Grilled foods are always perfect for picnic outings. Kids and adults alike love hot grilled foods grilled foods for picnic lunches or dinners. Barbecued meat or fish (or any kind of seafood like shrimp and squid) tastes better when cooked with grilled vegetables as side dish. Fresh air is the best seasoning for these picnic food recipes to grill. No meal is more enjoyable when shared with family and friends. Make sure to choose the right wine and vegetable side dish for grilled foods you bring to the picnic.

Two Grilling Methods

Two types of grilling when using charcoal or barbecue briquettes: direct and indirect grilling  methods. Thick cuts of meat usually require cooking over indirect heat; while easy-to-cook picnic foods can be grilled directly over charcoal embers. For indirect grilling method, create an empty space in the middle by scraping the hot charcoals to opposite sides of the grill.

BBQ Tips and Techniques

Here are some grilling tips and techniques to make your picnic food grilled dishes yummy and tasty. Do not burn or overcook because charred meat is not healthy for the body. To avoid overcooking, picnic grilled foods are microwaved or boiled in marinade. To avoid charring, apply sauce or marinade on barbecued meat when cooking time is almost over. To avoid losing the delicious juices while grilling the picnic foods, do not press the meat (like steak or hamburger patties) while cooking. Rub cooking oil on the clean and dry surface grill grate to keep food from sticking. Round-shaped grill has equal distribution of heat.

How to Prepare the Charcoal Grill

Clean the grate grill with steel brush, rinse well, and let dry; then brush on some vegetable oil. Remove ashes in the grill. Arrange the charcoal or briquettes like a mountain with a small cave opening at the bottom. Roll and twist a piece of paper to form a long and thin shape. Light one end and carefully insert into the “cave”. Smoke should be free to escape through the pile of charcoal so that oxygen can get inside to keep the fire alive. Use a metal utensil or thick stick to spread the hot coals.

Grilled Shrimp with Tomatoes (Credit given to sean dreilinger from flickr.com)

Picnic Grilled Shrimps

Shrimps are quick-cooking and best grilled over direct heat.

Ingredients:

20 pieces large shrimp (without head), peeled and deveined but keep the tails intact
1 piece small lemon
2 Tbsp honey

Marinade Ingredients:

2 cups barbecue sauce
½ tsp ground pepper, fine
¼ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp garlic powder

How to: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for marinade. In a large bowl, squeeze lemon over shrimps. Set aside for 2 minutes; then, wash quickly and drain well. Marinate shrimps for 1 hour. Drain well before grilling to avoid burning. Stick 5 shrimps to each barbecue bamboo sticks, horizontally or vertically. Arrange on pre-oiled grill grate and cook over a single layer of red-hot charcoal or white bbq briquettes. Shrimps cook for 6 to 10 minutes; or 3 to 5  minutes for each side. Brush marinade on shrimps only once and when almost half-done. Drizzle or brush honey on grilled shrimps and serve hot on top of sliced ripe tomatoes and shreds of green lettuce.

Chicken Barbecue (Credit given to thebittenword from flickr.com)

Picnic Barbequed Chicken Drumsticks

Dark-colored chicken barbecues are caused by the sweetness in the marinade. If light color is desired, pre-cook the chicken drumsticks with the marinade to shorten the grilling time.

Ingredients:

6 pieces medium chicken drumsticks or legs, thawed and well-drained
¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ ground pepper
¼ fine salt

How to: Combine all ingredients and set aside for 1 to 2 hours. Using a fork, prick chicken legs on different parts so that meat will absorb the marinade. Cook chicken over indirect heat. Braise the marinate on the chicken

Pork Ribs on Grill (Credit given to Joe Perez-Green from flickr.com)

Picnic Pork Ribs on Hot Grill

Pork is tastier when cooked slowly. Braise with some barbeque sauce while cooking over indirect heat to make it smell delicious. Pork ribs are the best choice for picnic grilled meat recipes because pork meat is more tender than beef.

Ingredients:

2 pounds pork ribs, washed and drained
2 cups barbeque sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup chili sauce (optional)
½ cup brown sugar (optional)

How to: Arrange the hot charcoal on the grill to create a vacant space on the middle. Grilling over indirect heat requires longer cooking time and frequent turning to avoid burning or charring. To keep the meat moist, brush with barbeque sauce and vegetable oil on each turning.

Summer Picnic Idea

Summer picnics are more fun when picnic foods are grilled right before eating. Remember: quick-cooking recipes are better cooked over direct heat; while large slabs of meat need to be slow-cooked using indirect heat to keep the meat tasty, juicy, and tender.

Picnics are special bonding moments where the family enjoys eating while savoring fresh air in the outdoors. Among hundreds of picnic food ideas, chicken is one of the most popular and versatile dish to cook. Fried chicken is always a favorite with kids but oven-baked chicken with the usual breading can be healthier because of less oil content. Chicken can also be cooked over hot coals easily and quickly. Just marinade the chicken meat overnight in barbecue marinating mix so that it will be tastier and juicier.

