Fourth of July Grilling with Amanda Scarlati

Transcript

Taryn Solie: Hello grillers! We are at the end of June and it has been so hot! I have been cooking exclusively outside because I do not want to heat up my house. There has been lots of sprinkler time for my kids, who are out of school and eating all of our food, and we’re are just about to head out on a camping trip for the 4th of July! We’ll return just in time to celebrate the 4th with my extended family, which I look forward to every year.

If the 4th is something you are looking forward to, you’re in luck because today I talk with Amanda Scarlati from Saporito Kitchen all about recipe ideas for the 4th of July! We go over some of the basics, but then toward the end I think we start getting in to some different, fun ideas that would be great for hosting a larger gathering.

Before we begin, if you’re enjoying this podcast I’d love for you to share it with someone you think would also like it! As a newer podcast, it helps spread the word and I would really appreciate it.

Now, let’s get into the episode.

Taryn Solie: Today on the podcast we have Amanda Scarlatti. Amanda is the owner and creator behind Saporito Kitchen, a blog where she shares tasty, seasonal, homemade recipes that are designed to inspire. Amanda is a classically trained chef with over 15 years in the food business. When she is not creating in the kitchen she loves spending time with her husband and four children. Amanda, welcome to the podcast.

Amanda Scarlati: Hi Taryn, thank you so much for having me today. I’m excited.

Taryn Solie: Yeah, I’m excited too. Thank you for being here. Um, our conversation is gonna be a fun one because it’s gonna be centered around the upcoming 4th of July holiday. But before we get into that, I’d love to hear a little bit about your background in food.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, definitely. I, um, have been in, like I said, the food business for a long time, but I remember even as like a little girl, I loved cooking and watching like all of the cooking shows like on PBS. Saturday mornings, I’d sit there with my little notebook and I’d like, take notes on all the recipes.

Taryn Solie: That’s so cute.

Amanda Scarlati: And I try to like create my own stuff. And so kind of always been a foodie and loved cook from the beginning. Um, after high school, I decided to go to culinary school and, uh, went through the Le Cordon Bleu training, um, and got that done. And then since then just kind of been immersed in the food business.

I’ve worked for restaurants, um, worked for a catering company for a really long time doing event planning and, um, wed- wedding planning and that sort of thing. Um, and then decided that I wanted to start a food blog. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And at the time wasn’t working, I thought, you know what?

This is my time. And so started out almost five years ago now. And, um, kind of just been immersed in the food world ever since. That’s just something I always come back to. No matter what I do, I always have to have my little claws in it somehow. So.

Taryn Solie: But lot- I mean, lots of different, a variety of different food experiences, it sounds like.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I’ve kind of had all over a different experience, which, um, all of it lends to who you are and how you create recipes and I’ve loved all the experiences that I’ve had. So.

Taryn Solie: Yeah. So then how did you get specifically into grilling? Where did, where does grilling come in for you.

Amanda Scarlati: Definitely with my husband, I’d have to say. He’s a, he’s like a big grill person, you know. Steak and meat and all that sort of stuff. And, um, so, um, I mean, and I would do some grilling here and there, but definitely after we got married, um, did I get into grilling more and, um, you know, it’s become part of almost our weekly meals is grilling outdoors. Even during the spring and you know, even when it’s cold, I’ve grilled in the snow before. So.

Taryn Solie: Now are you in Utah? Is that right?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, we’re in Utah. Okay. So, um, there’s some days like today it’s 63 and sunny and you know, a couple days ago it was snowing and icy rain. And, but as long as I can keep that fire lit, then we do a lot of grilling. Especially during the summer because, you know, I hate heating up the house during the summer. So anything I can do that doesn’t turn on the oven or that sort of thing, I’m all for.

Taryn Solie: Oh, I love it. Yes. I, I also, I feel that. We’re in Seattle and so.

Amanda Scarlati: Okay.

Taryn Solie: We get the, it’s sim- sort of similar weather to Utah where you have all four seasons and once it gets to summer, I’m like, I do not wanna turn my oven on. We’ll get the grill.

