The Outdoor Lifestyle Blog

The season for outdoor living is here, and your backyard is calling.

If you’re dreaming of inviting your friends and family over for perfectly juicy hamburgers or mouthwatering steaks, it may be time for you to invest in your own backyard grill.

Independence Day cookouts are a time-honored American tradition and often the high point of the summer. But unfortunately for some people, another part of the holiday tradition is burnt-to-a-crisp burgers.

Don’t let that be you this summer—follow these tips for keeping your burgers juicy and evenly cooked:

In our opinion, nothing beats tender pork barbecue fresh from your own outdoor smoker (well, except maybe a quality steak grilled to perfection). There’s something about slow-cooked pork slathered with your favorite sauce or a savory dry rub that makes it a perennial favorite.

Taking your dinner prep into the great outdoors and cooking out on the grill is just more fun than being stuck in a summer kitchen indoors all sumer!

Sometimes it’s easy to fall into that same old hamburgers-and-hot-dogs routine. Your grill is capable of far more than that!

Whether you’re gearing up for a special Memorial Day cookout or just want fresh ideas for a weeknight dinner, here are a few ideas for how to shake things up:

There’s something deeply satisfying about cooking over an open flame. It’s one of the most foundational ways humans have prepared food over the years, and mastering this primal technique is highly rewarding (not to mention delicious!).

However, while fire is one of the greatest tools for bringing people together, it’s also one of nature’s most destructive forces. Give fire the healthy respect it deserves with these vital grilling safety tips.

The grill is the heart and soul of an outdoor kitchen; it's where we use one of Earth's most basic elements — fire — to transform simple ingredients into delicious meals. Because of how important the grill is, choosing the the right grill is not a decision that should be taken lightly.

To help you make such an important decision, we've laid out some "dos" and "don'ts" to keep in mind as you're trying to make this special selection for your backyard:

So over the last few weeks we've been helping you learn how to choose and prepare a delicious cut of meat, so this week and next week we're going to help you with choosing and preparing side dishes. Before we move on to chicken, fish, other meats, and veggies that are good enough to stand on their own, let's stick with steak for this post as we walk you through how to make some unique sides to accompany your meat for the perfect barbecue!

Have you ever found yourself looking at a menu or at a grocery store meat counter wondering, "What's the difference between all these meats? What makes one better than the other? Man, I'm hungry..." Well, we may not be able to help you with that last part, but we can certainly help you understand the differences in cuts of meat and explain what makes one better than the other.

Anyone can throw a piece of meat on the grill, but where's the magic in that? Sure, the meat is going to be pretty good on it's own, but it won't be bursting with flavor and may end up even being a little dry (*gasp*). Thankfully you won't have to worry about that because we're here to help you unleash your inner grill-master!