Enjoying the BBQ overhead shot of steak and corn salad

Your Grilling Out Guide

Lettuce chefs' expert tips

Want to learn to grill like an expert? Our Lettuce chefs are here to show you how! Five of our top Chicago-based culinary pros—Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Executive Chef Justin Diglia, Aba and Ema Chef Partner CJ Jacobson, RPM Restaurants Chef Partner Bob Broskey, RPM Steak Executive Chef Michael Cote and L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge Chef Partner Andrew Ashmore—offer tips for taking your backyard barbecue to the next level. From shareable drinks and snacks for cocktail hour on the patio, to perfectly prepared lobster and steak, here’s Lettuce’s ultimate guide to grilling out all summer long. grilled steak and lobster on the grill

Grilling 101

To start, a few general grilling tips from our pros:

1 – Keep it clean. Chef Diglia says, “Maintaining a clean grill will result in a higher quality product. Debris left in grill will continue to char and could add off-flavors to your food. Heat will also maintain more consistently if you’re working with a clean grill.” To clean, pre-heat your grill to the highest temperature and clean grill grates with a grill brush.

2 – Bring the heat. “Grilling is a direct, high heat cooking technique so the most important thing is to be able to get a grill hot,” Diglia says. Chef CJ agrees: “In my opinion, there are no bad steaks to cook on the grill as long as the grill can get really hot and the cook knows a little something about grilling.”

Diglia adds, “You wouldn’t cook with your oven door open, and similarly, don’t grill with the top open. Keeping the grill closed helps control and regulate the heat.”

3 – Be safe! When grilling, Chef Broskey recommends relying on meat thermometer whenever possible to ensure everything is cooked to perfection. “For a perfect medium-rare, aim for 125°F in the center of a filet.”

Beef on grill Now that we’ve covered some basics, let’s get grilling!

Get the Party Started

Make a Mezze

Chef CJ recommends kicking things off with a simple spread of shareable snacks. Tapas, wings, and dips and hummus with bread or crudite—mezze, as they’re known at Mediterranean favorites Aba and Ema—are the perfect way to kick off your patio party.

Avocado & Sweet Pea Dip with Crudite (Inspired by Ema)
Get the full recipe for the Avocado & Sweet Pea Spread

Deviled Eggs by Cafe-Ba-Ba-Reeba!
Get the full recipe for Deviled Eggs

Wood-Grilled Chicken Wings by The Oakville Grill & Cellar
Get the full recipe for The Oakville’s Wood-Grilled Chicken Wings

Buffalo Chicken Dip by L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge
Get the full recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip

Corn Fundido by Tallboy Taco
Get the full recipe for Corn Fundido

Crowd-Pleasing Pitcher Cocktails

Along with your starters, bring out a pitcher of a batched up summery specialty cocktail or sangria for all to share while you get the grill going.

Picnic Basket with bourbon, lemon, passion fruit, strawberry, watermelon (Inspired by Aba)
Get the full recipe for the Picnic Basket

Blackberry & Rosemary Sangria (Inspired by Big Bowl)
Get the full recipe for the Blackberry & Rosemary Sangria

Shell-ebrate with Grilled Oysters

Oysters elevate every occasion (see Shaw’s Crab House’s tips for hosting the perfect raw bar!) but a summer shindig is the perfect time to throw them on the grill. Chef Diglia offers these 5 easy tips:

1 – Run oysters under ice cold water to remove excess debris. A vegetable brush can also assist in this process.

2 – While using an oyster knife, pop open oysters and detach oyster meat from the shell. Reserve in refrigeration until ready to be grilled.

3 – When you’re ready to cook, place ½ tsp. of garlic butter on each oyster.

4 – Using the hottest part of the grill, place the oysters shell down on grill grate. Once the butter starts to melt, drizzle each oyster with white wine and close the lid to the grill.

oysters on the grill 5 – Grill oysters for approximately 3-5 minutes, finish with fresh chopped parsley, garnish with lemons and serve!

Grilled oysters from joe's

Grilled Steaks

Shopping for Steak

According to Chef Broskey, “If you’re a steak lover, RPM’s 10-oz. Center Cut Creekstone Filet, sourced from the renowned Creekstone Farms, is a must-try. These filets are celebrated for their tenderness and lean cut, with just the right amount of marbling to make them incredibly flavorful.” Order one now from Prime Meats by Lettuce, our delivery-only butcher shop in Chicago!

Chef CJ of Aba agrees: “The best cuts of steak—those that can weather either a hot or not-hot-enough grill—are those that offer beautiful marbling. Steaks like a New York or Skirt steak offer marbling throughout and give home cooks great flavor.”

