(not a judgmental statement, I've done it, and hell, my wife used to be a card-carrying PETA member.)


>So far, I've grilled up burgers, dogs, chicken, kielbasa,
>clams, asparagus, brussel sprouts, zuchini, squash, corn on
>the cob, and sausage. Yup.

sounds like a good round of starters. Assuming you just threw most of this stuff on the grill.

Need to know though: Charcoal or gas? Gas is pretty straightforward, but I've been working on my charcoal technique and can offer some pointers if you're on that side of the park.

Regardless, next step is to work on your seasonings. I'm not as big a fan of stuffing fish, though if you do have a whole fish, that's a great way to do it - you can use onions, fennel, rosemary, citrus, whatever.

Dry rubs: I always throw some on anything that I'll serve with barbecue sauce - chicken breasts & ribs, mostly, but you can use it with anything. There are commercial rubs available, but I make my own with whatever spices I have on hand. Basic format for me is: a lot of paprika, about half as much cinnamon, about 1/4 as much dry mustard, and then some salt, sugar, pepper, heat (cayenne, chipotle, ancho) to taste, ground coriander & cumin, dried oregano and basil, garlic powder, onion powder, hmmmmmm maybe a pinch of cardamom if you're feeling adventurous, definitely some anise seed, etc. etc. Then as far ahead as you can, put what you're cooking in a tupperware, add a bunch of the rub, cover, and shake to coat. Then stick it in the fridge until you're ready to cook. Grill, and either serve with sauce on the side or just sauce it last 10 minutes of cooking, depending on your preference.

Marinades & Sauces:
1) I use a honey mustard with salmon, sockeye, char and other orange-flesh fishes. Start with a lot of a good grainy mustard. Stir in some honey and some citrus (lime juice pref., but OJ is also good and a bit sweeter), and a good bit of olive oil. Marinade your fish in it for 20 minutes or more before grilling.

2) I used to grill a lot of white and red fish with a quasi-teriyaki marinade: soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, citrus, and honey. Tasty. Don't overcook the fish, even if you don't want it rare on the inside.

3) one of the most popular things I grill is a boneless leg of lamb. I cut it in a rough butterfly (so that it'll lie flat). For marinade, I use olive oil, honey, fresh mint (dried will do if necessary), rosemary, lots of garlic, lime juice or OJ, salt and lots of ground black pepper. I let it soak in that overnight in the fridge. For grilling, fat side down on a very hot grill to sear, then turn it down... and if you grill it right you don't even need to turn it, but I usually do. Cooking time is usually about 30 minutes depending on how how I have the grill. I serve it rare (though my haphazard butterflying leaves it in various states of doneness, since my wife likes medium and my pop likes well done) with mint jelly, salt and pepper.
I have a picture of our Easter leg of lamb on my phone... I'll se if I can get it uploaded! It's pretty bloody, though.

Good luck!