Sourcebook: Summer BBQ

With grilling season officially upon us, I wanted to share some of my favorite tools and supplies, as well as some tips for minimizing its potentially harmful effects.

Safe Grilling

I shared a comprehensive list of safe grilling tips a while back, but it’s worth highlighting again. When animal proteins are grilled, two chemical groups , which have been associated with breast, pancreatic and colon cancers, are formed. In addition, the person doing the grilling is subjected to all of that potentially harmful smoke. That said, most of us will continue to grill, so here are a few tips for minimizing its negative effects:

-Cook at medium or low heat, instead of high.

-Usie a marinade that contains wine, beer, vinegar, pomegranate or citrus juice, as they have been shown effective in reducing the formation of potentially harmful chemicals.

-Grill thinner cuts of meat to reduce cooking time or grill meats until rare, rather than well done.

-Choose grass-fed meats, which provide extra cancer-fighting Vitamin E, Conjugated Linoleic Acid, and Omega-3 fats while being lower in inflammatory Omega-6 fats.

-Trim excess fat from meats before grilling.

-Use a gas grill with lava rocks instead of charcoal.

-Never eat charred or blackened meat.

-Cook half on the grill and finish in the oven or vice-versa.

BBQ’s

Perfect for a BBQ on the go, camping, or at the beach: you can never go wrong with a Weber – I especially love this baby one.

The perfect grilling decor: this wooden BBQ sign, also from Garden Trading and available at my Montecito store.*

Tools

Williams-Sonoma is one-stop shopping for all sorts of great grilling gear, including this BBQ Tool Set, this monogrammed version, this amazing Laguiole En Aubrac BBQ Tool Set, and this folding BBQ tool set, perfect for grilling on the go.

Also great, this Schmidt Brothers BBQ Set from West Elm and these Pro Chef BBQ Tools from Sur La Table.

And, I must mention a seasonal favorite: The Gardener & The Grill, a wonderful guide for grilling garden fresh fruits and veggies by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig. Stay tuned later this week for a round-up of my favorite barbecue rubs and sauces. XXJKE