(NAPSA)—Asthe grilling season heats up, Americans are look- ing for adventurous ways to spice up their grills. According to the Best of the Wurst survey, sausage is making a comeback.In fact, the survey revealed that sausage was ranked the number one grilling alternative to beef and chicken. Grilling Adventures More thanhalf of all Americans will fire up their grills at least once a week this season. In order to make this grilling season safe and successful, grilling expert and creator of GirlsattheGrill.com Elizabeth Karmel provides grilling tips and advice. “Barbecuegrills are like castiron skillets; they get better the more you use them. When food cooks on the grill, the fats and juices vaporize and create the smoke that flavors the food with the legendary grilled taste,” said Karmel. Some of her recommendations on how to makegrilling a safe and exciting adventureinclude: Seasoning Your Grill: The easiest way to season yourgrill is to fill the cooking grate with tasty link sausages, such as one of the 12 varieties from Hillshire Farm. Grill the sausages slowly on a low to medium heat until very brown. The smoke accumulates on the inside of the grill and is “seasoned,” making your food “sing” with grilled flavor. Remove the sausages andlet the grill burn off the residue for 20 to 30 minutes. Clean the cooking grate with a brass-bristle brush and you are ready to cook flavorful meals. Fire Safety: Never place the grill close to a combustible material. The outside of the grill radiates high-level heat and accidental ignition could result if placed too close to wood, paper or other flammable material. Adding Smoke Flavor: Consider adding hardwood chips or chunks (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes and drained) or moistened fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or lavender to the grill. Place the wet wood or herbs directly on the coals just before you begin cooking. * Food Safety: Set aside two wath, pairs of tongs to handle the food. Mark one pair with red tape (Red=Stop) to handle raw food and the other pair with green tape (Green=Go) to handle cooked food. Be sure to use separate plates for raw and cooked food, too. This will help prevent cross-contamination. How Sausage Fared Hillshire Farm recently conducted the Best of the Wurst survey among 1,000 Americans who revealed how they prefer to prepare and serve dinner sausage. The following are some of the most interesting findings from the survey: * Condiments Across the Country: Different sauces for different states. While mustard wasthe top condiment for West Coasters and those living in South Central states, other condiment preferences varied by region. Northeasterners prefer to serve their sausage with spaghetti sauce, North Central residents would rather have ketchup and South Atlantic residents like their sausage topped with onions. Star-Studded Sausage: Americans want to link up with celebrities behind the grill. Women chose flamboyant chef Emeril Lagasse (36 percent) as the celebrity they'd most like to grill sausage with, while men preferred hardcore rock star Ozzy Osbourne (30 percent). (Even though Ozzy was Queen Elizabeth’s opening act, womenstill prefer a professional.) For more information and great recipe ideas, visit www.hill shirefarm.com.
