Summer is finally here. The sunny, hot weather can’t come soon enough for Ontarians who had to endure another winter indoors during a pandemic lockdown.

There are only a precious few months ahead to enjoy your backyard. For most of us, summer grilling will be at or near the top of the list of our favourite summertime activities.

Whether it’s with your family or increasingly with more friends as things become safer, there are always ways to improve your outdoor cooking and dining experience.

These summer grilling ideas cover everything from outdoor kitchen design tips to menu suggestions to bug control tips. See you in the backyard!

1. Create the ultimate summer grilling space

If you’re grilling outside regularly during the summer and preparing meals for large groups of people, a proper outdoor cooking space is essential.

That cheap, rusty grill that flares up more often than Alec Baldwin on a Manhattan street and burns your meat regularly just isn’t up to the task.

Having a backyard cooking setup that includes wobbly plastic tables to hold your serving plates, cutlery, uncooked food, and grilling tools also falls well short of what you need. And those beat-up plastic coolers for ice and keeping drinks cold? No, you can do a lot better.

Invest in a professionally designed kitchen that includes everything you could possibly need for cooking in the backyard.

As Outeriors president Daniel Albo told The Toronto Sun, “For the luxury homeowner, the days of a freestanding cart barbecue simply don’t cut it, as an outdoor kitchen has become the final frontier of any renovation project.”

Essentials for an outdoor kitchen

Outdoor kitchens can be designed in all shapes and sizes. That can range anywhere from a small space in a patio corner with a few cabinets and a built-in grill all the way to a fully-outfitted cooking space worthy of a professional chef.

Start with a built-in premium grill that is engineered to deliver a superior cooking performance. Add any appliances that fit your cooking style, such as an outdoor oven, side burners, smoker, and warming drawers.

Ditch your portable coolers and get a fridge and ice-making machine to handle all your outdoor refrigeration needs. Including a sink in your kitchen design plan is a great idea, too.

That covers everything required to make your outdoor meals. Next, surround your cooking appliances with attractive outdoor kitchen cabinetry for storage, along with weather-proof countertops for dining and meal preparation.

Now you’re really cooking with a kitchen space that is set up perfectly for summer grilling!

A complete outdoor kitchen with a premium grill, appliances, sink, fridge, cabinetry, and countertop.

2. Go beyond dogs and burgers

Burgers and hot dogs are a reliable summer grilling staple, but why not change up your menu once in a while?

Here are a few suggestions for delicious grilled dishes that aren’t so predictable:

Grilled pizza: Pizza can be cooked right on your grill grates. For a well-done crust, cook the pizza dough on one side for a few minutes. Then flip it over and add your favourite pizza sauce and toppings. Cook it until the cheese is melted. For a softer crust, skip the step of cooking the dough by itself and just grill the whole pizza in one go.

Using a wood-fired or gas-fired outdoor pizza oven is another way to cook homemade pizza. Outdoor pizza ovens cook at a very high heat and can have your pizza cooked in only a few minutes.

Grilled quesadillas: Quesadillas offer a limitless variety of recipe options that can be tailored to the taste of you and your hungry diners.

Keep experimenting with different types of meats, fishes, vegetables, cheeses, spices, and cooking oils for new tastes that will surprise you.

The popular Mexican dish is super-easy to make and is perfect for the grill. This recipe explains how to prepare and grill quesadillas.

Looking to shake up your summer grilling menu? Give grilled pizza a try! (Photo by Ponyo Sakana from Pexels)

5 less obvious summer menu ideas

Are you looking for some other less obvious foods and dishes (compared to burgers, hot dogs, and steak) to cook on the grill? Here are a few ideas:

• seafood like salmon, tuna, and shrimp
• grilled steak tacos
• pork
• lamb chops
• brisket

Don’t forget the vegans: For the vegans being served at your outdoor cookout, there are lots of tasty recipes available that might even win over the carnivores at your dinner table. Here are 15 vegan grilling recipes you can try.

3. Appetizer, dessert, and side dish grilling ideas

Grilled bread: Instead of just serving up bread right out of the bag, Eataly.com recommends grilling up half-inch thick slices of hard crust bread that are brushed lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Add some fresh garlic to bring out more flavour.

After a couple of minutes over a medium heat, grill marks should appear, which tells you they’re ready.

BBQ bacon meatball skewers: We found this intriguing recipe for bacon meatball skewers that sounds very tasty. Two types of grilled meat together in one appetizer? What’s not to love?

The meatballs cans be made with ground beef, chicken, or turkey and the whole dish can be prepped and cooked in just over 20 minutes.

