Saturday night, the ladies of WMAG came to my house for a cookout. We chased our kids around, we braved iffy weather, we gossiped. All in all, it was a great time. But it got me thinking about how, in the past, I’ve thought of cookouts as easy–just toss some burgers and hotdogs on the grill.
In reality, cooking those burgers and ‘dogs can be a pain in the butt. You have to stand over the hot, smoky grill, flipping them, making sure they don’t burn, adding more so that everybody gets one. Whoever gets the job of cook doesn’t get to have much fun.
We’ve found a solution to grilling for a group that’s easier than burgers and, if I do say so myself, more impressive: pork tenderloins and flatiron steaks. I’ve already written about how good flatirons are, and the rub recipe in that post works especially well on pork. These cuts of meat are big enough that you can put them on the grill and turn them only once. Just check for doneness with a meat thermometer. Then slice them up, and they can easily feed 8 adults. We like to serve our pork and steak with a sauce made out of horseradish in sour cream.
What about you, WMAGs? Give us some of your easy summer cookout tips/recipes. The sun is finally out, and I’m ready for dinner outdoors!
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2 thoughts on “Tasty Tuesday – Summer Cookout”
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My little one isn’t eating solid foods yet, but my husband and I have started a summer tradition I think he’ll love — pizzas on the grill. I roll out pizza dough (I get mine frozen from the Super Walmart, but you can also by balls of dough from your local pizzaria) and put it in the bottom of a broiler pan coated with nonstick spray and flour. I top the dough with whatever we fancy — usually white pizzas with spinach or tomatoes — the put the pan on the grill rack preheated to medium(ish). I allow the pizza to grill for about 7-10 minutes, then remove from the grill and pop in under the broiler in my oven for a few minutes to brown the top. It’s the closest thing I’ll ever get to making my own pricey brick oven pizza and it’s fantastic!
If you are going to try this, I suggest you set aside an extra dough just in case a) you eat the whole thing and want another or b) if you are like me, you’ll misgauge the temp and blacken your crust! 🙂
We had lots of fun at your cookout, Sara! The pork was deeeelicious. Our contribution (for those not in attendance) was strawberry shortcake: fresh organic strawberries (sliced), light Cool Whip, and those little shortcakes you find in the produce area near berries. Very low-cal but tasty.
Also, Hungry Girl had some good tips this week on healthy BBQ eating.