Hot Honey Glazes for Grilled Meats: Elevate Your BBQ Game

Hot honey is a culinary delight that's been gaining popularity. It's a blend of sweet honey and fiery heat, creating a unique flavor profile that can elevate any dish.

But how can you incorporate this sweet and spicy concoction into your cooking? Grilling. That's the answer. And this article is your guide.

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Let's explore it all. From marinades to glazes to drizzles. From chicken to fish to veggies and desserts. It's time to discover the excellence that this one sweet and spicy condiment can bring to your BBQ game. Here we go.

An Intro to Grilling with Hot Honey

Grilling with hot honey can transform ordinary ingredients into extraordinary dishes. The sweet-heat sensation caramelizes beautifully on the grill, creating a crust that is so flavorful and just downright appetizing to look at!

Best part? It's a super versatile technique (and ingredient) that can be applied to an endless array of dishes. Meats? Grill it (with hot honey)! Veggies? The same principles apply! Fruit? 1000 times, yes! Especially peaches!

There are many ways you can incorporate hot honey into your grilling routine. From marinades to glazes to last-minute drizzles, you've got options. Each method imparts a different level of flavor. Let's have a look:

The Marinade Route

Marinades really get into the meat (or veg or fruit) of whatever it is you're grilling. So, for the most full-bodied hot honey hit, this might be the way to do it.

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Marinade your chicken, beef, or pork in a mixture of hot honey, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and minced garlic for ~30-60 minutes (you can do it overnight in the fridge as well) before throwing it on the grill.

Remember that patience pays off. The longer you let it sit, the more the meat drinks in those sweet and spicy notes.

Put a Glaze on It

Glazing your items with hot honey as they sizzle away on the grill will impart flavor to the surface of the meat, veg, etc., and then a bit deeper. We love a hot honey glaze for seafood (salmon in particular) as well as veggies such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and zucchini.

Whisk together some hot honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and maybe some Dijon mustard. Halfway through grilling your meat, veggies, or seafood, brush one side with the glaze before flipping and brushing the other side. The result? Hints of hot honey that won't overpower the main ingredients (but that will make an impression!).

You can also apply a glaze of hot honey in its pure form. If you choose to do this, you'll want to brush your goodies at the very end of the grilling process to prevent over-caramelization (aka burning).

Just a Drizzle. Thanks!

Drizzling your grilled goods once they come off the grill gives them just a subtle hint of the sweet heat of hot honey. But sometimes that's all you need! We love this approach for certain veggies, particularly more delicate produce such as corn, bok choy, asparagus, and broccoli.

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The results are fab, and it's an easy afterthought if your dish just needs a little extra.

Tips for Grilling Success

Grilling with hot honey is pretty straightforward, but there are definitely a few little trips and tricks that will help you achieve the best results possible. Here they come:

• Use Indirect Heat: Start grilling using indirect heat to prevent the sugars in the hot honey from burning. This technique allows for even cooking without charring your food. Grill your items over direct heat only for the last few moments to caramelize and finish with a crisp exterior.
• Keep an Eye on the Grill: Be vigilant while grilling with hot honey, as it can burn quickly. Monitor your food closely to ensure it cooks perfectly without charring or becoming overly caramelized.
• Pair with Acidic Ingredients: To balance the sweetness of hot honey, consider adding acidic ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar. This contrast enhances the overall flavor profile of your grilled dishes.

Our Favorite Recipes

Ok, now that you've got the theory down, let's put things into practice. Here come a few of our absolute favorite grilling recipes featuring the one and only HOT HONEY!!

Sweet and Savory Meats

Hot honey and hearty, savory meat dishes just work together. Chicken? Beef? Pork? Name you're favorite, and we've got a recipe for ya. Here are some top picks:

• Hot Honey Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Juicy Grilled Pork Chops with Hot Honey
• Hot Honey Marinated Flank Steak

Salacious Seafood

Seafood is a little more delicate than other kinds of meat. So you have to be a little more careful not to overpower it with the glorious sweet heat of hot honey. Keeping that in mind, here are a few recipes we can't get enough of:

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• Hot Honey Salmon Bites
• Hot Honey Shrimp
• If you sub the honey out for hot honey in this Grilled Scallops Recipe, you're in for a real treat!

Veggies Gone Wild

There's nothing quite like perfectly caramelized grilled veggies. Now, imagine adding a little hot honey to the mix? Here are some recipes to get you started:

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• Hot Honey Veggies Skewers
• Swap half of the honey in this Glazed Grilled Carrots Recipe out for hot honey. Wowza!
• Hot Honey Grilled Zucchini with Savannah Bee Company's Honey Hot Sauce
  

 

Sweet Tooth Central

People unfairly judge the grill as a savory-only zone. NOT TRUE! You can 100% throw sweet treats on the BBQ. Here are some of our faves:

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• Hot Honey Grilled Peaches
• Grilled Fruit Salad with Hot Honey
• Grilled Figs with Honey Mascarpone (just use hot honey instead!)

Conclusion

Hot honey is a versatile ingredient that can elevate your grilling game to new heights. And, if we didn't know better, it was practically made for the grill!

Whether you're marinating meats, glazing vegetables, or drizzling hot honey over fruits, the sweet and spicy notes of this magical condiment add a certain je ne sais quoi.

By incorporating the techniques and recipes shared in this article, you can explore the delightful world of hot honey on the frill. So, fire up your BBQ, experiment with these methods, and enjoy some wildly delicious results. Happy grilling!