Amanda Scarlati: Well, and you know, the kids are always playing outside and like we’re spending a ton of time outside. And so it’s just easier. Like, we’ll throw some food on the grill and sit down and eat and hang out. We’ve got neighbors that come over and it’s one of my favorite parts of summer, but we do grill all year round really. So.

Taryn Solie: I love it. I love it. Um, okay. So you mentioned having neighbors over, and I think that, like, gathering part of grilling is really fun and something that is particular, especially, to holidays, summer holidays and 4th of July. So let’s talk a little bit about the fourth. Let’s start with what you and your family normally do for the 4th of July.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. So 4th of July, we always love spending with family that we have in town or neighbors. Um, in the town that I live in they do a huge 4th of July celebration. So downtown. And it goes from like, they start with like a 5k early on, which I have to admit have not done that yet, but, they start with the early morning 5k and then they have all sorts of stuff throughout the day.

They usually have like crafts and activities for the kids. The police department will even come out and do like a canine dog show for ’em and-

Taryn Solie: Oh, fun.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, it was really fun. They’ll have like bounce houses and, um, face painting, just like all these different, like big neighborly type activities that you can go and do and hang out.

We usually spend the day doing that stuff there. Um, and then we’ll come back in the afternoon and usually we’ll have some neighbors or family over and we’ll do like grilling of some sort, um, and just kind of hang out outside. And then where we live in our neighborhood, um, you can actually do fireworks and you can actually see the fireworks from where we are.

So we usually stick put in the house for the rest of the evening and the kids will do fireworks with the neighbors out in the front yard. And we can see the bigger ones up in the air. And so it’s a whole, a whole thing that we do on the fourth of July and it’s a lot of fun.

Taryn Solie: Oh, that sounds like a ton of fun. So then what do you normally, do you have like a specific, like, some people have menus that they’re like, this is what we cook for the fourth. Are you guys like that or do you just kind of change it up year to year?

Amanda Scarlati: No, we usually change it up year to year. I’m not the type of person that had- like cooks a lot of the same things twice. Like we have- definitely have our favorites, but I always like trying new, different things.

And so, um, like one year we did barbecued chicken thighs, and sometimes we’ll do like the standard hamburgers and hot dogs. Um, we’ve done brats before and we’ve also done pork chops, so there’s a lot of different things that we have done and it kind of depends on who’s coming over too. You know, there’s a lot of kids, there’s usually hot dogs.

Taryn Solie: The old standby, the classics,. So, okay, so burgers, hot dogs. Those, I wanna get into some ideas that our listeners can use for their 4th of July. If they’re looking for ideas, I feel like it’s such a fun holiday to like, try something new and, um, just really like kick off the summer kind of like Memorial Day and 4th of July. It’s like, yes. Let’s like prime grilling, right?

Amanda Scarlati: Yes.

Taryn Solie: So you mentioned burgers and hot dogs. What are some other maybe common or maybe like a twist on the common classic grilling ideas?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. So one of my favorite things to do with burgers is do stuffed burgers. So it’s super easy. Like, not obviously, if you have already the preformed patties, you know, it, those are much easier.

You can just throw them on the grill, but if you get, you know, some sort of hamburger meat, um, and you kind of roll ’em into the balls, you can flatten ’em and you can add different things. So you could add cheese, you could add, you know, onions. Um, my husband loves like blue cheese stuffed burgers and you can kind of seal ’em up and grill ’em and it just melts inside and adds some really great flavor.

We’ve done like some Buffalo style, blue cheese stuffed ones that are really good. Um, and I’ve even done it with turkey burgers too. So, um, that’s kind of a fun way to change it up a little bit by while still having, you know, burgers. Um, and I’ve even done it like for the kids where I just put some shreded cheddar cheese inside, so keep it simple. And they think it’s like an inside out burger and they’re all about it.

Taryn Solie: Oh, well, that’s so cute. I love the inside out burger. That’s a really fun one. Like, especially, I feel like if you can call it something fun, a kid who might be a picky eater is more likely to try it.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. It’s all in how you present it. 100%. How it is with kids, you just gotta call it something fun and be super enthusiastic. And they’re like, yeah, let’s do it. I’m excited.