Grilled fruit: Everyone knows how amazing grilled veggies taste, but grilled fruit is equally worth throwing on the barbecue as a dessert or appetizer option.

Cut larger sections of harder fruits like watermelon, apples, pears, pineapple, and tomatoes (yes, they’re a fruit). You can put them right on the grill as is or add some extra flavour by basting them with a sauce.

The grilled fruit’s natural sugars will caramelize and give them a pleasant, distinct taste that will make you view them in a whole new way.

4. The best wines for enjoying in the summer

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Chilled white wines tend to be the beverage of choice for a lot of us when we’re spending time outdoors in the warm weather. Their crisp and refreshing lighter taste is ideal for a summer grilling and dining setting.

White wines usually have less alcohol than reds, which means anyone enjoying them won’t get dehydrated as quickly during hot weather. You can’t go wrong with a good dry white Bordeaux, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Riesling.

For the devoted red wine drinkers at your backyard gathering, a chilled rosé is always a good choice. Light-to-medium-bodied reds like a Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, or Merlot are also ideal.

Wine pairing recommendations for grilled meats

Grilled food tastes even better when it’s served with the right wine. Here are a few meat and wine pairings that work well:

• Steak: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Shiraz
• Pork: Rosé, Riesling, and Pinot Noir
• Hamburgers: Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc, Shiraz, and Sangiovese
• Chicken: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc

5. Summer grilling the healthy way

As great as grilled food tastes, not all of it is the healthiest for you. Some of the menu suggestions listed above do have less fat and fewer calories.

Here are a few healthier grilling ideas and tips worth trying:

• Use leaner cuts of meat like veal, chicken, turkey, sirloin or porterhouse steaks, lamb, and pork chops or tenderloin.
• Fish is a healthier alternative to meat and has less fat and high protein. Many types of fish are also chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart.
• Store-bought condiments, barbecue sauces, and marinades are loaded with sugar and salt. Look online for some easy-to-make homemade recipes that are a little healthier.
• Some people like their grilled meats well-done, but don’t overcook things until they’re charred. Charred meat can potentially form harmful carcinogenic compounds.

6. Grilling safety tips

Where there’s fire there’s always danger, so it pays to always be diligent when the grill is fired up. Always open the lid on a natural gas or propane grill when lighting them. Put all the burners on high and let the grill heat up for 5-10 minutes before starting to cook. This burns away any residual food and grease.

Wire grill brushes are the most common tool used to clean off a grill, but it’s actually not a good idea to use them. The wire bristles can break off and end up in your food the next time you grill. Consumer Reports advises against using wire grill brushes and using a grill stone, non-wire brush, or a scrubbing pad instead.

Avoid using spray-on grill cleaning products, even if they’re advertised as being safe for cooking surfaces. They probably still contain chemicals that aren’t good for your health. Use natural cleaners like vinegar or baking soda to get the job done.

Here’s a post-grilling safety tip: don’t leave your food out for too long in the summer heat (and especially not in the hot sun).

Cooked and uncooked food can spoil after two hours outdoors when the temperature hits 31°C. If it’s even hotter, food can spoil in only an hour. Not only will some good food go to waste, anyone who eats it could get food poisoning. Talk about putting a damper on the party.

Some of the bristles from wire grill brushes can break off when the grill is being cleaned and end up on your food. A grill stone, non-wire brush, or a scrubbing pad are safer options.

7. Tips for keeping the bugs away

Fewer things ruin a pleasurable summer evening in the backyard than a bunch of annoying mosquitoes who are hungrier than you were before dinner was served.

Relying on the smoke from your grill as a mosquito repellent is a bad strategy. It’s probably just as annoying to anyone around your cooking space!

Instead, try these more practical bug repellent solutions:

Eliminate pools of standing water: Small pools of stagnant water are breeding grounds for mosquitoes. If possible, avoid having any of them on your property to limit the mosquito population around your house. Target areas like garden ponds without running water and other things that collect rainwater like flower pots, buckets, and inflatable pools.

Screen in your outdoor living space: If the smell of citronella candles and bug repellent is a turn-off, set up mesh netting around your outdoor living space to keep the mosquitoes out.

Ensure your lights aren’t bug-friendly: Incandescent bulbs are a magnet for mosquitoes and other bugs. Switch the bulbs around your outdoor kitchen to yellow-hued LED bulbs that won’t attract as much attention from any unwanted visitors.

Use fans: Using ceiling fans and standup fans on your patio can be a moderately effective deterrent for bugs. The moving air not only makes it harder for mosquitoes to fly, it also disperses the human scents the pests target to feed on. One downside of using fans outdoors is that they may be a little too noisy for your liking.

