winter grilling!
I got a note a little while ago from MaryKate telling me that she recently got a grill and was hoping to hear my thoughts on a winter grilling. I love this prompt since I grill year-round even though I live in a place with decidedly cold winters.
Before we get into all things cold-weather grilling, a quick heads up that this Sunday will be my last class of 2023!! Fear not, I am currently planning tons of classes for next year (including an excellent sliding scale one with
on January 14th — see here and there will be a much-requested ‘Recipe Writing Deep Dive’ in February…stay tuned).But yes, this Sunday will be the final one for the year and it’s going to be a super fun Kids Cooking Hour! from 2p - 3p EST and we will be making homemade creamy tomato soup + grilled cheese sandwiches. »»ALL INFO + SIGN-UP HERE! «« Kids Cooking Hour! classes are just $25 but if $ is a barrier, just let me know and I’ll get you signed up!
LOOKING FOR AN EASY HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA? How about gift cards to my cooking classes?! You can get them for whatever amount you’d like right here.
You don’t have to pick a specific class(es) to give— your recipient can choose!
Gift cards don’t expire!
Gift cards can be applied to upcoming live classes (there will be a ton more in 2024!) or recorded classes in my on-demand library (there are over 80 classes!).
All info about my classes including FAQs is right here. These gift cards arrive as custom codes emailed to you (the gift giver) that you can give to your recipient — you can also schedule an email to go to your recipient whenever you want. Want to give them something physical? Here’s a fun thing you can print out, fill out, and give in a card!
Okay, winter grilling!
First things first, I’m a gas grill girl. I love the convenience of a gas grill. I love being able to go outside and cook dinner and not have to clean up a pan. I can grill a whole bunch of things in one go and Grace and I can repurpose leftovers throughout the week. I can cook for a crowd with ease. I can turn the heat as high as I want and let things get really browned and charred in a way I hate to do inside of my kitchen. Many like to point out that charcoal gets even hotter than gas. Sure, I tell them, but I don’t want a whole project. I just want to make dinner.
I have three general pieces of gas-grilling advice.
Always have a backup tank of propane waiting somewhere for you. If you run out of gas while you’re grilling, you can be sure that you can carry on cooking whatever’s on your grates. A backup tank is peace of mind.
Give yourself the option of a flat surface. Get a big cast-iron pan or griddle and let it heat up on your grill until it’s smoking hot. This allows you to cook things that would otherwise fall through or stick to the grates. I’m talking small vegetables, shrimp, or a piece of fish that you’ve slicked with olive oil and sprinkled with Old Bay.
Aways have a “landing spot” for whatever you’re cooking. This could be a plate on a table next to your grill or a sheet pan waiting on a nearby chair.
And now for some actual recipe ideas for winter grilling:
Braised Pork Shoulder with Apple Cider: Get your grill going as high as possible. Cut a whole boneless pork shoulder into 4 roughly even pieces (this will help it all cook a bit faster). Rub the pieces all over with a little oil and season generously with lots of salt and pepper. Sear the pieces on your grill, really taking your time to make sure every side develops a nice crust. Transfer the pork to a Dutch oven and add enough apple cider (not apple cider vinegar! regular drinking cider) to come a third of the way up the sides of the meat. Cover the pot and simmer (either on your grill, on an outdoor burner, indoors on your stovetop, or in a 275ºF oven) until you can shred the meat, about 2.5 hours.
Grilled Sausages + Mashed Potatoes: So simple! Just serve grilled sausages on buttery mashed potatoes — perfect. Some grilled onions and/or mushrooms are really nice with this meal, too. A cast-iron skillet (or griddle) is great for cooking mushrooms on your grill!
Buffalo Shrimp: Heat up a cast-iron skillet on your grill until it’s smoking hot. Toss a pound of peeled/deveined shrimp with a little oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place them on the hot surface and cook, turning once, until opaque and charred on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the grill and add 2 tablespoons each butter and hot sauce to the skillet. The butter should melt immediately. Stir together to coat the shrimp with the butter/hot sauce mixture. Serve over creamy grits, rice, or garlic bread!!!
Chicken Tinga: Get your grill going as high as possible. Cut a white onion in half and coat it with a little oil. Also coat 2 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken thighs with a little oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Brown the onion and chicken on the grill. Transfer the onion to a blender with 2 garlic cloves, 2 canned chipotle peppers, 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce the peppers came packed in, and a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes. Transfer the chicken to a Dutch oven and pour over the sauce. Cover the pot and simmer (either on your grill, on an outdoor burner, indoors on your stovetop, or in a 275ºF oven) until you can shred the meat, about an hour.
Whole Grilled Squash with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds + Charred Lemon: Prick a whole butternut squash (or whatever kind of squash you’re interested in grilling) with a paring knife in a few spots and then cook on a medium grill, turning it every so often and covering the grill whenever you’re not turning the squas, until it’s very tender when you poke it with a paring knife, about an hour. Transfer the squash to a serving dish. Turn the grill up to high, place cast-iron skillet on the grill, and add a handful of pumpkin seeds. At the same time, place a halved lemon directly on the grill, cut sides down. Stir the pumpkin seeds until they’re toasted and then remove from the heat. Remove the lemon once it’s nicely charred. Split the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. Sprinkle the squash with the toasted pumpkin seeds and squeeze over the juice from the charred lemon. Drizzle with lots of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and SERVE!
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Charred Orange + Honey: Coat a pork tenderloin with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Cut an orange in half. Grill the pork and the orange halves on a HOT grill, turning the pork a couple of times while cooking, until the pork is just firm to the touch and the orange halves are nicely charred (I cover the grill in between turns). Remove both from the grill. Let the pork rest while you squeeze the juice from the orange halves into a small bowl. Add a squeeze of honey and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Whisk together and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Slice the pork as thinly or thickly as you like and serve bathed in the orange/honey mixture.
Grilled Steak with Kimchi Relish: Coat a steak with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill it on a HOT grill, turning the steak a couple of times while cooking, until the meat is just firm to the touch (I cover the grill in between turns). Set the steak on a plate and allow it to rest while you make an easy relish by stirring together about 1 cup finely chopped cabbage kimchi with a tablespoon EACH soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice the steak and serve on HOT RICE with the relish spooned on top.
Queso Fundido: Get a cast iron skillet going on a hot grill and brush it with a little bit of oil. Add enough coarsely grated Oaxaca cheese to form a layer that’s about 1/2 inch thick. Close the grill and let the cheese melt and get all bubbly and delicious, about 10 minutes. Serve with warm tortillas or tortilla chips. You can also cook crumbled chorizo in the skillet before adding the cheese and/or top the melted cheese with your favorite salsa or a big spoonful of chopped pickled jalapeños.
Thanks for being here. Talk soon. xo, Julia
PAID SUBSCRIBERS: Let us know in the comments if you have any additional grilling tips and/or winter grilling recipes! Also, as always, let me know if there are any newsletter topics you’d like me to cover or questions you’d like me to answer.
Great idea to sear meat on grill before braising in the oven...I do that with brisket but hadn’t considered for other meats & recipes. Genius!
My tip for the tofu lovers out there is to oil your grill beforehand as tofu will stick to the grill otherwise!