Gluten Free Grilling Good Time

As the 4th of July approaches we come to one of my favorite times of year; BBQ season!

Myself, I love when my dad pulls the grill out of the garage, cleans it up and starts making burgers and steaks. He does a deep clean on the grill before the season ends, and then does a clean up checks all the lines, grates, makes sure it's in working order to start the season. When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, almost 4 years ago, I bought him my own cooking grate, and skillet top so that it made it easier to keep anything separate. The nice thing is there are so many GF grilling options, we don't have too many issues keeping things safe.

Sydney is a great helper with the grilling!

 Let's talk safe grilling and what you need to keep in mind -

1. Make sure the grill surface is clean
1. If you don't have time to make certain it's clean, lay down a piece of foil. We've cooked plenty of items this way, it's the best way to avoid a fire, or flare ups if you cook anything that might drip down into the fire. (plus it saves time when you're cleaning later!) 
2. Safe seasonings
1. Yes, seasonings can contain wheat, it's a great filler. Always check seasoning labels for additives and choose smart options. When in doubt, plain old salt and pepper season things well.
3. Marinading items
1. Again like seasonings they can contain gluten.. McCormick's has a whole line of GF products for marinating meats. 
2. Beer is a big thing to marinate meat with. Make sure if you're at a friends BBQ that you check what they used to marinate the meat with. It might be off limits for you, since beer does not cook out of the meat.
4. Hotdogs and burgers
1. To keep the grill clean if you're doing burgers on your grill and you want to toast the not gluten free buns, lay them on the foil, again, keeps the grill clean, and safe for your continued use after the bbq,
5.  Potato salad and coleslaw
1. Again seems crazy but they can potentially hide wheat in here too. Unless you make and bring the sides question it. Even if it seems straight forward, ask! Your friend who said they made the salad might have cheated and picked up a 2lb container at the grocery store on the way over.
6. Nice Cold Drinks
1. We all know our tolerances best. In the US Caramel coloring is safe, so it leaves pop, as an option of a beverage to enjoy while BBQ'ing, a nice cold soda always feels so refreshing on the 4th. Gluten free beer, cider and wine are all options as well. 
2. Going to a BBQ I try to bring my own GF Beer or Cider, the host might not be thinking to have enough cups on hand if they are assuming everyone will have beer, soda or bottled water, so you might be hard-pressed if you bring a bottle of wine. -
7. Dessert 
1. I love dessert, and you have so many options of what you can bring. Fresh Fruit, Jello, pudding, all safe items that are refreshing and not to heavy after a full day of eating.

All of this aside, grilling is a great way to stay GF safe. You can generally plan a full BBQ meal without worrying about having gluten items included in your menu.