Taryn Solie: Love it. I love it. So, okay. So inside out burgers, stuffed burgers, those- that’s a great grilling idea. I love that. What are maybe some other more uncommon, like when you think of like a typical 4th of July, so like maybe an atypical 4th of July, um, grilling recipes that you would recommend for somebody to try out.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. And you could even do, like, another thing you could do is chicken. Like I think people are sometimes really afraid to grill chicken just because it’s not as forgiving as something like a hot dog or a burger. Cuz it can be drier, um, but if you marinate, you know, the chicken, then you add a lot of moisture to it.

So there’s a lot of fun ways you can do things with that. You know, trying like an Asian marinade or another type of marinade. Um, some other things that are fun are pork chops. I love- that’s like one of my favorite things is pork chops on the grill. Like thick cut ones. And another one of my favorite, like unusual things to grill is fruit. And I know that sounds super weird, but it’s like one of the best things.

Taryn Solie: It’s the best.

Amanda Scarlati: It kinda, you know, fruit is so sugary. So when you put it on the grill, you kind of get this caramelized texture on the outside and flavor and it’s a little bit smoky. Um, so that’s like one of our favorite summertime desserts is to grill different fruit.

So you can do watermelon. Um, stone fruit is great for that. So peaches and plums, and you can even. You know, like my husband’s grandmother, who’s Italian, she always added like, ricotta cheese or mascarpone to it. Um, but you can even just drill it- drizzle it with honey and it was super good. Or serve it with ice cream and it makes like a super simple dessert. Minimal prep, minimal work, and it tastes delicious.

Taryn Solie: So yeah, I feel like the, I love- my favorites are pineapple and stone fruits on the grill and just you’re right. It’s super simple. You just put it down there, take it off after a couple minutes, put some like whipped cream or ice cream or whatever you want on it.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah.

Taryn Solie: And I think you have a recipe on your site where you sprinkle pistachios or something on it?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, my, the peaches one. Yeah.

Taryn Solie: Okay.

Amanda Scarlati: It’s like, um, we do peaches and we grill those and then mix some mascarpone cheese with some honey just to sweeten it up a little bit.

Taryn Solie: Yeah.

Amanda Scarlati: And then add some chopped pistachios on it and it’s like, the best little appetizer, or dessert, or just like a little bit of freshness. Sometimes when you have all that heavy meat, it’s nice to have these other things to break it up.

Taryn Solie: Yeah. And even, and I know people for 4th of July tend to wanna do like red, white, and blue as like, like, you know, strawberries and blueberries and blackberries are kind of like the main stock. Yeah. But you can also like switch it up. Right. Because I know that’s, it, it can be like a little unexpected surprise.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. And people always love that. Like, whenever I do that, they’re like, oh my gosh. And give you, like you said, grilled pineapple spears are super good. That is so sugary that it caramelizes well and people are like, oh my gosh, this is really great. And it’s good to kind of get away from the normal, like you said, red, white, and blue or super sugary stuff.

Taryn Solie: Right, definitely. So then, um, okay. You mentioned chicken. And you mentioned pork chops.

Amanda Scarlati: Yes.

Taryn Solie: What are some of your favorite ways to cook those cuts of meat and particularly for something like a gathering like, uh, 4th of July?

Amanda Scarlati:So, um, a couple of my favorite ways for chicken especially, is to marinate it. And it can be just thrown in a very simple marinade. You could use like an Italian dressing. Um, you could do olive oil, salt and pepper, maybe a little red wine vinegar. Um, or if you have like a specific Asian marinade that you like, you know, soy sauce, brown sugar type thing, pop that in there for a little bit.

That’s gonna help add some extra moisture and flavor to your chicken, and then you’re gonna cook it on the grill. And it’s super simple. It adds flavor, but it’s easy. It appeals to most people, you know, kids and adults, if you like, um. And it’s just an easy way to kind of feed a lot of people. You know, if you get too complicated with doing like, stuffed chicken, especially when you’re feeding a large group, sometimes that can be hard, especially with timing.

Taryn Solie: Yeah.

