Indoor grill parties and gatherings are just as popular when the weather doesn’t allow your party to be outdoors. It’s also become a common practice for people living in condos or apartments. While many who love grilled food aren’t always a fan of indoor grill parties, here are some tips on getting that outdoor grill flavor right in your own kitchen.
Where can you grill indoors?
If you’ve been to an outdoor grill party, you’ll know that the taste of BBQ food has that unmistakable smoky flavor. But the big problem is that you can’t grill indoors using conventional wood, charcoal, or gas-powered grills. The smoke and fumes are never a good idea because this is a fire hazard and also because you don’t want to breathe the carbon monoxide that comes from an outdoor grill anywhere in your home.
But with an electric grill, you can grill indoors in nearly any room that’s convenient. As long as you have some decent ventilation like an oven hood fan or an open window, there’s no danger of dangerous fumes aside from the smell of grilled food filling the room. Many people can place an electric grill right on their tabletop or kitchen counter to make grilled indoor party dishes right away.
But some recipes do work better than others if you want to use an electric grill indoors. Not because some enjoy a nice thick grilled steak from time to time, but more-a-less the time it takes to grill certain types of meat. Chicken, pork, and fish all cook very quickly, while fattier meats like red meat and beef can take longer. Then again, it’s all about how thinly sliced these meats are prepared ahead of time.
There is just one problem with this grilling method since your food just won’t have that outdoor grill flavor. Or will you?… It seems that nearly any recipe you decide to use at your indoor grill party can get authentic flavor with very little effort. We’ll get to these little secrets in a little bit, so here are some ideas for making excellent indoor grill party choices.
Fast and fun indoor grill meal ideas
No doubt, you’ll have plenty of people that want to eat their food as soon as it’s grilled. This is when you want to prepare some recipes that are fast and easy to make for a lot of people. You might want to let everyone know ahead of time what you’re making so everyone can enjoy the food at your next indoor party. This will make it easier for anyone who is not a meat eater or is more interested in vegetarian foods.
Vegetarian kebobs
If you have some veggie lovers at your party, you’ll want to prepare a variety of veggies that you can put on wooden skewers before your guests arrive. This can even include meatless or Vegan meat replacements mixed with fresh veggies to make your kebobs. These won’t take long on an electric grill and are ready to search in just a few minutes by grilling them on each side for a minute or two.
Because these should go first, there is no worry about getting fat or grease on your electric grill. Then you’ll be ready to cook other meats that can go onto the grill afterward without making your vegetarian friends feel uncomfortable.
Fajitas
Who doesn’t like the flavor of fajitas that come from any grill? These are easy to make and cook fast because the strips of chicken, pork, or beef are sliced very thin. They’ll cook within minutes and are simple to wrap up in a warm tortilla with plenty of fillings like chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and sauces. You can warm tortillas in a pan before the meat is finished cooking and keep them in a tortilla warmer.
If you need to clean off your electric grill in between grilling different foods, use a clean sponge to wipe off the top of the grill. This will remove any marinade that is covering the grill surface. Most indoor grills have non-stick surfaces that make them easier to clean than you might have expected.
Surf and Turf
Shrimp and prawns are wonderful to grill since they cook the fastest of all the seafood dishes. You can also grill salmon or tuna filets just as you would a steak, but in one-quarter of the time that steak would take. On one side of your electric grill, you can grill seafood and start grilling thinner meat filets on the other. This makes a neat surf and turf combo that is always a hit at theme parties.
Getting that authentic smoky flavor
Years ago, they invented this crazy invention called a smoke gun that helped people get an authentic smoky flavor for nearly anything they wanted to put it into. These days, you can find affordable smoke guns at every Target or Best Buy, and often come with sample wood chips that help flavor all sorts of foods or drinks. If you want your meats to get the incredible smoky flavor in just a couple of minutes, this is the best way to go when you grill indoors.
Just take any large glass bowl and turn it upside down so it covers a dish of grilled meats. Now all you do is fill the bowl with the smoke from your smoke gun and let it work its magic. You won’t believe how tasty this innovation can make foods taste even if you’re using an electric grill. The best part is that there is very little smoke used to add real BBQ grill flavor in any indoor party location!