This story is sponsored by Utah Transit Authority. Learn more about Utah Transit Authority.

Warmer weather and longer days mean grilling season is about to begin. Walk through a grocery or hardware store and you’re guaranteed to see aisles of shiny BBQ utensils, stacks of bagged charcoal briquettes and rows of pristine grills: all the tools you need to put together the perfect summer BBQ.

Once you’ve got your tools at the ready, it's time to decide what to grill up first. Meat is an obvious option, but why limit yourself? There is a vast array of food items you could throw on the grill, each more delectable than the last. BBQ weather lasts for months, which means days and weeks of opportunities to experiment with new recipes.

Here are a few non-meat recipes that will excite your taste buds this summer.

Smoky grilled pizza

One of the best things about a grill is it allows you to keep the heat of cooking outside. You can also make meals at home and still enjoy a restaurant-style taste.

Pizza is as easy to make on a grill as it is in a traditional oven, only you end up with a smoky, restaurant-like, wood-fired taste.

Make or buy your favorite pizza crust. Flatten it into your desired shape. Heat your grill then throw the pizza crust on sans-toppings until it’s lightly browned. Take it off the grill, flip it over, add your toppings, and put it back on the grill to finish cooking.

Pro tip: Grilled pizzas don’t have to be savory. Top with cream cheese frosting and fruit for a fresh summer dessert.

See Simplyrecipes.com for a full grilled pizza recipe.

Seasoned vegetable skewers

Whether you normally like vegetables or not, seasoned vegetable skewers cooked on the grill are a great way to eat healthily and enjoy the taste of BBQ at the same time.

Choose any of your favorite vegetables and cut them into chunks that can slide easily onto a bamboo skewer. Possible options include bell peppers (any color), cherry tomatoes, whole fresh mushrooms, squash, red and white onions and zucchini.

Sprinkle with olive oil, dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper and any other seasonings you desire. Set the skewers on a grate in the preheated grill. Turn occasionally until the veggies reach your desired level of doneness.

Pro tip: Soak your bamboo skewers for 20 minutes or so in water before adding your veggies. This will keep the skewers from burning up in the heat of the grill.

See Allrecipes.com for a full grilled vegetable skewer recipe.

Homemade veggie burgers

Whether you're trying to eat less meat, or you just enjoy a good veggie burger, you might be surprised by how good a homemade veggie burger can be.

Veggie burgers need different types of veggies for their base and their texture. Chickpeas processed with eggs makes a good base. Texture veggies might include peppers, garlic, onions and jalapenos. To assemble your burger, cook texture veggies until soft, add desired spices and continue cooking for another minute, then add the chickpea and egg base. Stir in bread crumbs and oats to absorb some moisture and give the burger structure. Create your patties and grill.

Pro tip: Let the veggie burger mixture set for 10 to 15 minutes before forming patties to allow oats to soak up extra moisture. If the mixture is still too wet, add more bread crumbs or oats.

See Tablespoon.com for a full homemade veggie burger recipe.

Grilled pineapple

There’s no better way to freshen up a summer BBQ than with a plate of grilled pineapple.

Peel, core and cut a pineapple into eight to 10 wedges. Brush lightly with oil and place pineapple wedges on preheated grill. Cook until nicely charred then remove and drizzle with honey. Alternatively, shake pineapple wedges in a bag with brown sugar and cinnamon before grilling.

Pro tip: Slice pineapple into rounds rather than wedges, grill, then top with vanilla ice cream for another amazing dessert.

See Foodnetwork.com or Allrecipes.com for a full grilled pineapple recipe.

Whether you're a vegetarian or a carnivore, there are lots of different things to grill up this season. If you have yet to experience the difference a pellet grill can make, then be sure to enter the UTA contest in which a lucky winner will win a new Traeger wood pellet grill.

This story is sponsored by Utah Transit Authority. Learn more about Utah Transit Authority.

Spring is here, which means grilling season is about to be in full swing here in Utah. With the growing popularity of pellet grills, it can be unclear to the grilling novice how to perfectly cook something as simple as a steak compared to a traditional grill.

Because cooking a steak on a pellet grill can be daunting at first glance, here are five tips on how to cook the perfect steak on your new pellet grill.

Choose meat carefully

To ensure that the perfect steak is cooked on your pellet grill, some advanced planning is necessary. If you plan on cooking a steak, plan on purchasing a freshly packaged steak on the same day you plan to cook them, preferably early in the day. This allows time for the steaks to sit out and rise to room temperature, usually taking from four to six hours, explains Traeger. Cooking a steak when it is too cold can result in longer cook times and thusly, tougher meat.

In addition to buying fresh meat and allowing it to rise to room temperature, don’t be shy about picking meat with a fair amount of marbling. The white streams in a steak are thin bits of fat that will dissolve into the meat while it cooks and will make your steak moist and soft.

Prepare the meat

Before you slap that ribeye onto the grill, take care to properly season your steak. No matter the rub of choice (salt and pepper work fine, too), be sure to massage into the steak, not sprinkle. Always using a touch more seasoning than you think you’re going to need, suggests Traeger. Don’t be shy about getting your hands dirty in this step, how you season a steak can make all the difference.

An important aspect of preparing the meat is the question of marinating. If you choose to marinate your steak, Traeger suggests doing so for at least three hours, ideally overnight.

Prepare the pellet grill

When using a pellet grill, it is imperative to have the right wood pellets ready for your meat. When it comes to steak, Traeger recommends hickory, oak, or mesquite for the boldest and most unique flavor.

Also, to ensure the efficiency and potency of your pellet grill, Traeger recommends making sure the steak is going to be going on a grill that is clean. With a pellet grill there are a few additional maintenance items, but with regular cleaning and maintenance comes maximum efficiency and flavor.

Before throwing your steak on, make sure the grill grate is clean, the firepot ash is vacuumed out, and that grease bucket and drip trays are cleaned off. And, as always, keep your pellet grill covered when not in use.

Smoke, then grill

Once the grill is clean and filled with your choice of pellets, and your steak is up to room temperature and rubbed, you are ready to start cooking. To take full advantage of your pellet grill, be patient in letting the meat absorb as much smoke flavor as possible — usually taking about 30 minutes.

After the steaks are thoroughly smoked, remove from the grill and turn the grill up to roughly 375 degrees. Once the grill is to temperature, replace the steaks and cook until the steak is cooked to your liking. Traeger explains that 120-130 degrees is considered rare, 130-135 degrees medium rare, 135-145 degrees medium, 145-155 medium well, and 155-165 for well.

Top it off

Once the steaks are done, top them off with a pat of butter and perhaps the slightest sprinkle of parsley. The butter won’t take away from the flavor of the meat, but instead will amplify its flavor and juiciness. Be sure to cut against the grain, and enjoy!

Having the perfect steak can be a nearly ethereal experience, one that is most likely to be achieved when being cooked on a pellet grill. If you have yet to experience the difference a pellet grill can make, then be sure to enter the UTA contest in which one lucky winner will win a new Traeger wood pellet grill.

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