Amanda Scarlati: Um, and chicken thighs are a great way to do it too, because they are, you know, they have more fat content in it. So again, more forgiving on the grill. Um, and those you can even just grill up and then throw some barbecue sauce on it and turn it a couple times. And that’s like one of our favorite, easy dinners to do too.

Taryn Solie: Do you like- I was- I’m glad that you said chicken thighs. Cause I was just gonna ask if there was a particular cut of chicken that you would recommend and do you think bone in? Bone less? Like what would you recommend with that?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, I mean, bone in is always gonna give you more flavor. Just that’s just how it is. It adds more flavor to it. Um, if you’re nervous about cooking chicken, if you haven’t done it before, I would definitely start with chicken thighs, cuz like I said, there’s more fat content in there. So it’s more forgiving on the grill. Um, whereas chicken breasts, you know, are kind of dicey and if you cook ’em too long, they can get dry.

Um, so one of, I always have some sort of kitchen thermometer or grill thermometer that you can put in there because that’s the best way to do it. Because as soon as that gets to 165 degrees, you take it off and you’re done. And you know, it’s not getting overcooked.

Taryn Solie: Yes.

Amanda Scarlati: So if you can, if you can get one of those, that’s your best bet. Um, but if you’re nervous about it, still chicken thighs is a great way to go. Um, and you can do the bone in. My kids kind of freak out sometimes with bone in anything.

Taryn Solie: Yeah.

Amanda Scarlati: So we’ll do the boneless ones, you know, get a big pack at Costco or whatever and do barbecue chicken and it’s- they love it.

Taryn Solie: Yeah, no, that’s great. And then what about pork chops? Because that is- pork can also be dry if you’re not careful with it too. So what do you recommend when you’re grilling that?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, I would do thick cut, um, just because they, uh, won’t cook so quickly. Um, and so it’s easier to not dry out. Um, I prefer a bone in too for kind of the same reason, more flavor.

And I honestly, I just do salt and pepper on ’em. You know, they have so much flavor, especially with the bone in, you can grill ’em, you know, for depending on how thick cut they are, five to 10 minutes, each side. Use your kitchen thermometer again, make sure they’re cooked to the right temperature. And then my favorite thing to do is like serve a sauce on the side with it.

Like, especially if you’re doing something super simple, like, you know, chicken with salt and pepper or pork chops with salt and pepper, serve a cool dipping sauce on the side. Like I love, um, I have a white barbecue sauce. Just kind of like a mayonnaise based barbecue sauce that’s like from Alabama in the south.

Taryn Solie: Okay.

Amanda Scarlati: And that’s my favorite thing to add on the side or, you know, a fun barbecue sauce or a fun dipping sauce. And sometimes we’ll even do a few, you know, some like honey mustard or something the kids like, and then people can kind of mix and match and choose how they like. And that’s a nice way to like dress it up without putting too much effort and time into the actual recipe, if that makes sense.

Taryn Solie: Yeah. Well, and I think too, when you’re serving sauces, I love that idea of serving sauces on the side, because that can be really great for when you’re hosting large groups. Because then people can pick, like, it’s a very, it’s a well seasoned, but very plain cut of meat.

Like you’re not automatically picking the flavor of it. Just salt and pepper basically. And then you also have this it’s like, okay, well, do you want a smokey flavor? Here’s a smokey sauce. Do you want maybe like a more Asian inspired sauce? Here’s that for that, you know, and people can kind of choose what they want.

Amanda Scarlati: Well, and that’s like another really easy way to kind of, zhuzh up your menu, if you will. Like, if you wanna do something standard, like let’s say, I just wanted to have some chicken and some burgers and hot dogs then do like a burger, hot dog and chicken bar, you know, have a bunch of different toppings and the different sauces.

And then people can kind of make their own and that’s the fun in it. It doesn’t have to necessarily be this like long drawn out recipe. It could be simple stuff, but then having like a little bar for them to kind of make their own is always fun. And the kids love that sort of thing, you know? Cause they will come up with some odd combinations, but they, they love to be able to have that like, cool. I can do it however I want, you know?

