Sangria? It’s the perfect summer thirst quencher. But crust the lemons, oranges, limes, and cinnamon sticks with sugar first, then caramelize them on the grill—the resulting smoky wine punch will come as a revelation.
Gazpacho? It’s another Spanish cooler and it requires little more in terms of cooking than switching on your blender. Until you’ve tasted my smoked gazpacho— you’ll never want to serve gazpacho any other way.
Then there are bread salads. Italians call it panzanella; Lebanese call it fattoush. Besides being refreshing enough to double as a light summer supper, it’s also a great way to revive stale bread. This version combines grilled pita or bread with fresh vegetables and sweet-sour narsharab, or pomegranate molasses.
When it comes to beating the heat, sultry Thailand has plenty of experience. They’ve invented the world’s best way to combine steak and salad: yum nua—an invigorating blend of lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and thin-sliced fire-charred flank steak. The seasonings—sour lime juice, salty fish sauce, sweet sugar, and fiery chilies—are as bracing as the massive doses of fragrant cilantro, Thai basil, and refreshing mint.
But the ultimate antidote to a heat wave is ice cream—lots of it. Here in Raichlen-land, we have a barbecued twist on that too. Smoke it with hickory wood. If smoke is the “umami of barbecue” (as I call it in my book, Project Smoke), this will be the most interesting ice cream you’ve ever tasted.
Admittedly, firing up your grill when the temperature tops 100 degrees may seem daunting, but the resulting intense flavors are worth it. And because all these dishes are served cold, you can grill at night, when the temperature drops, or at least you’re not grilling in the hot sun. Alternatively, grill or smoke the ingredients for all these dishes at a single grill session, then serve them throughout the week.
Heat wave got you down? Try the Raichlen way to beat the heat: fire up your grill!
5 Chilled Dishes to Beat the Heat
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Looking for more summer grilling inspiration? Check out our Summer Grilling Guide.
