With Spring in full swing and Summer just around the corner, there has been a strong kick-off to beach season this year already. A return to the beach means that we all can once again partake in one of my most cherished past-times; beach barbecue. This year has been a study in keeping it simple and enjoying your time so I have compiled a list of seven different food categories that are both easy to cook and easily enjoyed.
Before we begin, I’d like to start with my first tip: create yourself a beach barbecue grab bag of all the essentials that you’ll need to set you up for a successful barbecue. Along with the food of course, here is a list of the essentials for your checklist.
Charcoal – get an easily transported container that will minimize the mess in transit.- Lighter, matches, and lighting fluid
- Picnic Rug – large outdoor area rug or blanket to set up everything for your barbecue.
- Disposables – plates, cups, cutlery, napkins.
- Hand wipes – essential alert!
- Grilling utensils – tongs, spatulas, and any other utensils you may need to man the grill including a chef’s knife for dealing out the final product.
- Condiments
- Tin foil
- Bags – plastic bags for leftovers and garbage bags for waste
- Compact Grill
Charcoal – get an easily transported container that will minimize the mess in transit.Skewered
Kebabs! We all know and love this simple grilled medley consisting of whatever you can find that can be driven through with a wooden or metal stake and charred to perfection over an open fire. Because you can literally cook just about anything on a skewer, kebabs make for as much of an easy crowd-pleaser as they do an easily executed item for you to grill.
The trick to kebabs lies within its simplicity. Making several different kinds to be served simultaneously is by no means a tall task. Marinating the finished kebabs overnight before you intend on barbecuing also ensures that the meat doesn’t dry out, the vegetables char up nicely, and if you are using wooden skewers, that they don’t burn down to a crisp.
If you are having trouble thinking of all of the delicious combinations that you could skewer together, find some of my favorite recipe ideas here.
Fruits
Served as a main or a side dish, grilled fruits can be a great addition to your beach barbecue ensemble this summer. Not only do they pair well with most protein options but their overall sugar content makes them highly susceptible to those nice charred crispy edges that everyone loves when grilling.
Depending on the size and shape of the fruit they can be grilled whole or halved and further cut down from there if desired. The best fruit for grilling is slightly unripe fruit. Unripe fruit will hold its structural integrity and the high heat will carmelize the sugars making it taste as if it is ready to eat, whereas ripe fruits turn mushy and fall apart on the grill.
Vegetables
Much like grilled fruits, grilled veggies are a must-have at any beach barbecue session. Not only do they lighten up the cuisine when the sun is out in full force but also provide you with a different medium for flavors and spices.
When choosing vegetables to add to your menu of grilled delights it is important to choose vegetables with a high water and sugar content and firm structure. The high water content will keep the vegetables from drying out while enduring the high heat of the grill and their firm structure will melt into a palatable texture instead of crumbling into bits over the fire. For this reason, some of the best vegetables to grill are:
● Zucchini
● Squash
● Bell Peppers
● Onions
● Mushrooms
● Eggplant
● Broccoli
● Cauliflower
● Corn
Check out these recipes for a different take on some of your favorite grilled veggies.
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All American
You guessed it, burgers and brats! Though this is the most basic of protein options and most readily available for purchase pre-done, grinding and seasoning your own burger meat and brats brings a seductively satisfying twist to your beach barbecue outings. Think about how your burgers could become so much more with your own unique blend of ground beef cuts or the different spices you add into your brat mix. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is a time-consuming process to grind your own meat and case the brats in particular, but that love that you put into the process is what makes them great!
Along with creating your own signature burgers and brats you can elevate your condiment selection with everything from your own “special sauce,” adding in homemade pickled tomatoes or artisan cheeses. Customizing your hand-made burgers will create a lasting beach barbecue experience for everyone involved.
Whole Fish And Seafood
Grilling and eating a whole fish is a primal delight that is one of my personal favorite grilling go-to’s. Most fish can be grilled whole but it is best to stick to small to medium-sized fish with higher
fat content. Some examples of these types of fish include:
● Sardines
● Mackerel
● Snapper
● Bronzino
● Sea bass (there are many different varieties of sea bass but black bass and striped bass are a few that work best)
Larger, meatier fish that can be cut into “steaks” are also excellent grilling choices due to the thickness of the cut and also the texture of the flesh itself. A thicker meatier cut will stand up to grilling without drying out or overcooking quickly. Some examples of great steak fish include:
● Tuna
● Mahi-mahi
● Salmon
● Shark
● Tile fish
● Red fish
● Swordfish
In addition to these fish options octopus, clams, mussels, and shrimp are all great addition to a barbecue when cooked properly. All of these are best cooked very quickly over very hot coals to keep from overcooking.
Steaks
This list wouldn’t be complete without the addition of the king of all cookout foods: steak. Now, there are two different categories of steaks that are great for grilling, but they also require a separate approach to produce perfect final products. Also note that regardless of which of the two categories a steak falls into that fat (marbling) is key to a juicy, flavorful grilled steak.
Thin cuts, such as skirt steak, require a little assistance before grilling in the form of marination. Marinating a steak you intend to grill will not only add flavor but the acid will begin tenderizing
the meat before cooking it and the additional fat from the oil used in the marinade will help keep that steak moist as well. Take care to drain off extra oil before grilling to avoid flare-ups from the coals when the steak is added to the grill. Like some seafood items, thin cuts of steak need to be cooked at a very high temperature for a very short amount of time to ensure you’re beach mates to a great steak experience.
Thick cuts of steak, such as ribeye, are more readily suited for grilling on their own. Thick cuts are typically well marbled and have a good amount of residual outer fat left on them to be a bit more forgiving for inexperienced grillers. The cook time is a good bit longer for thicker cuts and may be significant if the steak also contains a bone. Pro tip: the meat around a bone takes much longer so when temping a steak with a bone make sure that you place the probe closest to the bone for the most accurate reading.
Pizzas, Flatbreads, Breads
Who doesn’t love a good grilled pizza on the beach?! You just might not love it if don’t thoughtfully go about the execution! I’ll be straightforward; prepping and transporting a pizza to the beach to grill is a lot of work, but it’ll all be worth it once it’s over. You’re going to need to prepare and par-bake the crust and pack the sauce and toppings separately for transport. The pizza will then need to be assembled immediately before grilling over coals that are around medium heat temperature-wise.
This applies similarly for flatbreads but will involve a significantly shorter cooking time. This means that all toppings must be pre-cooked to ensure that they will be cooked in the same amount of time as the flatbread itself which, on average, is only about 1-2 minutes.
Let’s face it, any bread is fantastic when grilled, but hearty breads such as sourdough and rye are put over an open flame it’s magic! Have fun with the toppings or get creative and do a filling for the bread itself. Did someone say gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches on the beach?
Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice. Please consult a legal expert or medical professional to address your specific needs.