Taryn Solie: Yeah. It’s that buy-in that we were talking about. Right? Like you, you give them something fun and they kind of like buy into it and then they’re like, oh yes. Even if there’s like pickles and like ketchup and whatever else on this that I normally don’t eat, I’ll eat it cuz I made it.

Amanda Scarlati: Cause I did it and I, I did it and it’s a, you know, a big masterpiece and it’s great.

Taryn Solie: Yeah. Oh, I love it. So, okay. So we’re, we’ve been talking about main grilling. What about, what are some of your favorite sides or some sides that you would recommend to have for like a 4th of July event?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, something, you know, that’s gonna hold up well, you know, it’s usually hot during the 4th of July. So, you know, potato salads and coleslaws are always good to have. Um, but if you guys are gonna be outside for a long time, you know, they may not hold up well, so keeping it simple with chips or watermelon slices or grilled fruit, like I was saying, you could do that.

Um, even just having like a vegetable tray. Um, baked beans are good. Um, something like that, that’s gonna hold up well, and you know, a little tip from my catering days is you could always just get a bigger bowl, fill it halfway with ice and then plop the salad right on top of that.

Taryn Solie: Yup.

Amanda Scarlati: So there’s ways around it, but, um, you know, especially when you’re entertaining people, you know, try to keep it simple. You know, going all out with everything can just get overwhelming sometimes.

So I always say to try to keep some of the stuff simpler. If you’re putting more effort into the main dish, let’s say, and doing like a bar of some sort with a lot of sauces then do some simple sides. Um, make it easier on yourself so you’re not running around like a crazy person all day, trying to keep up with everything. You can enjoy the holiday too.

Taryn Solie: Yes. Exactly. I love that so much. So are there any other tips or tricks or even recipe suggestions that you can think of that you wanna make sure people think about for, particularly 4th of July, but just even I guess grilling in general?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah, I would just say, you know, get yourself a good thermometer. That’s gonna be your best friend. You know, I think that in cooking in general, especially when you’re dealing with meats, it can be nerve wracking, especially if you’re serving other people. You know, you don’t wanna make anybody sick. Um, so getting a good grill thermometer or kitchen thermometer so you can check it and you know for sure when that meat’s gonna be done.

You know, and again, you know, trying not to overcomplicate the menu, maybe make something simpler and, you know, do something a little bit fancier. Um, so you’re not running around. Trying to get everything ready for the 4th of July. You can enjoy it a little bit.

Taryn Solie: Yeah. What, um, thermometer do you have? Do you know?

Amanda Scarlati: I use the Thermoworks.

Taryn Solie: Yeah.

Amanda Scarlati: Um, is my favorite one? Um-

Taryn Solie: Do you have the Thermapen or the Thermopop or which one?

Amanda Scarlati: I have the Thermapen.

Taryn Solie: Okay.

Amanda Scarlati: The ONE. And then I also have the other one, um, I can’t remember what it’s called.

Taryn Solie: The chef alarm?

Amanda Scarlati: Yes, the chef alarm. That’s my other favorite one. I use that a lot inside too.

Taryn Solie: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Scarlati: Especially if I’m doing like bigger cuts of meat. Um, that’s great for that cuz it just alarms you when it’s done and you’re ready to go.

Taryn Solie: Um, do you ever cook bigger cuts of meat? Like I’m assuming you’re talking about like roast or like, pork shoulders or even like a- like ribs. Do you ever do those for 4th of July?

Amanda Scarlati: I have done ribs for 4th of July. That’s probably my husband’s favorite thing, so, oh, we do do a lot of ribs. Um, and, um, yeah, I haven’t done any like huge or like bigger, like roast or pork roast or anything like that.

Those I usually will throw in the crock pot or something like that. But, um, I’m gonna try it. I have done a whole chicken before, spatchcocked a chicken on the grill.

Taryn Solie: Can you explain? Cause I know I love- spatch cooking is my jam. Like that’s how we do our Turkey. That’s how we do our chicken. But can you explain for anyone who doesn’t know what that is?