Savour the taste of summer grilling

The weather isn’t the only thing heating up – grilling season is, too!

Use these summer grilling ideas and tips to maximize your enjoyment in your backyard over the next few months.

We can help you create a complete outdoor living space. From designing a beautiful outdoor kitchen and entertaining space to installing high-quality backyard lighting and audio systems, Outeriors takes care of everything with your project.

Schedule a free design consultation with us today so you can get the most out of your backyard or cottage this summer.

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See also:

• Outdoor Living Renovations Are on the Rise
• Premium Grill Benefits: 5 Reasons to Go Upscale With Your Barbecue

As the days become longer, and we see some light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, the urge to get outside is amplified, along with the hope that we can get together with family and friends.

It’s difficult to predict vaccination dates, but it’s safe to say that as different regions relax some restrictions, we can start moving about more freely. Still, wearing masks and practising social distancing will be our norm for the unforeseeable future.

Where to go? The most natural impulse is to walk out the door – to walk out your door into an outdoor oasis.

Outdoor living renovations

Last year, because of isolation rules and boundaries, home renovations reached unprecedented peaks, and there were shortages of decking and building materials.

Even manufacturers of appliances were having a hard time keeping up with orders as trying new recipes in modernized kitchens became a pandemic pastime.

Now you can take your specialized cooking skills outdoors, and demonstrate your newly acquired recipe repertoire for family and friends. Outeriors takes all that you’ve come to rely on indoors, and adapts it to outdoor spaces. Exceptional outdoor kitchens are chef-approved and customized to the most discriminating tastes.

Breathe deep

After months of being stuck inside, and relying on streamed television programs for entertainment, you can finally spread your wings and plan for social occasions in the comfort of your own backyard.

Step aside from your out-dated vision of what your yard currently looks like, and imagine what it might become.

Create an outdoor kitchen

How about an outdoor kitchen with all of the bells and whistles, including a pizza oven, a professional grill and a cocktail station?

Now glance over your shoulder. Beyond a large patio table, friends are sitting in front of a warming fire pit on padded chairs that just might be more comfortable than your indoor living room furniture.

The kids are running around and getting some long-overdue exercise, and the pallor of everyone’s skin seems to have a healthier glow.

Tablescaping

It’s a common holiday image – a long table set to perfection with colourful pottery, woven placemats, patterned runners and cloth napkins. In your imagination you might be overlooking the Amalfi Coast and surrounded by olive trees. The oil from those olives and fresh balsamic vinegar are available in hand-made decanters to drizzle on your plate before you rip off a piece of fresh baguette.

You might not be able to recreate the actual setting, but your tablescape may have a view of your landscaped yard with dappled light filtering through maple leaves. You can capture that holiday feeling with a bit of imagination and a commitment to living your best life.

10 reasons to embrace your outdoor living space

• Fresh air
• A changing palette of colours from the renewed greens of spring, to the reds and yellows of autumn
• An enhanced perspective of the world around you
• The ability to interact with others while maintaining social distancing
• Space to do what you want to do
• An alfresco environment that is welcoming to others
• Breaking free of routine and finding the littlest reason to celebrate
• Having appliances and surfaces that are designed to weather seasonal changes so that you can prepare delicious snacks and meals
• Where kids can be kids, and you don’t have to worry about spilt drinks and messy projects
• A healthier alternative to being stuck inside

No need to worry about bad weather

Have you ever sat on a covered porch during a thunderstorm? Or inhaled the earthy scent as rain hits a freshly tilled garden or splashes on parched grass at the end of summer? Not only is the sound of rain a much-needed tonic, but when you can witness nature’s whims in an outdoor shelter that’s also open to the elements, it enhances the overall experience.

Outdoor cabinetry and countertops

While we all prefer sunny skies, a light breeze and comfortable temperatures, you don’t need to be a fair-weather friend to your outside space. Outeriors has a wide range of outdoor cabinetry and countertops that are made from high-intensity products that can withstand:

• Stains
• Heat
• Extreme climate conditions
• Scratches & abrasions
• UV light
• Weight
• And all types of spills and chemicals as the surfaces are non-porous

The ultimate staycation

Remote islands aren’t the only place where you can witness a spectacular sunrise or sunset, but you might have to get up a bit earlier and step outside, with coffee in-hand, to appreciate where you are, and what you have.

Plus, you don’t have to wait in long line-ups at the airport, or travel to another country in order to get a little R & R. So often, you need a holiday after a vacation, as it was anything but relaxing. Four days out of seven were spent travelling, and then an upset stomach interrupted your time on the beach after you ate some off-tasting seafood.

