Herbs for the Barbecue

Jun 7, 2006 Kate Copsey

Growing these flavorful herbs next to your grill will tempt you to add them to your cooking.

Memorial Day is the traditional start of summer across the country. Additionally, summer is the traditional time to brush off the barbecue and cook outdoors. Memorial Day also marks the earliest date that many northern gardeners can safely plant tender annuals in the garden, including many herbs that are great for summer cooking on the barbecue.

Growing herbs close to the barbecue will encourage you to add some to the meats as they cook. Grow rosemary in a pot in the north, but where it is hardy (around zone 6b or 7 dependant on variety), keep a plant close by and make skewers for meat with the woody stems. Choose a rosemary that is upright and has thick, lustrous leaves such as Rosemarinus officanalis 'Gorizia'. Avoid the prostrate rosemaries as they are thin stemmed and messy to cook with. Rosemaries that have shorter, less leathery leaves whilst also upright, are great for seasoning, but will not hold up well under the meat on the barbecue or as skewers. Use these rosemary varieties in aluminum packets filled with vegetables and steam them on the grill alongside the meats.

Another great barbecue herb is thyme. Thymes are hardy perennials throughout most of the continent, above zone 4. Again, look for upright stems that do not drape over the ground and get muddy. Both Mother of Thyme and French Thyme (Thymus vulgare varieties) are good choices for upright plants that are easy to harvest and cook with. Lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus) is another variety of thyme that is excellent on the grill. All these thymes make terrific additions to vegetables packets, or inside pockets in the meat itself. Use the lemon thyme with chicken and pork by making a slit in the meat prior to putting it on the grill. The flavor will permeate through the meat as it cooks.

Other herbs to consider for flavor on the grill, include French tarragon (Artemesia dracunculus), or, in the Deep South, Mexican tarragon (Tagetes Lucinda), mints, and oreganos.

So place some herbs close to the grill, fire up the barbecue and throw some barbecue herbs onto the meats to create a great flavor all summer long.

See more Great BBQ Recipes !

The copyright of the article Herbs for the Barbecue in Plants & Bulbs is owned by Kate Copsey. Permission to republish Herbs for the Barbecue in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Comments

Jun 7, 2006 10:11 AM

Barbara Bell :

This is such a good idea, Kate! I have a border of plants, mostly hosta, around my patio where the barbecue grill is. The patio is also surrounded by a high fence. This block a lot of the sun, in addition to the shadow cast by the house for part of the day.

Which of these herbs can grow in shade? Do they require acid soil or other particular amendments? I'd like to try this. If it is too shady, perhaps doing container plantings would be better and I would use a different location.

Jun 8, 2006 7:21 PM

Kate Copsey :

Barbara
I think that you will perhaps have to go with pots that can get some sunshine. None of the common culinary herbs do well in the shade, although some will tolerate part shade. Most of them grew up on stony Mediterranean soils! Check your fence to see how far the sun shades and that will give you an idea of where you can plant sun loving herbs, hopefully not in next doors' garden!.
Good luck and happy bbq season!
Kate

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