honey, here are three of our favorite summer grill recipes:
