A neighborhood grill is a great social occasion where everyone can get together over a beer and a burger.
If your guests have specific dietary requirements, this can be easily solved.
Anyone requiring gluten-free food—for medical reasons or otherwise—doesn’t have to miss out on any of the fun.
Although many cuts of raw meat are gluten free, gluten has a habit of making its way into other items. Sausages and burgers are regular culprits, along with numerous ready-made marinades and sauces.
Don’t worry - we’ve included gluten-free alternatives to these products. We also have gluten-free BBQ ideas for vegetable side dishes and some delicious desserts.
Gluten-Free Beef Burgers
Many pre-made beef burgers contain breadcrumbs.
You may think this is to help bind the other ingredients together, or perhaps to act as a filler, but it’s actually for neither of these reasons.
Breadcrumbs are able to soak up juices from the minced meat and retain them. Once the burger is cooked, the breadcrumbs then release these juices, resulting in a more succulent flavor.
While it’s possible to make burgers using gluten-free breadcrumbs, here is a recipe with no breadcrumbs whatsoever. Making your own burgers without breadcrumbs is just as easy, effective, and tasty.
Many kinds of meat can be used to make burgers. You can use minced chicken, beef, lamb or pork. Ensure that the meat to fat ratio is around 80 to 20, or slightly higher if you like your burgers well done.
This helps to balance out the extra time required for grilling. To make gluten free burgers you will need:
Begin by finely chopping the onion and parsley. Then mix these with all of the remaining ingredients.
Use your hands instead of a blender for this as it will result in a better texture. Shape the mixture into four even patties and chill these for at least half an hour before grilling.
Gluten-Free BBQ Sauce
Many commercially-made BBQ sauces contain thickening agents. Unfortunately, most of these substances contain gluten.
Making your own BBQ sauce is quick and easy to do, and it tastes far better than anything out of a bottle.
The following recipe can be used on all kinds of grilled meats including chicken, beef, pork, and ribs. It can also be used as a dipping sauce for chicken tenders and wings.
You will need:
To make your gluten-free BBQ sauce involves a basic and easy process. You just need to mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan.
Next, heat this mixture until it boils, and simmer it over a low temperature for around 10 minutes.
Gluten-Free All Purpose Marinade
Like BBQ sauces, many ready-made marinades have ingredients that thicken the mixture. A lot of these thickening agents contain gluten.
This all-purpose gluten-free marinade can be used on a number of different meats. It is also very adaptable and you can customize it with your own favourite herbs and spices.
To make this marinade you will need:
To make this marinade you need to crush the garlic and mix it together with all the other ingredients.
To use it you should place it in a ziplock bag with the meat of your choice. Leave the bag in the fridge to marinate for at least four hours before grilling the meat.
Vegetable Skewers
A simple and tasty side dish is the gluten-free vegetable skewer.
This type of kebab can be made into a main dish by simply adding cubes of chicken, lamb, or beef. You may even want to try using fish or prawns.
To make the spicy marinade for your vegetables, you will need:
Place all of the ingredients into a blender, except for the fresh herbs. Blend the other ingredients until they are evenly mixed and smooth.
Then add the fresh herbs and pulse until they are finely chopped but not completely blended.
Once you have the marinade ready, use it to coat your vegetables and any meat you are using. Good vegetables to use with this include bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and onion.
After you have left these to marinate in the fridge for at least four hours, they are ready to be put on skewers and grilled.
If using wooden skewers, ensure they have been soaked in water overnight to prevent burning. Grill the skewers for 15 minutes over a medium to low heat.
Corn on the Cob
Unlike the corn grain, corn on the cob is gluten free.
It is best to buy your own ears of corn and shuck them yourself. This will ensure that cross contamination from other products does not occur.
Corn on the cob can be flavoured with a variety of gluten-free ingredients; or serve it plain, it’s tasty even with just butter.
However, to impress your guests we have a delicious recipe for you: corn on the cob with lime, cilantro and paprika.
To make this recipe you will need:
First you will need to grill your ears of corn over a high temperature on your BBQ. Place them on the grill and cover them. Grill the corn for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn them occasionally during this time.
Once you have removed the corn from the grill, allow them to cool enough that they can be picked up. While you’re waiting, mix up the other remaining ingredients in a large bow.
Shuck your corn and then put this mixture on it, using a pastry brush or your hands. You may wish to add extra seasoning to taste.
Grilled Fruits
Time for a dessert now.
Many different kinds of fruit can be grilled to create a delicious end to your meal.
Stone fruits are particularly good for grilling, such as peaches and nectarines.
Other fruits that you might like to use include apples, pears, pineapple and banana. Did you know that you can even grill melon?
While fruit slices or kebabs are delicious by themselves, a few extra ingredients will really step things up a notch. Try your own variation of this sweet marinade for your fruits.
You’ll need:
To use this sweet marinade, coat your fruits in it before grilling them. If you really want to pack in the flavor, use a skewer or fork to make holes in the fruit. This will allow the marinade to soak into your fruit even further.
Then you just need to grill your fruit on the BBQ until it is ready. Some fruits will take longer than others, especially if they are denser.
Brush them with any remaining marinade while grilling, and you can even use it as a serving sauce.
You might also like to try wrapping your fruits in aluminium foil and baking them over the hot coals of your grill.
Ensure that you grind all of the spices yourself or choose gluten-free products. This will make sure any cross contamination is prevented.
Final Thoughts
While some solutions are obvious, there are many nifty ways to keep all BBQ staple items gluten free.
Making your own sauces and marinades is easy, and they often taste better than shop bought varieties anyway.
Producing your own burgers means you know exactly what is going into them. Many vegetable side dishes can be gluten free, as well as delicious grilled fruit desserts.
Incorporate some—or all—of these recipes into your collection for when you get grilling next, to make sure that none of your guests go hungry.