Firing up the grill is a great way to cook in the summer! Here are a few grilling tips and a couple of recipes, too. For great grilled burgers, form the patty gently. Smashing the meat forces out moisture.

Sear both sides of the burger on both sides, then move the burger and cook with indirect heat till done.

Use a meat thermometer to gauge when the meat is done. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

When grilling chicken, remember that dark meat needs longer on the grill than breast meat. Also, bone-in parts cook longer than boneless parts. Place the pieces that need to cook the longest on the grill first, and then move them to a cooler area of the grill to finish cooking after they have browned.

Again, use a meat thermometer to tell when chicken is done. Bone-in parts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 170 degrees; boneless parts to about 160 degrees.

Tropical Glaze for Grilled Chicken

1 small can crushed pineapple

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon mustard

Drain pineapple, reserving 2 tablespoons of juice. Mix pineapple, reserved juice, brown sugar, lemon juice and mustard.

Brush chicken parts with glaze often during last 10 minutes of grilling.

Barbecue Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 cup water

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seed

2 or 3 dashes hot pepper sauce (optional)