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Grilling night is always a treat at our house. Every week or two, my husband Daniel will say, “Why don’t we grill tonight for supper?” His motivation gives me the needed boost to dig some items out of the freezer.

It is especially a blessing on hot summer days when the house is toasty warm and no one feels like warming it up some more by putting supper in the oven. (As you may know, most Amish don’t have air-conditioners; some Amish have fans and some don’t. We have fans that are powered by solar energy.)

Daniel is the primary griller at our house and always likes doing a large quantity of meat so we’ll be able to enjoy leftovers the following week. We have discovered leftover diced chicken or burgers will brighten up scrambled eggs or any casserole calling for meat. Not only that, he can eat grilled burgers on sandwiches for a whole week straight and not get tired of them.

So what are our grilling favorites? Well, first of all, we are the “keep it simple” type. Daniel goes for anything meaty. He prefers straight meat over casseroles with meat in it.

My favorite meat for grilling is chicken. I was quite impressed recently when we had barbecued chicken at the home of my brother Javin and his wife, Regina. When I asked them how they got their chicken so tasty and moist, they told us how Regina’s father always used melted butter and vinegar in equal amounts and then brushed it over the chicken each time they turned it. They also shared how they do the same with burgers with amazing results.

On a typical grilling evening, we might turn several pounds of deer meat into burgers and do a pound of hot dogs wrapped in bacon and some drumstick chicken and sweet potatoes or zucchini. Other times, we might do deer steaks, ribs and regular potatoes.

We’ve been experimenting with various ways of doing the potatoes. I liked how my sister-in-law made them on our trip to Lake Barkley. She simply sliced the potatoes length-wise, in wedges, then tossed them with some flour and seasoning salt before putting them on the grill, drizzling with butter or olive oil.

This always works well for sweet potatoes or any other veggies. If you prefer to do it with less grease, simply omit the flour and butter or oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt; they will still taste better than candy. This is a perfect way to use up all those extra zucchinis floating around during the summer months. Those who think they don’t like zucchini may change their minds after trying these.

We especially enjoy grilling for guests, then eating on our back porch next to the woods. Visitors are always welcome. If you’re coming to our area, let us know; we’ll be happy to fire up the grill for you.

This spring, I gave Daniel a charcoal grill as a Father’s Day and birthday gift combo. Since then, we’ve done quite a bit of grilling. Now that we are using charcoal instead of gas or an actual fire, we very seldom marinate because the coal gives a delicious flavor that penetrates the grilled items. We use both briquette and lump coal with our favorite being the lump, which is also known to be healthier.

Try this recipe on the grill for some of the most flavorful, juicy burgers you’ll taste.

WORLD FAMOUS BURGERS

Sauce:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Burgers:

1 1/2 pounds beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 egg

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix burger ingredients well and shape into patties.

Mix sauce ingredients and use the sauce to baste while grilling.

Cook on each side until desired doneness.

Moist and tasty, serves six.

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_AmishCook365logocol-1.jpg.optimal.jpg

Gloria and Daniel’s grill on a recent summer night shows a variety of prepared meats and potatoes.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_AmishCookgrillpiccol.jpg.optimal.jpgGloria and Daniel’s grill on a recent summer night shows a variety of prepared meats and potatoes. Contributed photo

Gloria Yoder

The Amish Cook

Readers with culinary or cultural questions or stories can write Gloria directly at Gloria Yoder, 10568 E. 350th Ave., Flat Rock, IL 62427-2019. To see more on the Amish, go to www.amish365.com.