The 4th of July weekend is coming up and the barbecue parties will be plentiful. I thought this week I would answer some questions I have received in the past to help your barbecue go smoothly.

One question I get asked a lot is “Why does my chicken stick to the grill when I try to turn it?” Chicken seems to be the biggest culprit but other meats can cause the same problem - for the same reason.

I’ve written about this grilling technique in the past but it bears repeating. There are probably 2 reasons.

1) Your grill is not hot enough. Whether you are going to grill over indirect heat or direct heat, you need to start with a hot grill. The grid needs to be hot before any meat or anything you are cooking on the grill is placed on it.

2) You are turning your chicken or meat too quickly. Barbecuers seem to want to constantly turn their meats and that’s not necessary. The first time you go to turn it, use your spatula or tongs and try to turn it without force. If the meat does not release from the grid, it is not ready to turn.

3) Yep - I said 2. A 3rd reason is your grid could be old and deteriorated. If so, you need to replace it.

The nice thing about grilling is you can experiment. Just because you haven’t seen something somewhere doesn’t mean you can’t give it a shot. Now, I’m sure this has been done but I never really thought about it until the other day.

I was grilling some hot dogs and got out some frozen french fries. I have a perforated aluminum pan I use in one of my cookers and I grabbed it and sprayed it with PAM. I dumped in french fries for 3 of us and hit a little olive oil across the top and sprinkled on Italian seasoning and put it on the grill.

Nice taste! I’m not a big fan of frozen fries but I keep them on hand for quick meals. These were the best fires I have tasted. They had had nice grilled flavor and were just perfect alongside the hot dogs.

Give them a try next time you barbecue.

Many grillers feel they need to bring their A-game to the table when they grill. Pull out the seasonings, marinades, barbecue sauce; the more you use the better it tastes.

It doesn’t always have to be this way. Sometimes you need to do nothing more than grill a meat until it’s done. That’s it.

This past Fathers Day I had my family over for a barbecue. Hamburgers are usually on the menu, along with hot dogs. Last year I did some barbecue country ribs. This year I wanted another change.

I bought some Johnsonville sausages. The spices are in there. I got mild ones but you can get them with the heat kicked up as well. I put them on the grill along with hot dogs, while cooking up some killer chicken wings in my slow cooker (I’ll tell you about them another time).

Let me tell you something. I had more raves about the wings and the sausages than you could believe. Everybody loved them. They were all telling me how good they were and I’m thinking - “All I did was grilled them right from the package”.

You don’t always need to be creative in your grilling. Grilling can be very easy when you want. Sure, I love doing my own thing to a steak. But this was nice and easy and I just kicked back and enjoyed.

I never used Johnsonville before. I will from now on.

Introduce grilling to your kids at an early age and they will love it. Obviously you need to take precautions for their safety, but I guarantee your kids will perk up when you ask them if they want to help you grill.

I actually first had my grandson do some grilling when he was 2 1/2 years old. I put a step in front of the grill, then explained to him how the grill was hot and he needed to be careful. We started with hot dogs.

You can and should grill hot dogs on a lower heat setting in order to keep from burning them. I normally grill them with the lid down but did so at this time with it up so he could watch. He used tongs and easily rolled them over. I think only 1 hit the ground.

The dogs came out excellent and he was excited when he took them off the grill and put them on a serving dish I was holding. He ran in the house and told his grandma he just cooked hot dogs. He told his mom when she came to pick him up.

We did hamburgers next, then he took a try at steaks. Now the steaks get grilled at a higher temperature so I had to watch him carefully, but he did a great job.

It’s important to bond with kids and this is a very good way to do so. He is nearing 5 years old now and he still loves to grill and is learning some more techniques all the time.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Vegetable oil
4 slices sweet onion (if desired - I use onion powder)
4 crusty rolls or buns — split, toasted on the grill
4 romaine lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices
8 slices Swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

In small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients (mayonnaise and Dijon mustard) and set to the side.

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If you want to grill some fish for Memorial day, this will fit the bill.

Cut up 2 pounds of fish steaks or fillets. Butter six 12″ squares of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Place 1 fish fillet skin side down on 1/2 of each square of foil. Sprinkle with onion powder and garlic powder.

Combine
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons paprika
black or white pepper to taste

Pour this sauce evenly onto the fish. Fold over the aluminum foil and seal the edges by making double folds in the foil. Repeat for all the fillets.

Place them on the grill with the temperature around 500 degrees. If using charcoal, place about 5 or 6 inches from the coals. Close the lid.

Grill for about 8 - 10 minutes, until the fish flakes easily when you test it with a fork. If it doesn’t flake, grill a little longer.

The best fish for grilling using this method are Haddock, Trout, Perch, Swordfish and Scallops.