With the summer barbecuing season quickly coming to a close, you may be trying to enjoy every last good meal you can straight from your grill. To help you add an irresistibly sweet note to any grilled entrée, side or even dessert, the National Honey Board has partnered with award-winning grilling expert, restauranteur and TV personality, Chef Michell Sanchez, to offer his best honey-inspired recipes and grilling tips to make end of summer barbecues tasteful and memorable.

Using only the freshest high-quality proteins, fruits and vegetables at his restaurant, Latin House Grill in Miami, Sanchez creates unforgettable mouthwatering meals using nature’s golden sweetener as an emulsifier in sauces and glazes over an open flame. For this campaign, he kicks up his grilling creations to new heights by balancing all his recipes with honey’s unique flavor profile, either alone or combined with other natural ingredients, in both sweet and savory offerings.

“My usage of honey on the grill goes far back into my childhood,” shared Sanchez, whose uncle is a local honey bottler in South Florida. “It’s a quick and easy natural addition for any marinade or glaze. It not only creates a contrast of flavors over an open fire, but it also adds and locks in moisture when used on meat. The distinct taste and crunchiness that honey creates as it caramelizes will leave your guests craving more.”

Primarily thought of only as sweetener, Sanchez noted that honey’s culinary versatility is endless, boosting the flavor in any recipe. Paired with his creativity in the kitchen and love for grilling, Sanchez shares his favorite naturally sweetened dishes exclusively available on www.mielpura.org   as well as on his social media platforms.
Here we bring you some os Sanchez’s succulent grilled creations.

Grilled Tiger Shrimp with Mango-Habanero-Honey & Papaya Slaw
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 lb large Tiger shrimp, about 16-20 shrimp
2 tablespoons honey
2 whole mangos, peeled and cubed for puree
1 orange Habanero pepper
1 green papaya
2 limes
Salt to taste

Directions:
Clean, devein and slightly butterfly shrimp, leaving shell and tails on, cover in bowl and set in refrigerator. Using a blender, add honey, mango, Habanero and a squeeze of lime. Blend for 2 minutes adding a pinch of salt and blend for one more minute. Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Using a mandolin with teeth, shred papaya and toss with honey, lime juice from 1 lime and add salt to taste. Cover slaw and set aside. Wipe grill with vegetable oil on a clean cloth and place shrimp on grill for 3 minutes each side. Remove from grill and serve over a bed of fresh papaya slaw.

Honey Glazed Grilled Fruit Salad
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 large watermelon
1 pineapple
1 Honeydew melon
8 Mission figs
1 cup orange juice
1 cup honey
2 limes
Pinch of salt
Chile fruit seasoning
Wooden skewers, soaked in water

Directions:
Peel and slice watermelon, pineapple and Honeydew into 1 inch chunks and figs in half. Preheat grill to medium heat and wipe grill with halved lime. Place cut fruit into large mixing bowl, and pour orange juice over and toss with a pinch of salt. Assemble fruit into kabobs by piercing it through the soaked skewer and stacking the fruit, alternating as you go. Leave at least 2 inches of space on blunt end of the skewer to handle kabob safely while grilling. Place fruit on hot grill, turning on each side every three minutes. Remove from grill and drizzle with honey and sprinkle with chile fruit seasoning. Serve warm on the skewer.

8-hour Carnitas with Honey Glaze
Serves 10-12

Ingredients:
1 whole pork picnic shoulder, about 10-12 lbs.
1 cup honey
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:
Clean and trim pork of excess fat and rub with salt, pepper and crushed garlic cloves. Chop onion and mix with honey and pour over pork. Place on grill under very low indirect heat for 8 hours, turning and basting with honey mixture every hour. Pork will begin to break down and fall apart when ready to serve.

Honey Bourbon Red Snapper
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 whole Red or Yellowtail Snapper, 3-4 lbs
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons bourbon
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt

Preparation:
Clean and descale snapper. Score three slices across both sides of the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pour lime juice over fish. In a separate bowl mix, honey and bourbon and set aside. Add snapper to medium high grill and brush with honey bourbon twice on each side, about 7-8 minutes per side. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

Carne Asada with Honey Compound Butter and Honey Garlic Glazed Asparagus
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 lbs Flap meat
½ cup honey
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves
1 bunch of asparagus
1 jar fig jam
Salt

Preparation:
Clean and trim the meat, cutting into 6 oz portions. In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat adding half of the honey, fig jam and salt. Mix the remaining honey with the crushed garlic in bowl and set aside. Place meat on medium high grill and brush with compound butter, being careful of flare ups. Add asparagus to the grill, brushing with honey and garlic glaze. Cook both items to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for the meat and 3 minutes for the asparagus. Plate and serve hot.

Grilled Honey, Almonds and Brie Burger
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef Chuck
1 cup Honey
1 cup almonds, sliced
8 oz Brie cheese
Salt
Pepper
4 Brioche buns, sliced

Preparation:
Form four equal ground beef patties and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place meat on high heat grill, flipping once after 5 minutes. Add Brie cheese to patties, cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and place each patty on Brioche bun bottom, then topping it with honey and almonds, placing the bun top on the burger last.