Grill A Gourmet Meal In your Outdoor Kitchen

After a long day’s work, the last thing that many of us want to do is stand over a hot grill and make a full course meal–even if it is for our friends and family. Grilling should always be a leisurely activity and most often is on the weekends or when you have some time off. But for those days where you couldn’t get off work soon enough, the following recipes will help you create a full course meal grilled in under an hour on your outdoor kitchen in Cape Coral. And, if you’re having guests over, they will think that you slaved away on these sophisticated-looking dishes. Apart from being prepared and timing your dishes correctly, presentation is key to this meal. Enjoy the following recipes so that you can spend the rest of your evening enjoying your little piece of paradise.

When we think of beef short ribs, most of us think of the hours spent on low heat to make beef short ribs as tender, juicy, and smoky as possible, but there is another way. This recipe from Bon Appetit, allows you to grill your beef short ribs like a steak in just under ten minutes – the result, a delicious, juicy piece of meat that is perfect as a stand-alone main or paired with any side of your choice.

As Bon Appetit states, short ribs are a resilient cut of meat. This means that they are able to handle more strong flavors that something wimpy like a cut of chicken. Try creating a mole, spicy rub, or sweet onion marinade. The marinade must have time to soak into the meat for at least a few minutes; we suggest at least ten* before you toss it on your Cape Coral grill.

*Pro-tip: while your short ribs are absorbing all the flavors from the marinade, prep your sides or have a beer, your choice. 

Before placing your short ribs on your outdoor kitchen in Cape Coral, make sure that your grill is clean and well oiled. Your grill temp should be medium to hot.

Once the meat is on the grill, don’t move it! Each side will develop a gorgeous charred sear and should grill for 4-5 minutes for medium-rare (130 degrees).

When the ribs are finished grilling, allow them to sit for about five minutes so that the juices have a chance to redistribute. Bon Appetit, recommends looking for the striations of the meat (this will look like bands on the meat) and slice against them. Cut and serve.

Since the main in this meal is a star on its own, we will keep it simple, but sophisticated with the sides, but if you have more time on your hands and want to make something more complicated, knock yourself out.

Display and taste the grilled rainbow with this side, with only 15 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of grill time; you can have a refined-looking plate of veggies that your guests will like to look at and love to eat. Be sure to use fresh and seasonal vegetables to get the best flavors and textures possible. Learn more about how to grill this recipe on your Cape Coral bbq grill here.

This little side dish is sure to turn heads and wow taste buds. All you have to do to make this mouthwatering watermelon salad is to heat your ingredients in coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for three minutes. For the finishing touches, drizzle the turmeric oil evenly over your salad and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

To round out your meal, you’ll want to pair a cocktail that was made to be drunk with short ribs: Whiskey. For this meal, we are going with the classic Whiskey Smash. This refreshing drink dates all the way back to 1887 when it debuted in Professor Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide.  This uncomplicated whiskey recipe requires a muddler along with lemon, spearmint, simple syrup, ice, and of course, whiskey.

And for our friends who do not imbibe alcoholic beverages, this mocktail from Town & Country that is sure to delight.

You’ll need seven to eight blueberries, 1 Rosemary sprig (stripped), 1 oz honey, 1 oz fresh lemon juice (strained), 4 oz sparkling mineral water, and ice. Muddle the rosemary leaves, honey, and blueberries together at the bottom of a cocktail shaker (see told you the muddler would come in handy). Then add lemon juice and ice and shake vigorously for ten seconds before straining into a tall glass with fresh ice. Finish with sparkling mineral water and stir.

And what kind of meal would it be without dessert? For this meal, we are going to grill pie. That’s right. We’re going to grill a whole pie(or individual pies) depending on how many guests you’re feeding on your bbq grill in Cape Coral. These individual grilled apple pies are the perfect finish for your meal, make sure to bring the ice cream (or have your guests bring it) to make the pies a la mode. Bonus: this pie only takes a total of forty minutes, from start to finish, to “bake” on the grill.

And there you have it, an entire meal complete with a leading dish, side dishes, drinks, and dessert than can all be made in under an hour. The biggest trick to make sure that all food comes out as it should is planning and a little bit of math. We hope that you’ll enjoy grilling these foods on your outdoor kitchen in Cape Coral.