Chicken casserole with rich sauce or stir-fried chicken strips with crisp vegetables are great as picnic foods for eaters who like to wipe their plates with bread or have their rice moist and tasty. Of course, whole roast chicken will be perfect to bring along with other picnic goodies such as salads, cheeses, and a bottle of sparkling white wine. Picnic chicken foods need not be fussy and complicated to prepare. There are lots of easy ways to cook chicken recipes here; and some helpful tips on proper ways of packing cooked chicken foods, too.

Fried Chicken

Fried chicken can be prepared and cooked in many ways but the simplest recipe may just include fresh chicken legs and seasoned coating/breading. A deep fryer is not required to fry chicken. To get the chicken legs crispy on the outside and juicy from the inside even when pan-fried, make sure that the pieces being fried are half-submerged in pre-heated oil and not over-crowded in the pan. Three to four pieces per batch is fine. Otherwise, the fried chicken will be soggy and greasy. Oven-baked chicken may not be as crispier but will surely be more preferable by the health-conscious. To keep the fried chicken crisp and hot: cook it a few hours before departure, cool, and arrange in a container lined with several table tissues to absorb excess oil.

Ingredients:

12 chicken legs, washed and drained
1 piece egg, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
4 cups cooking oil
Breading (ratio: 2 cups flour per ¼ tsp each of ground pepper and fine iodized salt)

How to: Heat oil in a cast iron frying pan. Dip each chicken leg in the egg mixture and coat with breading thoroughly. When smoke starts to appear on the surface, put one chicken piece into the oil with skin-side down. Avoid over-crowding. Use a pair of tongs to prevent the hot oil from splattering. Remove the chicken when the color turned golden brown and arrange on the cooling rack to let the oil drip.

Crispy Fried Chicken (Credits given to kathyylchan from flickr.com)

Simple Chicken Casserole

This easy-to-prepare and no-fuss dish can be cooked in a slow cooker. Just throw in all the ingredients and let simmer for about an hour. The recipe is simple yet very satisfying. No need to pack. Just bring the whole pot.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice, uncooked and washed
2 cups water
6 pieces chicken skinless breasts, deboned and cut into chunky cubes then blanched in hot water
2 cans cream of chicken
1 small can sliced mushroom, well-drained
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 small can salsa
6 cups cheese, shredded

How to: Divide all ingredients into two parts. Layer the bottom of the pot with the first part of the following: rice, water, chicken cubes, cream of chicken, mushroom, onion, salsa, and cheese. Repeat procedure for the second layer. Optional: Arrange shredded spinach leaves before cheese. Boil and simmer over low heat for about an hour, or until rice is tender and fluffy.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole (Credits given to Corey_Ann from flickr.com)

Crunchy Veggie Toppings

Chopped assorted veggies stir-fried in a little olive oil is a tasty alternative to the usual vegetable salad you eat with roasted chicken. Top it on a bowl of steaming rice to make a fulfilling meal. To pack, transfer the stir-fried vegetables in a ceramic pot. Do not cover while steaming to avoid over-cooking veggies due to excess heat.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 whole chicken breast, parboiled and shredded to strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large green bellpepper, seeded and cut to strips
1 large red bellpepper, seeded and cut to strips
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into strips
1 small cabbage, chopped roughly
Pinch of salt and ground pepper

How to: Heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken strips and onions until slightly browned. Put the heat to high and throw in all the vegetables along with the salt and ground pepper. Continue stirring to avoid burning. Remove from heat when all vegetables look coated with oil. In a different pot, boil rice in water until cooked. Fluff the rice and transfer to a ceramic bowl with cover.

Great Picnic Food Ideas for Hamburgers

When you think of a picnic, what dish immediately comes to mind? For some, it is a sandwich. For others, it is a nice, juicy steak off of the grill. For many, though, the first thing to come to mind is a delicious grilled hamburger with all of the trimmings. There are tons of terrific ways to cook a mean hamburger. While they are all great, my two favorite ones are given below.

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Picnic Food Recipe for Meat:

Chicken, Chicken, and More

Chicken

Preparing for a picnic can be a bit stressful or it can be a lot of fun. Obviously every picnic is centered around bonding, laughter, and of course food. Picnics are embarked upon in order to bring together friends and family or to celebrate summer and life. Regardless of your reason for having a picnic, there are a variety of food choices when deciding upon a menu. Throughout this article we will examine some relatively easy but quite delicious picnic food recipes for meat, specifically focusing in on chicken. Read the rest of this entry »

Three Tasty Picnic Food

Recipes for Meat

It is spring time and the winter chill is finally started to ebb. The need for a jacket is nonexistent and simply basting in the summer sun is just days ahead. As the warmer months approach it is an ideal time to have a fantastic picnic. The best thing about picnics besides lasting memories and fun is the tasty food that is sure to be present at these outdoor outings. This article explores a few tasty picnic food recipes for meat. Read the rest of this entry »