Fun and Easy Barbeque Recies for Labor Day

The history of Labor Day, according to the United States Department of Labor website, goes back to 1882 when the Central Labor Union of New York City decided to create a day of rest to honor working citizens. Labor Day did not become a federal holiday until 1894 and all 50 states have made it a state holiday as well.

Labor Day means a lot of different things to different people. For some people it is a day away from work, a last weekend before school starts, an end to summer, the start of football season, or just another summer holiday to enjoy a cook-out with friends and family.

Simple and delicious barbeque recipes add a sense of fun and ease to Labor Day festivities. Consider these easy Foil-Wrapped Grilled Potatoes or BBQ-Loaded Burgers for your Labor Day celebration.

Foil-Wrapped Grilled Potatoes

Recipe directions are for one pouch of potatoes and should serve two or three people.

Ingredient List

Heavy duty aluminum foil about a foot and a half long to create a pouch (or double-layered regular aluminum foil)

2-3 medium potatoes

½ onion

¼ green pepper (optional)

1/2 clove garlic (garlic powder also works)

4 Tablespoons of butter or margarine (cut into thin slices or divide into tiny spoonfuls)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Wash, peel and slice the potatoes thinly. (You can leave the skins on if you enjoy potato skins. Then just wash and slice thinly.) Pile directly in the center of the foil.

Peel and slice the onion and green pepper. Pile on top of the potatoes.

Put the crushed, diced garlic or garlic powder, salt, and pepper on top of the potato, onion, and green pepper combination.

Finally, put the butter or margarine on top, spread across the surface as much as possible. Wrap the foil around the potatoes and seal it by folding it over itself several times. If it looks like it might leak (if it did not seal up tight) - wrap another piece of foil around the whole thing. You want the potatoes to simmer in the margarine and you won't want it to leak out and cause flare ups - and a greasy mess on your grill.

Cook between ½ hour to 45 minutes. Turn it about every 10-15 minutes to prevent scorching.

BBQ-Loaded Burgers

You can make these tangy burgers as hard or as easy as you want - depending on if you use store-bought BBQ sauce or if you make your own from scratch.

Ingredient List

2 pounds of ground beef

1 small diced onion

1 clove of garlic (crushed, diced or garlic powder is okay)

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ - 1 cup BBQ sauce

Directions

In a large bowl mix the ground beef, onion, garlic, and chili powder

Form the meat mixture into thin patties

Put half of the patties on a plate or cutting board

Put a dollop - about a Tablespoon - of BBQ sauce in the center of each patty

Put the other half of the patties on top - one at a time and sealing each one around the edges by pressing them together with your fingers. Make sure you don't press in the center or the BBQ sauce will go everywhere and you will get a sticky mess.

Lightly spray your grill with non-stick spray

Grill the burgers as you would normally. They might take a little bit longer to cook and need a slightly lower heat so they can cook through without burning - because they are going to be a little bit thick with the two patties.

Sources
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm