The smell of burning charcoal, hamburgers, brats, sausages, ribs, and even pizza’s will soon be filling the air in most of the US on weekends and week nights. Is there any better smell than that of grilling? We don’t think so. Is there any better way to cook that on a grill or in a smoker? We don’t think so either. The grill offers the chef so many options that we wish we could just move our grill into the kitchen. You will see us outside in the winter still using the grill as snow billows around us. Why you ask? Because there is almost nothing that can’t be done on a grill.

That is the grill that we use here at our home. It is a nice 5 burner propane grill and we use it for most everything. We also have a tall charcoal smoker that we use for bbq. Now, when you want to talk about grilling, there really is a lot to say. One of the most important aspects of grilling and something that can make ordinary extraordinary is quality ingredients. We mean everything from the meat or chicken you buy to the salt and pepper that you use. One of the most basic things to grill, but something that most people seem to do wrong, is the basic hamburger. Here is our recipe for a great, simple, and amazing burger.

2 lbs ground chuck (about 80/20 in the fact department…maybe 85/15)

Shape into 8 1/4 lb patties.
Brush each patty with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Season each pattie with some Butchers Salt and 5 blend peppercorns. that’s it. Make sure the grill is VERY hot before you put the burgers on….do NOT touch them for at least 2-3 minutes…flip ONCE and cook 2-3 minutes. Done…..

That is all that it takes to make truly gourmet burgers. The Butchers Salt is a nice blend of sea salt and herbs and is really all you need with some pepper.

Another great thing you can do for grilling is chicken. Chicken by nature lends itself to a wide variety of options for grilling. Our favorite is a simple marinade that is nothing more than a couple of crushed garlic cloves, equal parts Olive Oil and Raspberry Vinegar, some salt and pepper and that’s it. Marinate this for about 2 hours and you will have yourselves an amazing grilled chicken that is perfect with a pasta salad or as a sandwich. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to ask.

Athena Foods - Grill Like a Goddess