Grilling Tip - How to Manage Your Holiday Dinner So That You Can Enjoy It Too!

Dec 09, 2022

Grill Tip by Pitmaster Rosalie

The holidays can bring lots of cheer as everyone comes together to celebrate. The holidays can also be intimidating and overwhelming when it comes to feasting. I’ve had my fair share of hosting Holiday Meals and Christmas Eve Dinners over the years. I am here to help you knock it out of the park.

Luckily, this December's Grill Masters Box has everything you need from rubs, recipes and guidance on how to throw the perfect holiday dinner and have fun doing it.

We picked the December box selections and recipes intentionally to all work with each other and alone as versatile tools for a successful foundation in your holiday meals.

I have collected some tips and tricks for managing a stress free and delicious holiday meal:

1. Start with a flavorful foundation. When it comes to picking proteins and sides, always remember that the sides are to compliment the protein.

Using similar base flavors, seasonings and rubs is an easy hack. The Minor’s Mix Prime Rib Rub is a great Herb Blend to use on vegetables & starches, in compound butter & gravy and is compatible with most proteins. Lanes Finishing salt can be that perfect first step for that final touch to bring out your dishes flavors.
After slicing a roast or pulling warm cookies out of the oven, a little sprinkle of finis
hing salt will make it pop visually and tastefully. The Terrapin Ridge Horseradish sauce is a Prime Rib‘s best friend, however, is also a great sauce for appetizers like shrimp cocktail or a great condiment on that perfect leftover sandwich.
Lane’s Apple Rub will give your pork that holiday feel, add the perfect layer of sweetness to your vegetable dish, balance your sweet and savory sauces, and give your desserts that perfect layer of warmth.

Pick a protein that doesn't require too much babysitting. Holiday Roasts like Prime Rib, Whole Birds, Rack of Pork and Lamb are your best bet.
Pick sides to complement the protein, that do not require more effort than a protein itself.

A vegetable, starch and a sauce is usually the rule of thumb.
Use similar flavors to help connect them as a whole (i.e use Minors Mix Prime Rib Rub on your roasted vegetables, on your buttered rolls, or in your gravy as well).

Pick a protein and sides that not only work with each other on the flavor side things, however also work together logistically.

Think about prep, times, temps and stages of cooks. When deciding how to cook my sides I try to pick sides that can go on my pellet smoker at the same temperature as my protein for at least one stage of cooking.
For instance, if you are smoking a prime rib at 325° F straight through until medium rare - potatoes and vegetables can go on at the same time.
Twice smoked potatoes, roasted potatoes, or just reheating mashed potatoes made the previous day cook great at 325°F. Roasted veggies at 325° F will have that perfect crisp on the outside, yet be fully cooked all the way through.

Cook a meal that only requires the least amount of cooking zones/mediums. I am known for only using my Traeger so I don’t have to run in and outside of the house to avoid any mishaps (and keep my kitchen clean!). A lot of mishaps in cooking happen when you are not watching. So having everything centrally located can help prevent this.

Prep as much as you can. Prep what you can and the day before! No one wants to spend their entire Holiday cooking.

If you have herbs or vegetables that require a lot of prep, do it the day before and store them in the fridge.
If you’re making a sauce, homemade roll dough, mashed potatoes, or casserole - go ahead and make that one or two days before. Then all you have to do is reheat and garnish.

Over all, use the help that's in front of you. Whether that's your December Grill Masters Box, our Grill Masters Social Community, or your family and friends that reach out and ask “what can I do?” - The holiday’s are about bringing people together, not being alone in the kitchen. Cheers!