Grilling takes effort. Lots of coal goes into building the fire; you wait for the coals to get hot; and the food cooks in about 15 minutes, if you’re having steaks, burgers, vegetables or hot dogs. And that’s it. The fire continues burning, wasting away, while you eat. How about getting full use out of all those hot coals that are burning away for hours?
Here’s a game plan for a multi-course grill party that will be perfect for a summer weekend gathering that keeps different foods grilling for hours. Given the amount of food, you’ll probably want to have at least eight people joining you.
The courses you will serve are an appetizer, a first course, a main course, and a dessert. However, you can just keep throwing food onto the grill as you like, especially vegetables, because they can be chopped up later for a grilled salad.
Remember that the idea here is to get full use of your charcoal fire and not merely to cook quickly, although some foods will.
The summer night’s grill party menu and recipes.
When you build your fire, do so with a bit more coals than usual and with all the coals piled to one side of the firebox so that the other side will be cooler once the fire is going. Do not start cooking until all the coals are white with ash. All recipes assume the grill fire is ready to go.
wright-grillmenu2
Note: Total time does not include time for the fire to be prepared.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated caciocavallo or pecorino cheese
- 1¼ pounds swordfish, cubed
- All-purpose flour for dredging
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Directions
- Mix the bread crumbs, oregano, salt, pepper, and cheese in a bowl.
- Dredge the swordfish in the flour and pat off any excess. Dip in the egg on both sides and then dredge again in the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides. Place on double skewers without touching each other.
- Drizzle the top of the swordfish with olive oil. Place the oiled side down on the grill and cook 4 minutes. Flip to the other side and grill another 4 minutes. Serve immediately.
Grilled Vegetables and Bruschetta
You should be able to get everything onto a 22-inch diameter Weber kettle grill. Cook in batches otherwise. The vegetables are eaten at room temperature after the main meat dish is cooked.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Note: Total time does not include time for the fire to be prepared.
Ingredients
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into ⅜ -inch-thick slices
4 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into ⅜ -inch thick slices
4 bell peppers (various colors)
4 large portobello mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves, to taste, whole, snipped, or chopped
Fresh or dried oregano to taste
8 (½-inch thick) slices Italian or French country bread (about ¾ pound)
Directions
1. Mix the garlic and olive oil in a bowl. Brush all the vegetables with olive oil. Place on the grill directly over the fire and cook until they are charred a bit. They can be set aside individually or mixed or chopped and mixed. Season with salt, pepper, and basil or oregano.
2. Brush the bread slices with the olive oil and grill until lightly toasted. Arrange all the vegetables attractively on a platter and serve.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin With Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary
Prep Time: 2 hours, including marinating
Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Total Time: 2.5 hours
Yield: 8 servings
Note: Total time does not include time for the fire to be prepared.
Ingredients
4 pounds pork tenderloin (about 4 tenderloins in all)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Directions
1. Place the pork tenderloins in a glass or ceramic baking dish and pour the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over them. Sprinkle with the garlic, onions, rosemary and black pepper and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, turning several times.
2. Place the tenderloins on the grill (6 inches from the heat source for charcoal fires) and cook, uncovered, until golden brown, without turning or moving them, about 15 minutes. If your grilling grate is closer to the fire than 6 inches, grill the meat for less time or grill with indirect heat. Turn once and grill until the other side is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley to coat a serving platter and arrange the grilled pork tenderloins on top and serve.
Grilled Bananas With Peach Schnapps and Cinnamon
Prep time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: About 12 minutes
Total Time: About 12 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Note: Total time does not include time for the fire to be prepared.
Ingredients
4 bananas, with their peels
4 tablespoons peach schnapps
Confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling
Ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Directions
1. Put the un-peeled bananas on the grill 1 to 2 inches from the source of the heat until they blacken on both sides.
2. Remove from the grill, slice the bananas open lengthwise, leaving them in their peels, and sprinkle a tablespoon of peach schnapps, a shake of powdered sugar and cinnamon on each and serve.
Main photo: Grill fire ready for a four-course dinner. Credit: iStock/Keith Tsuji