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Your Guide to Fall Grilling

Your Guide to Fall Grilling

Barbecue season isn’t over yet. Try these ideas to keep the grilling season going into fall and beyond

You don’t have to put your barbecue into hibernation just because it’s suddenly sweater weather. Weeknight meals, rec league get-togethers and Thanksgiving dinner all taste better with a little help from the grill. The trick? Swap in seasonal ingredients for a fresh take on grilled sides and mains.

Root vegetables

Instead of roasting root vegetables in the oven, try cooking them on the grill. You’ll get the same sweet caramelization, but more of that smoky char.

Since many root veggies are on the sweeter side, start with a medium heat to avoid burning them and have a paring knife handy to test for doneness: the tip should enter the thickest part with little resistance.

Parsnips are delicious cut into long spears and tossed with olive oil and finely chopped rosemary before grilling. Or, season whole unpeeled carrots with oil and lots of smoked paprika, grill until crisp-tender and serve them on hot dog buns with ketchup, mustard and diced sweet onion.

Potatoes, which take longer to cook, are better suited to steaming in foil packets on the grill. For the best results, use fingerling or other mini potatoes — it saves cutting time and they grill up well. First, wrap some mini spuds in foil with a glug of dark lager. Seal the packet tightly, cook until tender — start checking after 25 minutes — then finish with a generous pat of butter. If you want to cook up a mess of roots, it’s worth investing in a super-convenient grill basket.

Greens and squash

Just like you can grill lettuce for summer salads, you can also throw hearty fall greens on the ‘cue with delicious results. Stemmed Tuscan kale — be sure to keep the leafy parts large for grilling — only needs olive oil, salt and pepper before the heat of the grill turns it into a smoky delight. It cooks quickly, so stand over it and turn often. Green cabbage wedges cut 2 inches/5 cm thick and cooked low and slow until soft and sweet are also terrific. Try dressing them with a spicy vinaigrette.

The barbecue also comes in handy when you’re prepping Thanksgiving dinner: it frees up room on the stove and in the oven for the million and one other dishes on the menu. You can boil Brussels sprouts ahead of time, thread them onto skewers and send an unoccupied family member outside to heat them up on the grill. Or, roast squash wedges in advance and reheat them in a foil pan on a covered grill. To pour, blonde ale has a low bitterness that won’t clash with the earthy veggies and its apple flavours are a natural with fall greens.

Turkey for everyone

When it comes to the Thanksgiving bird, most are too big to cook whole on the grill. However, turkey pieces — your pick of legs, breasts or wings — can be cooked by indirect heat for a juicy, memorable feast, especially when you beer brine them first. If you have a smoker, break it out: turkey is flat-out awesome cooked gently over smouldering wood. Beyond Thanksgiving, turkey kebabs, burgers and cutlets are all excellent grilled. Or, smoke turkey legs, baste them with our Stout BBQ Sauce and pull the meat into thick shreds for a next-level taco night. To serve, pair a nutty brown ale with grilled turkey. For smoked turkey, go with porter — its roasted coffee flavour always gets along with smoked foods.

Side burner magic

The side burner on gas barbecues can do a lot more than boil corn. In fact, it’s the ultimate wingman when you’re cooking dinner. Put it to work for side dishes like spinach — briefly wilt the greens in a big pot with garlic and amber ale to go with grilled pork chops — or steam rice in light lager instead of water to serve with grilled fish. You can also use the burner for the main event, like mussels steamed in wheat beer with grilled garlic bread on the side. With a cast-iron pot and a few litres of vegetable oil, the side burner becomes an al fresco deep fryer that won’t stink up your house. Fire it up for everything from beer-battered fish and chips to Buffalo wings.

There are a few things to keep in mind while you’re out grilling this fall. It gets darker much earlier in fall, so have a charged flashlight — or a headlamp, for the ultimate style statement — to keep an eye on things. Since it can get chilly in the evenings, bring out a box of foil to cover cooked food; during a long grilling session, send the cooked stuff inside to keep warm in a low oven. Now that you’re armed with tips, hacks and plenty of inspiration, the only thing left to do is put some beer on ice.

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