Prep + Seasoning Tips

For the best results, all of our chefs recommend letting your steaks rest at room temperature before cooking. This step ensures even cooking and prevents the dreaded gray ring on the outside. Chef Broskey suggests taking the steaks out of the fridge at least an hour before you plan to cook, and Diglia says at least 20 minutes. When it comes to seasoning, keep it simple! Broskey suggests starting with coarse ground black pepper and RPM’s Steak Salt, a special blend Broskey developed with his team to enhance the natural flavors of the meat.

seasoned steaks Diglia’s secret weapon when it comes to making a perfect steak is a brush. “One essential grill tool I always have around the house is a grill brush,” he says. “Brushing a steak with melted butter prior to cooking helps not only add a rich flavor but also helps achieve a beautiful char.”

Marinades

Pack your protein with flavor before it ever hits the grill. Lettuce chefs are sharing ideas for the perfect marinade for different types of meats, seafood, and veggies.

Cooking

Using the hottest part of the grill, place steaks on grill racks. Cook steaks to desired temperature (using the aforementioned meat thermometer, at least 125°F in the center for medium-rare!).

Steaks on the grill “Once a steak has proper char marks on each side, I like to move it to a cooler part of the grill to bring the center up to the temp I want,” Diglia says. When steaks are finished, all three chefs suggest brushing with butter, as well as garlic and herbs to your taste as desired, and allowing to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To further chef-ify your grilling game, Chef CJ shares another pro tip: “I love adding a touch of smoked herb flavor to steaks. To do this, throw a couple sprigs of rosemary next to the steak on the grill. The rosemary will eventually catch fire. Once it catches fire, lift the steak with a pair of tongs and tap it on the smoldering rosemary. This adds beautiful rosemary ash to the steak for a touch of smoke.”

Diglia recommends doubling down on the butter application when you pull the steaks off the grill: “Once the steak is finished, I brush it again with some room temperature butter and allow it to rest,” he adds. Make your own compound butter to add extra flavor to all your grilled favorites, or order Tallow Butter, Garlic & Rosemary Butter or Black Truffle Butter from Prime Meats by Lettuce.

Grilled Lobster

Luxuriously decadent, lobster tails will always impress your guests! Here’s how Chef Diglia approaches lobster tail on the grill:

1 – Split tails in half, separating the meat from the shell but keeping end tailpiece intact. This helps the lobster meat from sticking to the shell.

Chef Justin of Joe's cutting lobster in half 2 – Brush lobster meat with clarified butter and season with salt and pepper.

Chef Justin seasoning lobster tails 3 – Place lobsters meat side down on the grill.

Lobster on the grill 4 – Cook for approximately 5 minutes and then turn lobster shell side down on highest level grill rack.

lobsters on the grill 5 – Brush again with whole melted butter and finish cooking with the lid closed. This should take about 3-5 more minutes. Remove from grill and garnish with lemons.

finished lobster tail dish for bbq

Grilled Burgers

There are a few simple principles that separate restaurant-quality burgers from the average homemade burger, but with these tips, you can start recreating your Lettuce favorites on your own grill.

Start with high-quality beef. RPM Steak Executive Chef Michael Cote recommends looking for wagyu burgers, which can now be found in most grocery stores, a special kind of richly marbled beef that provides flavor and juiciness without needing a lot of additional ingredients.

Get the recipe for RPM Steak’s Wagyu Double Cheeseburger

L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge Chef Partner Andrew Ashmore agrees, recommending an 80/20 blend, which has at least 20 percent fat to 80 percent lean meat, which ensures the burger will stay juicy.

Get the recipe for L. Woods’ Double Prime Smashburger

When it comes to burgers, it’s best to keep it simple. When seasoning and forming the patties, Chef Cote says a sprinkling of salt and coarse black pepper to enhance the beef is all you need. And don’t overwork the meat or make your patties too large—a loosely formed burger preserves tenderness and allows the fat to render properly during cooking. Check out the Prime Meats Burger Kit from Prime Meats by Lettuce for an example of the perfect patty!

Before grilling, bring the meat closer to room temperature. According to RPM’s Chef Cote, this helps burgers cook more evenly and prevents an overcooked outer layer. Both Chef Cote and Chef Ashmore agree that grilling burgers calls for turning up the heat. Steakhouse-worthy burgers benefit from a hot grill or griddle that will caramelize the outside while keeping the center juicy.

Want to try a Mediterranean spin on a burger? Try Chef CJ Jacobson’s recipe for Aba’s Chicken Kefta Burger!

One of the biggest mistakes that home cooks make when grilling burgers is pressing down on burgers with a spatula while cooking. Chef Ashmore warns that this squeezes out flavorful juices and dries the burger out. His pro tip? Put a small thumbprint indentation in the center of the patty to help the burger cook evenly and prevent it from ballooning up in the middle.

Both chefs recommend allowing burgers to develop a crust before flipping them, and flipping them only once. You’ll know they’re ready to flip when they don’t stick to the grate. While they’re cooking, lightly toast your buns, which will help prevent the burgers juices from making your final product soggy.