You know the grill . . . but here are new takes on the usual summer fare

Summertime, and the grillin' is easy.

But by July 4, cooks are ready to declare their independence from the usual cookout burgers and chicken breasts. It's time to try a new take on steak or seafood, go whole hog with pork ribs, or add more kick to your usual marinade.

Or, strut your stuff with turkey, as did Stephanie Hughes of Salem, the reigning National 4-H Turkey Barbecue champ. The Spanish Fork High senior competed against 13 other contestants in Louisville, Ky., last November, winning a $500 savings bond. She proved that you don't need a zillion secret herbs and spices; she simply marinated her turkey breast in a bottle of teriyaki sauce straight off the grocery store shelf.

"Everyone else had a homemade recipe," she said. "But they don't really judge you on your recipe, they judge on your oral presentation, your barbecue skills and how it tasted. A lot of it has to do with the technique, not just the marinade."

Hughes won the state contest in Logan last July and went to the national contest courtesy of Moroni Feed Co.

It was her second try at the state contest. "The first year I was inexperienced," she said. But the next time around, "I probably did more than 10 test rounds at home trying different marinades and cooking methods, and did taste-tests in the neighborhood. I think the other thing that helped me win was touring the Moroni Feed Company to see exactly how turkeys were produced and processed."

Right now 4-H'ers across the state are gearing up for the 2003 state contest, July 14-16 on the Utah State University campus in Logan. Utahns have placed in the top three in the national contest 13 times in the past 20 years.

Turkey tips: Since turkey tends to dry out during cooking, Hughes covered it in foil during most of the cooking process to keep it moist, and then browned it near the end. Actual cooking time depends on how large the turkey breast is, she said.

"I did it a few weeks ago for my mom's Relief Society and it only took a half hour, but in the contest it took between 30 minutes to one hour. It changed every time I did it."

As for temperature — "just get enough coals to cover the bottom of the grill and have them stay hot the whole time," she said.