Grilling Class at the Weber Grill Academy

I think one of the things that I love the most about cooking (besides actually eating) is that there is always something to learn. And I’m the kind of person who, as lame as it sounds, really loves learning new things. I’m graduating in April, so I’ve been thinking a lot about how in just a couple of months, for the first time, my “most important job” will no longer be going to school. I won’t be in a 24/7 learning environment. But I quickly realized how wrong I was in my thinking, just because I won’t be in a classroom environment anymore, doesn’t mean I won’t be learning all the time. Not only is every single day filled with new lessons, but there are so many other ways to continue learning. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to try a grilling class at the Weber Grill Academy, which was the perfect opportunity to learn more about grilling.

This class came at the perfect time as I have started thinking about new summer grilling recipes to post this year. Not only do I have a ton of new, exciting ideas, but I also have more knowledge and tips that I’ll be able to share with you. The class was run by Chef Michael P. Clive, who is just a wealth of knowledge. He made grilling into such an approachable thing (I’ll admit that I have been intimidated by grilling before)! We cooked six different dishes all using the grill, but I think the best part was getting to eat them all at the end. My favourite was definitely the cedar planked salmon – I can’t wait to try this once the weather warms up a bit. I never knew that you had to burn the cedar plank before cooking the salmon, it adds even more flavour to the fish.

Now that we’re in the depths of February, I can’t think of a better pick-me-up than taking a grilling class. It will give you a little taste of summer to tide you over. If you’re in or around the Toronto area, check out their website here for more info on their classes.

If you’re looking for some grilling recipes, here are five of my favourites from the Living Lou archives.

Chili Lime Chicken Skewers

Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Cocoa and Chili Rubbed Pork

Barbecued Salmon

Baked Sweet Potatoes on the barbecue

Disclosure: I was invited by Weber-Stephen Canada Co. to attend the Weber Grill Academy grilling class and was gifted a Q1200 grill. The decision to write about my experience was completely my own and I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.