Stoke Up Your Grill: May Is National BBQ Month!

Planning a BBQ soon? Well you won’t want to miss out on some of these quick tips provided by The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association’s from their 2010 consumer poll.

Why Grill?  Well for starters it is really no fuss, easy and fun. Think about it, you simply hook up the gas, or throw in a bag of coals, scrub the grill with your Mega Monster Grill Cleaning brush, stoke up the fire and throw on the meat with your special flavors and added touch. Yeah, you grill like no other!

Why are men so enthralled with the grill? In a nut shell, man has lost all of his basic instincts due to civilization and the corporate job and lack of needing to hunt and kill food to survive in order to be a good provider and keep the peace with Mrs. Cave Woman. Grilling or BBQing helps them get back in touch with those skills and basic instincts…the very essence of their nature. It allows them to use their caveman skills of hunting, killing and satisfy their need and desire for danger. It’s exciting with fire, flames and special tools. It also provides a bonding experience between buddies. Don’t you remember the movie Caveman? It was one of my favorites!

Ahhh but again things must change, grillin ain’t just a man’s thing anymore, women are adding some of their own thrill to their grill, in more ways than one, and are joining the ranks of BBQ nuts in their favorite pastime! Is there nothing left that only a man can do? Like the lioness she is a fierce hunter and enjoys a little excitement and danger in her life too! So stop fussing and feeling sorry for yourself boy and just embrace the change as you take a peek at the grilling tips below. I know your cave is starting to feel really crowded as we take over that too!

Mood for Outdoor Cooked Food: The appeal of having fun with family and friends (40 percent) coupled with the desire to be outside (22 percent) set the mood for consumers to cook outdoors. And, for some, just the smell of delicious outdoor cooked food gets their juices flowing (13 percent).

Your Presence is Requested: When considering an invite to someone else’s barbecue, the majority of consumers (94 percent) stated that their number one reason for attending a barbecue or cook-out is to spend time with friends and family, while 65 percent would attend for the casual laid-back atmosphere and one in five would be lured by the cook’s reputation as a grilling guru.

‘Come and Get It’: Surprisingly, two-thirds (65 percent) of the consumers polled prefer an old fashioned phone call to be invited to a barbecue, versus an email or other electronic or social networking invitation, followed by 22 percent who would rather receive an in-person invitation.

Party Planners Rejoice: The best cook-out is one that is planned a few days ahead of time, says 43 percent of consumers. But, procrastinators shouldn’t fret because there’s still room for last minute get-togethers with 38 percent preferring a more spur-of-the-moment gathering.

Order Up: Beef wrangles the top spot on the outdoor food menu (38 percent) with chicken close behind (23 percent), then seafood, including salmon, shrimp or lobster (19 percent). On the flip side, six percent of respondents opted for going meatless with seared fruit (one percent) or veggies (five percent).

Tunes of the Trade: When considering what tunes to set the mood, oldies (16 percent) or country music (15 percent) were the most popular genres among poll respondents, followed by rock/alternative (12 percent) then jazz (eight percent) and R&B (eight percent). -From 2009 NBM Consumer Poll

Here are some tips on grilling seafood.