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. Yeah. Most people are like, well, I’m sorry you did what? Yeah, so basically you butterfly, it’s a whole chicken, but you butterfly it, um, and open it up so it lays flat. So then it cooks evenly. Cuz you think if you have obviously a whole chicken, it’s hard to kind of rotate it unless you have some sort of like rotisserie device on your grill, which not everybody does.

So, um, and you can, you know, look up videos to see how to do it, but it’s really simple. And then it just lays flat on there. So it cooks evenly and it’s awesome. And you’ve got this whole chicken and it’s super inexpensive too, you know?

Taryn Solie: Yes.

Amanda Scarlati: To buy a whole chicken, as opposed to like getting one that’s already cut down and broken down. And I’ve done that before. Again, olive oil, salt, and pepper with some cool dipping sauces and people love it.

Taryn Solie: Yes. And the, the one thing I’m gonna interject here because the, like, I just over the last couple years started doing that and you just need to make sure you have a really good pair of like, kitchen shears or poultry shears to cut through the bone. It’s easy. Like, I, I have done it. Like I can do it. It’s- by myself, it’s fine. But you just need to make sure that you have sharp, like, not like your everyday scissors. Just-

Amanda Scarlati: Not the ones you’re like cutting fabric with, or paper, or kids are doing crafts with. You gotta go get yourself a decent kitchen shear and get through it. Yeah, you, that’s a, that’s a good kitchen tool to have anyway. I use it, use ’em all the time for all sorts of stuff.

Taryn Solie: Oh, for sure. For sure. Well, this, this is great. I think there’s so many wonderful 4th of July, even non 4th of July, grilling ideas. But last question for you. I ask everyone, what are some of your favorite, either current favorite or all time favorite grilling recipes for you and your family?

Amanda Scarlati: You know what, I think my all time favorite is just a simple steak. I mean, it’s just, it’s so good on the grill.

Taryn Solie: Yeah.

Amanda Scarlati: And it’s pretty easy to do. We usually, my husband really likes the ribeyes. Sometimes I’ll get the New York cuts and you know, just doing a little bit of salt and pepper and searing ’em on there. Um, and it’s great. And you can top it with like butter or my husband loves blue cheese, butter, um, caramelized onions, or, you know, the kids love ketchup and barbecue sauce, but he, he hates that idea. He’s like, don’t ruin it like that. But I think that’s our favorite thing. Just simple, good old steaks.

Taryn Solie: Yeah. And what are you, I didn’t ask this previously, I should have. Um, what grill do you use? What grill do you have?

Amanda Scarlati: I, so we have a propane grill.

Taryn Solie: Okay.

Amanda Scarlati: Um, and I like both. That’s just, we just have a propane grill right now. Um, but, um-

Taryn Solie: And by both, do you mean charcoal or do you mean like wood pellet or cuz there’s a lot of different kinds of grills.

Amanda Scarlati: I should remember I’m talking to the grill master over here. I usually, I do like cooking on charcoal or on propane, but propane is what we have right now. I haven’t tried the wood pellet but I need to.

Taryn Solie: It’s great. I love it.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. I’ve heard such great things, so.

Taryn Solie: Well, good. Well, this has been such a fun conversation. I think there’s been a lot of recipes, a lot of recipe inspiration for people. And I just wanna say, thank you, Amanda so much for coming on the podcast.

Amanda Scarlati: Yeah. Thanks Taryn for having me. I had a good time talking to you today.

Taryn Solie: Okay, so many good recipe ideas in there. For one, sauces are where it’s at. I’ve never heard of a white BBQ sauce so I’m going to have to try that. I also love the idea of stuffed burgers and having kids choose what goes in theirs, because if you’re a parent you probably know kids want to be the ones to choose what they eat, to exercise that control. And that’s a great way to do it.

I’m going to post links to the recipes Amanda and I discussed on the show notes page, as well as links to some of the essential items we can’t grill without, like a meat thermometer and kitchen shears. To get to the show notes page, you can either visit my recipe website at Hot Pan Kitchen (dot) com and click on podcast in the main menu or just click the link that’s provided on whatever platform you’re listening to this podcast on.

Thank you for tuning in today and until next time, keep grilling like a mother.