Take Your Next Meal Outside The Box When Manning The Grill

DeKalb County 4-H is heading to the state 4-H Grill Master competition, the man leading them has grill tips to use at home.

DeKalb County Ag Extenstion Office Director Johnny Barnes said they start with a charcoal grill, using a charcoal chimney instead of lighter fluid. He said direct and indirect heat is the most important part, saying you can add heat but cannot do anything once it’s burnt

Barnes said heat is something to take seriously, but your recipe should be fun and outside the box.

“You might find something and tweak it a little bit, you find something that you really like and say maybe it will be a little bit better if I add this spice to it,” Barnes said. “Or maybe if I change it in this way, maybe I don’t have every ingredient that they’re showing on this video but can I use something as a substitute?”

Barnes said experiment with the cut of meats you use. He said if you’re in the mood for pork, skip the chops and try pork burgers.

“When you’re getting together and you’ve got a group of people, it’s also fun when you cook a few different products,” Barnes said. “Everybody gets to sample and vote and try different things. So I think that’s half the fun. That’s something you can do at home if you’ve got family or a get together with friends you can sample some different cuts of meat and let everybody give their opinion and it can give you ideas for the future as well.”

Barnes said that making a meal in your own style does not just make things more fun in the moment. He said it creates something you can pass down for more people to enjoy.

However, he said the key to enjoying meat off the grill, is keeping an eye that it comes out how you planned.

“Pay attention while you’re cooking, we like to have fun and talk with our friends while we’re cooking,” Barnes said. “You always have to try and keep an eye on that as well because once your heat has gone too high you can’t really take that back.”

Barnes said that when it comes to charcoal, you will be fighting a constant battle against the natural elements. He said the wind and outside temperatures will all have varying effects on the grill.