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Go for the Grill

The art of the grill: Not everyone can master it, and you can’t trust just anyone with the tongs and the flipper, two sacred necessities to any grill chef out there. Grilling takes us all back to the caveman days; there’s something almost tribal about a burning pit of fire and the smell of roasting food that makes people come running.

The beauty of it is you can grill any time you want. You can grill with friends. You can grill alone. If you have a party and find yourself short of prepared supplies, just fire up the grill and see what’s in the freezer. Even if you don’t have a grill, someone you know does. It’s perfect for summertime—not only does it encourage spending time barefoot outdoors, but you can also accomplish other things during the time spent actually cooking the food, such as getting some warm color from the summer sun (proof that you do exist outside the office walls), or enjoying an ice-cold bottle of your drink of choice, perhaps discussing current events, catching up with friends, playing games, finding more things to grill, or even getting a work out (not me, personally, but I’ve seen it done). You can grill as long as you want—just throw some more coals on the fire. It’s a party in itself, and it never has to stop. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love to grill, and if I ever do meet someone who doesn’t love to grill or eat grilled food, I would stare at them in disbelief.

With that said, I’ve come up with some guidelines for the ideal grill party. First and foremost: the guest list. Invite your closest friends, because you are guaranteed to enjoy yourself, and you know they will appreciate the time and effort you’ve put in to arranging this event. And you can always ask a good friend to pick up a bag of ice on the way over.

Then you go to work finding a recipe for the marinade of all marinades (which I happen to have in my possession—several, actually), resurrecting the formula for authentic sangria you’ve been holding onto since your last trip to Barcelona, putting together games and decorations to facilitate the festive vibe and seeking out the latest in grilling couture. Whether that means there’s a new breed of wood chip or charcoal out there that must be tried and tested, or whether the makers of Citronella candles have come out with a revolutionary new model that keeps bugs an extra two feet farther away than last year’s model, you have to have it.

As far as food and the actual grill goes, just about anything will do. Modern grills have become something of a backyard spectacle: There now exist monster installations permanently fixated in the backyard or patio. It’s a personal choice, but one has to wonder what that trophy grill really represents: did someone get a big holiday bonus this year? Or is the personal grilling island a tiny fantastical escape from whatever lurks a few steps away inside the house? That’s up to interpretation, but let it be known that the size of the grill does not make the man—the flames that fuel the fire underneath matter most.

Decorations are fun and festive, but optional. A barbecue is not a formal dinner party, so trying to transform it to resemble one might make it lose a little of its flavor. Part of the fun of a barbecue is the casual nature of the gathering: Don’t try to make it something it’s not, but do make it look like you knew you were hosting this party. Get some tables and a lot of chairs, or in lieu of both perhaps some picnic-style benches would be a better choice, if you can scrounge any up. When packing a beer cooler, remember that it is better to stack the cans or bottles in rows instead of just tossing them in all together, lining the bottom of the cooler with ice and packing even more on top. Music is a must, no question. Find a way to make it play outside, or loud enough to hear from inside. Because of the possibly loud noise factor, a sunny afternoon might be the best time to host a barbecue party—if you are being just as loud as the next-door neighbor’s kids, then you can’t yell at them, and they can’t yell at you. Afternoon is also a good time to start the party because it gives you more time to extend it.

And last but not least: Don’t forget napkins, paper towels, or those little individually wrapped handi-wipes that seem as if they were specifically manufactured to wipe barbecue sauce off people’s hands and faces. Start early, stock up and have yourselves a good time.

Basic Sangria

1 bottle of red wine (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, rioja, zinfandel, shiraz)

1 lemon cut into wedges

1 orange cut into wedges

2 tbsp sugar

1 shot brandy

2 cups ginger ale or club soda

Pour wine in a pitcher and squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange wedges into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

Garnish with sliced strawberries, peaches, handful of fresh blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, a shot or two of gin, brandy or rum, a cup of ginger ale, citrus-flavored pop or lime juice.

For a non-alcoholic version, try pomegranate juice instead of red wine and lose the brandy.

Party Sangria

1 bottle of red wine (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, rioja, zinfandel, shiraz)

1 lemon cut into wedges

1 orange cut into wedges

1 lime cut into wedges

2 tbsp sugar

Splash of orange juice

2 shots of gin

1 cup of sliced strawberries or raspberries (may use thawed or frozen)

1 small can of diced pineapples (with juice)

4 cups ginger ale

Preparation is the same as above. If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over a lot of ice. But remember that the best sangrias are chilled around 24 hours to allow the flavors to really blend together.

Fruit Punch

2 16-oz bottles of Sprite or ginger ale

3 cans frozen fruit juice: oranges, pineapples, lemons or limes make the best punches

Ice

Mix together. Garnish with fresh fruit for a festive touch. Add a scoop or two of sorbet if you think it needs more.

To spice it up a bit, add gin or vodka.

Barbecue Chicken Thighs

2 packages of chicken thighs (I use chicken thighs as they grill better and remain moist and juicy)

2 bottles of barbecue sauce, your choice

2 lemons

2 tsp crushed garlic

salt

pepper

Pour both bottles of barbecue sauce into a pan, add the juice of both lemons, add two teaspoons of crushed garlic and heat in a saucepan without boiling.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on a metal cooking tray, lightly salted and peppered. Cook for 40-45 minutes in oven. Heat your outdoor grill in the meantime.

After chicken has cooked for the 40 minutes remove from oven. Pour half of the chicken juice from the cooked chicken into your barbecue sauce and stir. Dip the chicken thighs into the sauce and place on grill—cook in small batches until chicken is deeply browned on both sides. The chicken is already cooked so you just need to brown it to your desired outside doneness. Serve additional barbecue sauce on the side.

Steaks

1 large, 3-inch-thick, boneless sirloin steak

olive oil

Montreal steak spice (or spices of choice)

Rub steak in olive oil. Rub spices into steak. Place steak into a large zip-lock-style bag and place on your countertop so meat comes to room temperature before cooking. Heat grill to high heat. Grill steak until desired char is reached on the outside. Do not fully cook steak on the grill. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place steak on metal cooking tray and cook steak for 15 to 20 minutes in oven or until desired doneness. Slice steak on a slight angle. Pour juice over steak and serve.

Summer Marinara Pasta

1 lb cappellini pasta

6 peeled tomatoes

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 small chopped onion

Italian flat leaf parsley

olive oil

salt

pepper

Dice the tomatoes with the peel on and place in a mixing or serving bowl. Add one teaspoon of crushed garlic, or more to taste, the small onion finely chopped, salt to taste, pepper to taste (or use coarse crushed red pepper if you like it hot). Stir mixture in the bowl and chill in refrigerator for a few hours. Remove bowl from refrigerator and let stand while pasta is cooking. Add olive oil to mixture and toss. Chop parsley and hold to the side. Add the hot pasta to the mixture and toss. Add chopped parsley. Top with a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese and serve.