You should be outside right now—but before you go, make sure to save some barbecue recipes in Pocket. Here are some of your most-saved articles, videos and recipes for prime grilling season—and be sure to follow @PocketHits on Twitter to see more of the most popular content every day.
1. A Video Guide to Making Miso-Glazed Skirt Steak (Food Wishes)
Skirt steak = totally underrated. Chef John from Food Wishes explains why the cut of meat is perfect for the grill—hint: don’t cut the fat off—and how a miso glaze can add flavor to the meat with just 30 minutes of marinating time. Chef John’s tip for cooking skirt steak? “When it looks kind of sweaty, it’s close to done.”
2. How to Make Spiral Cut Hot Dogs for Better Cooking (Chow, via Lifehacker)
This one might freak out the 4th of July traditionalists, but Chow recommends this tip for grilling hot dogs: Cut them into spirals. This helps them cook more evenly, and it creates nice little pockets to add condiments like ketchup and mustard. It also keeps the dog from curving after being cooked, allowing for optimal bun placement. Learn how to do it.
3. Whole Foods’ Time-Tested Tips for Grilling Beef and Pork
If you want to get back to the basics of grilling, Whole Foods has this quick primer on the best ways to grill different cuts of beef and pork—including what’s best for direct heat (sausages, chops, steaks, hamburgers) versus indirect heat (roasts and larger cuts). See more tips here.
4. How to Grill Seasonal Vegetables (Paula Deen)
Metal or wood skewers? Marinated or raw? Paula Deen’s site has a quick guide to prepping and grilling vegetables, from squash and eggplant to onions, corn on the cob and lettuce (for grilled Caesar salad).
Learn more about grilling veggies.
5. Barbecuing Marinated Shrimp (Examiner)
You won’t need much for this one—a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, Texas Pete or Tabasco sauce, and of course the skewers. But give yourself at least an hour of marinating time.
6. A Guide to Plank Grilling (Taste of Home)
Here’s how to up your game on grilled fish: Get a plank. For a wood-smoked flavor, Taste of Home recommends a 1-inch-thick piece of wood (cedar, cherry, hickory, pecan or maple) soaked in water for 3 to 4 hours before being placed on the grill. Check out the best fish for planking, and how to do it.
7. Smashed Potatoes (Serious Eats)
Serious Eats tackles the tricky dilemma of what to do when you have a little extra space on your grill and no side dish. In this case, they had planked tenderloin and decided to grill some potatoes. Here are the complete instructions, but it seems pretty simple: Boil them, smash them, and stick them on the barbecue.
8. How to Barbecue Summer Fruit (The Daily Meal)
Grilled fruit, when done right, makes for a solid dessert, side dish or topping. The Daily Meal has compiled a list of some of the best fruit-grilling recipes with tips on how to not turn your grilled fruit into mush. Get the tips here.
9. Grilling Lamb Chuanr (The Kitchn)
The Kitchn breaks down everything you need to know about this popular Beijing street food (pronounced “chwar”), and how to grill your own, seasoned with chili powder, garlic and cumin. Get the recipe here.
10. Honey-Rosemary Pork Chops (Plain Chicken)
Easy enough: Olive oil, rosemary, honey and pork. That’s Plain Chicken’s quick 10-minute recipe for prepping boneless pork chops on the grill. Get the recipe right here.
11. How to Make the Juiciest Burger of Your Life (Grilling Is Happiness)
What makes a perfect burger? According to Grilling Is Happiness, the best meat for barbecuing is ground chuck with 20% fat—the best bet for avoiding a dried out patty. You’ll also need to pay close attention to how you shape the patties, and how you prep your gas or charcoal grill. Here’s the complete rundown, with a few recommended recipes.
