Safe Gluten Free Grilling

It’s officially summer and you know what that means? It’s swimming pool and grilling season. These can be some of the most fun times of the year as we head over to our friend’s for BBQ’s, but they can also be worrisome and isolating. That’s why I wanted to give you a steps you can take to have yourself a safe gluten free grilling experience. After all, isn’t grilled food the best food??

Now, I know there are a million different other posts about this topic on the internet. That’s kind of why I haven’t written about it until now. But I thought, if I shared the things I do with you, just maybe there might be one thing you didn’t know to do.

Know before you go

One of the things I always do first when heading to a friend’s for a BBQ is call ahead to see what will be on the menu. I do this politely and try to get as many of my questions answered as possible without being too annoying. Also, before I tell you what works best for me, I need you to remember that everyone’s comfort level is completely different based on where you are going and who is doing the cooking. When you allow someone to make your meal, you have to have complete confidence that they will handle your food with the care that is necessary. This also means that they need to believe that your gluten free diet is not a joke. To this day, I still cannot convince my mom that there is a serious reason that I have dietary restrictions and can’t eat her pasta. Sad but true.

The first question I always ask my friends is, “What do you normally put on your grill?”. Knowing this is so important to me. The thing I am really wondering about is, do they grill their buns, or any other bread on the grill. In addition, since my son cannot tolerate all the corn yet, I want to know if they grill their corn on the cob. Many people may try to convince you not to worry because the high temperatures from the grill will clean off any leftover gluten particles, but this is not true. In addition, beware of the friend who says they only grill meats with a little “seasoning”. You’ll need to check what is in that seasoning.

That being said, here are a couple of things you can try, and a couple of things you should remember.

ALWAYS ask that the grill be thoroughly cleaned prior to your food being grilled on it.

Grill your food on a piece of aluminum foil as an extra precaution to avoid cross contamination.
If you don’t prefer the aluminum food method, you could also ask that the top rack of the grill be designated for gluten free food only (but ask that it is thoroughly cleaned).
Ask that no unapproved seasoning being added to your food.
Keep it simple with just salt and pepper.
Choose something simple to grill (ie. a chicken breast or a burger).
Ask when the food will be grilled so you can offer to “help” and keep a close eye on that grill.
Make sure the grill master is using separate utensils to flip your food.
Make sure that when your food is ready it is pulled off the grill with clean utensils and put onto a separate plate and not with the other food.
Thank your friends for going above and beyond for making you feel comfortable, included and at ease, even if a small part of you is still worrying. It will mean a lot to them after making all of the accommodations.

These are some of the things we do if we are going to a BBQ. But these are not your only choices. Sometimes we eat before we go and just bring a dessert or light snacks. Other times, I’ll grill my food at home, bring it in a pyrex baking dish and warm it in my friend’s oven when it’s time to eat. Just remember there is a solution, and you don’t have to miss out on the fun just because you’re gluten free.

I was reminded the other day that when you go somewhere, think about the goal you want to achieve by going. In this case is it to have fun with friends or indulge in food? Unfortunately, for us, sometimes we have to choose because of our restrictions. Having fun with friends is priceless, but having a safe gluten free grilling experience is necessary.

My hope for you this holiday is that you can have both.

Until next time, I hope you found this helpful and if you have something to add, please post in it the comments below. We can never have too much help and insight.