Grilling isn't just a summertime way to cook. We're fueling the fire all year long! Great grilled foods are often basted, brushed, marinated or mopped for extraordinary flavor. What better way to infuse the flavor than starting with dairy fresh LAND O LAKES® Butter! Read on for delicious recipes and helpful grilling tips.

Basting brushes have long-handles and bristles designed especially for grilling.

Long-handled tongs and spatulas help keep the heat away from hands and arms.

Oven mitts protect your hands when turning skewers. Turning skewers with a tongs can sometimes be tricky--try grasping the end of the skewer with the mitt instead.

Foil drip pans can be purchased in most grocery and large discount stores. Look for disposable aluminum baking pans, or make your own drip pan out of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Resealable plastic food bags are convenient and easy to use when marinating foods, and require no clean up!

Call them brochettes (the French word for skewer), kabob/kebob or shish kabob---they all refer to the technique of threading small chunks of meat, fish, fruit, poultry, shellfish or vegetables onto skewers before grilling. The best skewers are flat or square-shaped because they prevent the food pieces from spinning on skewer when moved. There are several types of skewers available:

- Bamboo skewers are round and come in various lengths. They must be soaked in water at least 30 minutes before grilling so they don’t catch fire and burn.

- Metal skewers are usually flat and come in various lengths.

- Circle skewers add a fun new look instead of traditional straight skewers.

	The smoke from smoldering wood chips or chunks add an unmistakable, hearty, rich smoky flavor to foods. Aromatic woods or vines are soaked at least 30 minutes so that when they’re placed in the grill, they slowly smolder instead of catching on fire and burning. Grocery stores, hardware stores and the outdoor grill section of department stores sell bags of wood chips or chunks for smoking.

Smoked and grilled meats can be soaked in brine before cooking. Brining is essentially a saltwater marinade that is often flavored with herbs, spices, seasonings and sugar. The concentration of salt in the water causes the meat, poultry or fish being brined to absorb more of the water than if it were soaked in a traditional marinade mixture containing acidic ingredients such as lemon juice or vinegar. The moisture stays in the food during grilling, and results in the meat being very moist, but not salty.

Brush or baste foods with sauces and marinades only during the last 10 to 15 minutes of grilling to avoid burning and flare-ups.

	SALSA BURGERS Vary the heat and spiciness of this hamburger by using mild to hot salsa.
	BARBECUED CHICKEN BUNDLES These tasty bundles can be assembled ahead of time, covered and refrigerated before grilling.
	BEEF KABOBS WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE Horseradish has a pungent, spicy flavor that tastes especially delicious with beef.
	BRINED PORK WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA Grilled pineapple is a welcome sweet-tart counterpart to the sweetly brined juicy pork roast.
	GRILLED VEGETABLE KABOBS Colorful and flavorful, these crisp vegetables are grilled to perfection.
	HERBED HICKORY-SMOKED CORNISH HENS Hickory chips add a great smokey flavor to these grilled cornish hens.
	HERB-MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN Grilled pork tenderloin is a great start to a summer barbecue.
	PLUM BARBECUED CHICKEN The sweetness of plum preserves and the "heat" of crushed red pepper are interesting and tasty ingredients in this grilled chicken recipe.
	PESTO SHRIMP BROCHETTE Skewer the shrimp and vegetables on separate skewers to make grilling easier.