Plan your summer grilling based on the time you have.
Got a day? Just half an hour? Here’s the plan
Grilling season is once again upon us, and most of us want to make every moment of grill time count in its short season.
The trouble is, our busy lives often won’t cooperate. Weekdays mean long hours of work, child chauffeuring and various other activities, and cherished weekend days fill up just as quickly. When dinnertime rolls around, we’re exhausted and may think we don’t have time to grill anything more complex than hot dogs and burgers or steaks.
We have a strategy that will help you make the most of your grill this summer: Plan your grilling based on the time you have to devote to it.
Do you have 24 hours’ advance notice for grilling? Marinate a pork shoulder (or the smaller upper piece of the shoulder, sometimes labeled a “Boston butt.”) for 12 hours, then cook low and slow for six to eight hours over indirect heat on the grill for tender and savory pulled pork (you can also do this in the oven or slow cooker, if you must). Plan ahead, and you’ll have leftover pulled pork for sandwiches, tacos, burritos, stir-fries, fried rice or to top salads. Our rendition uses a rub and an injected marinade for additional flavor.
But if life’s gotten away from you, and you only have 30 minutes for meal prep, think cedarplanked salmon with dill and lemon zest. Soak the cedar planks while you ready the grill and make the dill-lemon zest topping, then grill the salmon for just 10 to 15 minutes. Leftovers, cold, are superb with mayonnaise thinned with freshly-squeezed lemon juice and some capers.
Ready to eat?