A connection to nature is crucial for your well-being, and those trees and green spaces have a positive effect on your mental health. As a natural extension of your living space, your own backyard offers up so many possibilities. When you live in a climate with a variety of seasons, that space should also be adaptable so that you can enjoy it all year long.

And because we’re not travelling or eating out as much these days, the entertainment budget can be redirected by putting money back into your property for a significant return on your investment.

Treat yourself and your family to a more-extensive home environment that addresses all of your retreat-like dreams. When you have time off, you shouldn’t want to leave home for maximum enjoyability – but stay home.

Everything you need for outdoor living

Outeriors carries the finest selection of outdoor kitchen appliances, cabinetry, gourmet grills, fire pits and more – everything that you need to enjoy outdoor living (except your friends and family).

If you’re planning to upgrade your outdoor space, request a free design consultation to get started.

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The outdoor cooking season is never long enough in Canada and the time arrives every year when an outdoor kitchen needs to closed up until next spring, unfortunately.

To protect the investment you’ve made in your outdoor kitchen, there are a few things you need to do to prepare the space for its months of winter inactivity.

Take the time once a year to follow these steps to winterize your outdoor kitchen. You’ll extend the life of your kitchen and its components.

Doing a little extra work now also results in minimal set-up being required when you’re itching to get that first big outdoor cookout started in the spring.

Shut off your outdoor kitchen’s water supply

Turning off an outdoor cooking space’s water connection is one of the most important steps to winterize your outdoor kitchen.

Frozen water lines and burst pipes can cause expensive damage not just to your plumbing infrastructure, but to the outdoor sink and appliances they’re hooked up to.

Once your outdoor water connection has been shut off, drain the water supply lines by turning on the sink’s faucet(s). Make sure any water is also drained from any lines hooked up to your outdoor fridge and ice maker.

Winterize your outdoor kitchen sink

With the water supply shut off and all water lines and pipes drained, there are only a few more quick steps to winterize your outdoor kitchen sink.

Even though your outdoor sink is made with durable stainless steel, it should still be covered up to protect it from unnecessary exposure to the elements over the winter months.

You don’t want it filling up with rain water, snow, and sleet that will go down your drain and potentially cause damage. A sink cover is also needed to keep out any type of debris that can clog up your pipes, such as leaves.

Try to find a sink cover that is made specifically for your outdoor sink model so that it fits snugly. It’s worth paying a little more for a high-quality sink cover that won’t deteriorate or start fading after a few years of use. Covers made with carbon fibre vinyl are considered quite reliable.

A good sink cover should cover up the faucet as well, but you may wish to disconnect your faucet and store it inside over the winter, especially if it’s expensive.

Get your grill winter-ready

The end of the cooking season is when outdoor grills should get the most cleaning and maintenance attention. Give your grill some TLC so it will be good to go in the spring or be ready to use if you get a mid-January craving for some barbecued steaks.

Remove the grill’s grates and warming rack and scrub off any grease and food residue with a degreaser using a wire brush. Make an effort to get to all those other hard-to-reach corners of the grill and don’t forget to clean up around the burners, too. Once all the heavy-duty grill cleaning is done, use a stainless steel cleaner to give the grill a good polish.

Grilling experts recommend seasoning your grill regularly and before being stored for the winter. This involves firing up the grill (without food) for a short period after coating the grates and burners with a cooking oil to protect against rust, prevent food from sticking, and to remove contaminants.

Afterwards, shut off the gas line if it’s a natural gas grill. Disconnect the gas line and cover up any openings on the end of the line and where it connects to the grill so no insects get inside.

If you have a propane grill and don’t plan to use it in the winter, disconnect the propane tank and store it upright outdoors in a well-ventilated area. To prevent the tank from rusting, keep it in a covered area (you can purchase a fabric cover or a tank container for winter storage). Never store a propane tank in an enclosed space like a garage or shed.

Your final step to winterize your outdoor kitchen grill is to cover it. As with the sink, use a cover made specifically for the appliance. A weatherproof cover made with a synthetic material that can breathe a little will prevent moisture from being trapped inside the cover.

Winterize your outdoor kitchen cabinets

What you do to winterize your outdoor kitchen cabinets will depend on what type of material they’re made from.

Stainless steel is the most common type of outdoor cabinet material. If you’ve invested in an excellent brand like Brown Jordan or Danver, they will be made using a high-quality, rust-resistant material such as 304 stainless steel.

High-end stainless steel cabinets also have low-maintenance powder-coated finishes that provide additional protection against the weather. A stainless steel polish can also help preserve the cabinets’ appearance and minimize the effects of exposure to moisture.

