Spark up the flames, smoke out the food, invite some friends and get outside; barbecue season is upon us. Through advanced grills and adventurous spirits, cooking outside has taken on new dimensions. By preparing and experimenting with foods and some basic guidelines you can heat up your barbecue and find the thrill in your grill.

Traditional barbecue fare includes grilled meats, fish and kebobs. Almost anything you can cook in the kitchen can be barbecued. Be adventurous; try foods ranging from fruits and veggies to polenta and breads. Any food is fair game on the grill.

Marinades and rubs add extra flavor and character to barbecued food. Just about anything can be used as a marinade, including salsas and salad dressings. A popular base for marinades is olive oil; mix it with your favorite herbs, spices and a citrus juice. Most marinades must have a few things in common such as flavor, sodium and acid. The marinade you select to cure foods should have a flavor you enjoy. Extreme flavors such as dark beer, citrus and ginger can add an interesting twist to food. Salt or soy is the most common form of sodium used in marinades, which ensures that some of the moisture will be pulled from the meat. The acidic component in marinades, such as vinegar, tomatoes or lemon juice, helps tighten meat and improve the texture.

Rubs are mixtures of herbs and spices rubbed onto meats or vegetables and left to sit and be absorbed into the food to enhance flavor. When preparing a rub, use herbs and spices that appeal to you, and avoid salts.

When cooking on the ?cue, temperature is an important consideration. Two popular methods of barbecuing use extremely different temperatures. Searing, which requires very high heat, is used to either rapidly cook the outside of food (sealing in natural juice and flavors) or to “scar” a burned grill pattern on the food. When searing, adjust the grill to sit as close to the coals or burners as possible and rotate the food quickly to avoid burning and flare-ups. After having seared the food, cook it to your desired finish at a lower temperature. Slow roasting requires a much lower temperature and allows for foods to be cooked over a longer period of time.

A meat thermometer is a useful tool to judge the temperature of meats. Meat thermometers should be inserted into the core of the meat: a temperature of 125 degrees indicates rare, 130 degrees is medium rare, 140 degrees for medium, and 160 degrees is well done.

Quick grilling tips:

-Clean the grilling surface before each use.

-Spray or coat your grill with oil before putting food on the grill to help prevent sticking.

-Keep a spray bottle handy to extinguish flare-ups on the grill.

-When cooking kebobs on the grill, be sure to cut all of the meats and veggies the same size so they will cook evenly. If you are using wooden skewers on the grill soak them over night to prevent the skewers from igniting on the grill.

-Allow 10 ? 15 minutes for gas grills to warm up properly.

-Apply sauces to foods on the grill in the later half of cooking to avoid burning.

-Always place finished foods on a clean platter or cutting board.

-Keep a bag of marshmallows handy for after-dinner toasting treats.

Matt Szura is a public relations major at Sacramento State and The State Hornet?s food columnist. His column can be read weekly at www.statehornet.com and regularly in The State Hornet newspaper. He can be contacted at [email protected].