Father’s Day Cookout Guide: Recipes and How to Properly Clean your Grates

01
How to Clean your Grill Grates
02
Best Barbeque Recipes
03
Homemade BBQ Sauce
04
Barbeque Chicken Kebabs
05
Homemade Barbeque Burgers
06
Honey and Ginger Grilled Salmon
07
Grilled Vegetables

The warm summer sun is on the horizon, and you know what that means — backyard barbeque season is here! And what better way to kick off the summer than during a celebration of our favorite grill masters themselves? With Father’s Day just around the corner, we think it’s an awesome coincidence that it’s also time to dust off the barbeque and drag out the patio furniture. Here’s how to get your grill up and running just in time for Father’s Day.

How to Clean Your Grill Grates

First things first, let’s get those grates cleaned up before throwing anything edible on them. If you didn’t get a chance to clean your barbeque before storing it for the winter, there’s likely a lot of residue and debris still caked to the grill and inside the barbeque box.

First, you’ll want to preheat the barbeque and leave it for about 15 minutes. The heat will help loosen food and grease residue, making it much easier to remove. Once it’s heated up, turn the gas off again before starting the cleaning process.

To clean your barbeque grates, you’ll need a stiff grill brush to scrub the grates and remove the caked-on debris. You can either dip the brush into a bucket of warm, soapy water or use a specific, grill-cleaning solution (WEBER Grill Cleaner Coming Soon to Website) to help loosen the material. Once the grate has cooled down, wipe it with a damp cloth to remove any remaining residue. Pro tip: coat the grill with some olive oil to reduce the amount of stuck on food during your Father’s Day cookout! Or use this easy to use Grill’N Spray for less mess.

While the grates certainly have the dirtiest job, the rest of your barbeque is no stranger to grime either. You should also remove the heat deflectors that are located over the burners and wash them in soapy water. While you’re down there, remove the burners themselves and give them a scrub with your wire brush. Sometimes rust and debris can build up and block gas ports, causing uneven burning in your barbeque. While the cook box is empty, scrub the box and the underside of the lid, too. You can remove the propane tank and let the dirty water fall into a bucket below. During your spring cleaning, you might find that some parts of your barbeque have rusted or broken, and need to be replaced. We carry a variety of grilling accessories and parts in our outdoor living section to help you with your repairs!

Best Barbeque Recipes

Now that the grill is sparkling clean, you’re probably itching to turn it up and grill something good. With all of these delicious recipes to try, you’ll be firing up the barbeque plenty of times this summer!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

First and foremost, no matter what you choose to grill, you’re going to need to add some flavor. While there are plenty of tasty spices and sauces to choose from, you can’t go wrong with the sweet, tangy flavor of BBQ sauce (I mean, it was literally made for this exact situation). This homemade BBQ sauce is super easy to whip up and will have your mouth watering for more. Simply whisk together the following ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then, turn the heat down and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so.

• 2 cups ketchup
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Salt, pepper or other spices to taste
• ¼ tsp hot sauce for some extra kick (optional)

Ready to sauce right away? Pick up a bottle from our Specialty Foods section.

Barbeque Chicken Kebabs

Kebabs are a fun way to blend your favorite flavors into one and are super easy to grill on the barbeque. For a delicious blend of sweet and savoury, we suggest a combo of chicken, green pepper, red onion, and fresh pineapple. Simply dice your chicken breasts and veggies into ½ to 1-inch pieces, drizzle with olive oil, and rub in any seasonings or spices you want to use. If you really want to impress dad, wrap the chicken in small cuts of bacon first for some added flavor.

If you’re using metal skewers, you can go ahead and build your kebabs once everything is seasoned. With wooden skewers, you’ll want to soak them in water for a half an hour so they don’t burn on the barbeque. Grill your kebabs for 8-10 minutes on medium to high heat, turning periodically. Brush them with barbeque sauce and then grill them for another minute or so on each side for some caramelization.

Homemade Barbeque Burgers

Nothing says summer like throwing a couple hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill for an easy supper. If you’re satisfied with the frozen burger patties from the box, just wait until you taste this mouth-watering, homemade alternative.

In a large bowl, combine 2 lbs of ground beef, 4 cloves of minced garlic, a ½ cup of chopped onion, 2 beaten eggs, 2 tbsp barbeque sauce (the homemade version works perfectly here), and salt and pepper to taste. Form the perfect patties with our Weber Burger Press. There’s no doubt that regular ground beef will give you the juiciest burgers, but they might be a little too greasy for some people. If you’re trying to get dear ol’ dad to stick to his heart-healthy diet, opt for lean meat instead. You can also try extra lean, but you’ll have to add more liquid to the mix since it’ll make a drier burger.

This should yield about 8 burgers, so double up the recipe if you’ve got a bigger family. Top with condiments of your liking and a bun grilled to perfection for a melt-in-your-mouth burger with just the right amount of crunch.

Honey and Ginger Grilled Salmon

If you’re trying to cut back on your red meat or simply love getting those omega fatty acids, grilled seafood is a delicious option. We chose a honey and ginger marinade for salmon, but you could really substitute any marinade with any kind of fish!

The honey and ginger marinade provides a deliciously sweet flavor that can be matched with a little bit of spice if wanted. It consists of a ¾ cup rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), ¾ cup of soy sauce, 3 tbsp honey, 1 tsp ground ginger, and 1 tsp garlic powder. You can also add chopped red chilli or chilli flakes for some added spice.The recipe is super easy to throw together, but the catch is that it should sit in the marinade for about 8 hours before grilling. But that’s no hassle as long as you plan for it ahead of time. When you’re ready to grill, place the filet on a Salt Block (Coming Soon to Site) for added flavor and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning about halfway. Garnish with green onion and lemon or lime wedges.

Grilled Vegetables

Who said the barbeque was just for meat? You can coat almost any vegetable in olive oil and seasoning, and throw it over the grill in this handy Grill Basket until it’s crispy and brown. Asparagus, carrots, peppers, red onion, zucchini, and squash all do exceptionally well on the barbeque. Alternatively, you can pre-dice a variety of veggies, wrap them in greased tin foil, and grill them that way as well.

There’s no better way to show thanks to your dad than by giving him the things he appreciates most for Father’s Day — family, food, and an ice cold beer.