Danver advises that “although powder-coated stainless steel can be left uncovered in the winter months, covering adds extra protection which can never hurt”.

NatureKast makes a unique type of outdoor cabinet that is 100% weatherproof. Manufactured using a technologically advanced hi-resin system that replicates the look of real wood, their PVC cabinets are as maintenance-free as it gets. As you can see in this gallery on their site, their cabinets can sit uncovered throughout the winter, even in areas that get lots of snow.

Wood outdoor cabinets will require the most maintenance to get them ready for the winter. Wood is more susceptible to warping and moisture damage, so they need to be sealed or oiled every year.

Outdoor countertop winter preparation

As you have noticed, there’s a recurring theme that comes up when describing the materials the items in an outdoor kitchen are manufactured with – resilience.

Outdoor kitchen countertops are no exception. A premium outdoor countertop should last you for many years and modern technology allows manufacturers to engineer them for multiple applications including:

• weather-proofing construction that provides moisture, UV, and thermal expansion protection
• superior durability as both a work and dining surface that protects against scratches, stains, and heat
• the ability to create an endless number of attractive custom designs

As with outdoor cabinets, the countertop’s material will determine what you need to do with them when winter arrives. Certain types of countertops require occasional sealer applications to prevent the finish from wearing down from prolonged exposure to the elements.

Some countertop brands offer products that require no sealer applications. Dekton is one of them. Their countertops are made using a highly advanced sinterized particle technology that produces ultra-resilient work surfaces.

Winterize your outdoor kitchen appliances

Unplug all of your outdoor kitchen appliances. Most high-quality outdoor kitchen appliances shouldn’t need to be brought indoors for the winter because they’re specifically constructed to withstand long-term exposure outside.

It may seem wise to cover all of your outdoor kitchen appliances for their winter hibernation, but this can do more harm than good in some cases.

Things like built-in side burners and flattop grills will likely need covering, but covering some of your other appliances may trap moisture, which can potentially cause damage to the product. Check the manuals of your appliances to see what the manufacturer recommends for them in preparation for the winter.

It’s advisable that during the cooking season, you give your appliances an occasional cleaning. They should always be thoroughly cleaned when your outdoor kitchen is closed up for the year to preserve their finish and create less cleaning work in the spring.

Ensure all the water is drained from the lines of any outdoor kitchen appliances that are connected to a water supply, such as a fridge, ice maker, beverage dispenser, and dishwasher.

Once all the food and condiments have been removed from an outdoor fridge, clean the inside of it with some soap and water and make sure the interior is dry.

Don’t forget about the outdoor range hood

Some grills that are in an enclosed or semi-enclosed area have grill hoods installed. They work just like an indoor range hood by extracting smoke, odours, grease, and heat.

Because of the nature of what they do, an exterior grill hood is probably the item in your kitchen that gets the dirtiest during the cooking season aside from the grill itself.

Outdoor range hoods are most commonly made with stainless steel, so give the inside and outside of the hood a thorough cleaning with a good stainless steel cleaner. If there is a lot of grease and grime built up in some areas, use a degreaser.

Many outdoor range hood models also have removable filters that are dishwasher-safe.

Tips for extending your outdoor kitchen’s season

How can you extend your outdoor kitchen’s season to get a little more enjoyment out of it when the weather won’t cooperate?

A roof covering for a porch or attached patio will help all year-round, not just for your comfort but to keep the contents of an outdoor kitchen shielded from any precipitation. Having an enclosed or semi-enclosed outdoor cooking space is even better.

A few types of heat sources can be added to an outdoor cooking and entertaining space for ambiance and more comfort. The most popular options include:

• outdoor fire pits
• outdoor fireplaces or wood stoves
• patio heaters

Upgrade or design your outdoor kitchen space

We hope these tips for helping you winterize your outdoor kitchen have been helpful.

Keep in mind that these are general guidelines that will help maintain the appearance and functionality of your outdoor kitchen. With a new kitchen you’re preparing for the winter for the first time, double-check with the product manufacturers and your outdoor kitchen installer to ensure you’re using the best kitchen care practices.

If the outdoor kitchen you’re planning to winterize could use some upgrades to turn it into an even more valuable extension of your living space, contact us.

Outeriors will work with you to create a beautiful outdoor cooking space you’ll be disappointed to close up in the late fall and look forward to using when the spring arrives.

Schedule a design consultation with us.

Please share this post if you found it useful.

See also:

• Outdoor Kitchen Cabinet Materials: The 5 Most Popular Types
• Outdoor Kitchen Design: 9 Common Questions and Answers
• Premium Grill Benefits: 5 Reasons to Go Upscale With Your Barbecue