In my mind, the battle for grilling holiday of the world is a hard fought battle between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Personally, I go for Labor Day because it's the every man's day. Memorial Day is all about veterans and death and killing, but Labor Day is the day that we get to celebrate and take a break from our work on the job. And for that, the best way to celebrate is to do what comes natural and cook meat over a fire.

Let's try something a little bit different this year for Labor Day. Forget the burgers and dogs, and do something different. Plan for it now, and make your family or friends happy and jealous. Make their mouths happy by stuffing them full of delicious grilled food. Make them jealous of your world-class grilling skills.

Make an impression this Labor Day by trying some alternatives that are easy but delicious.

If you are a burger kind of guy on this holiday, maybe you should grill some steaks. Go check out some meat sites, and get the lowdown on the cuts of meat that a cow has to offer. Not only will you learn about what parts of the cow give us the T-Bone and Porterhouse, but you might get some ideas on a great slab of meat to cook. Go simple and make my Grilled Frontier Steaks. It's just grilled tenderloins basted with a tasty garlic and mustard sauce.

For all you dog lovers out there, I think it is time for you to upgrade your repertoire to some brats. Forget the franks and buns. Go buy a package of raw brats and a package of hoagie or sub rolls. Then get some real condiments like dijon mustard, onions, and smoked cheese. One cool thing to do (and I'm sure you've seen the Johnsonville commercials) is to make a beer bath for your brats. Try this:

- 2 cans beer

- 1/2 stick butter

- 1 white onion, sliced

In a large grill-proof aluminum pan, combine the beer, butter and grilled onion slices. Make sure it's large enough to fit all the brats. You can find these at the grocery store. Put the pan on the grill over some coals and let the bath heat up. When the brats are cooked through, transfer them to the beer bath. In it, they will stay warm, moist, and tasty.

If you're a steak guy, make a switch and grill some pork chops or a tenderloin. Pork chops are especially easy to grill. The rules of grilling pork are similar to that of steak, so the switch should be easy for you to make. Just cook until done.

Sometimes, in order to become better at what we do, we must break out of the routine. Pardon the cliche, but we have to think outside the box, and do something that challenges us. Give something else a try this Labor Day. You have the time now to get out there and practice. Do it now, and wow your guests in September.

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