Thinking about cooking out tonight? Why not think big?

That's BIG, as in barbecued beef tenderloin, stuffed turkey breast, marinated leg of lamb, salmon roast, or ham.

All these are perfect on the grill, and can make a mighty nice change from the "small stuff" like burgers and dogs. They can turn a family meal into an occasion, or make a memorable feast for guests. And they're really no more trouble than preparing and watching over a lot of little things on the grill.

"You can do anything on a grill," says Francie George, corporate vice president of Baltimore's Haussner's restaurant and an enthusiastic outdoor griller at home. "I do Christmas dinner on the grill," she says. Other favorite items to grill are whole fish, fresh ham, turkey, prime rib and spare ribs. Everything is cooked on "an old, beat-up" kettle-type grill she's had for nearly 30 years.

Statistics show she's not alone in her enthusiasm. Americans celebrated 2.6 billion "barbecue events" last year, up from 2.3 billion in 1991, according to the Barbecue Industry Association, a trade group based in Naperville, Ill.

Eighty-three percent of all families in the country own a barbecue grill of some type, the association says. Gas types have a slight edge over charcoal, with 59 percent of grill owners having gas grills, and 58 percent with charcoal.

And whatever the type, 52 percent use their grills year-round.

The trend toward more meal preparation over coals or flame outdoors doesn't surprise Melanie Barnard, author of "The Best Covered and Kettle Grills Cookbook Ever" (HarperCollins, $16.95).

Grilling appeals because it's so easy -- it's less formal, and there's less cleanup afterward -- a factor that appeals in family dining and in today's entertaining.

"Grilling speaks casual entertaining," Ms. Barnard says. "You don't do formal things on a grill -- because it's a participatory experience. And that's what I think is fun about it. You get people together and they get their hands in. . . . Maybe it's prehistoric, maybe it's part of our genetic makeup. Anything you make on a grill tastes better."

While her book offers recipes for such things as Cajun burgers and "the ultimate hot dog," there are also recipes for whole chicken stuffed with lemons and sage, summer herb stuffed turkey breast, grill-smoked brisket, ham, and country pot roast, apple and sage-stuffed pork roast and spiced rack of lamb.

"You can do chickens and ducks, whole turkeys, big pieces of fish" quite easily on the grill, Ms. Barnard says.

It takes just a little planning to make a memorable meal around a grilled specialty, she says. Simple dishes are the best accompaniment: She suggests starting with such snacks as cheese and crackers, or grilled toast with salsa, sides dishes such as coleslaw, potato salad, or macaroni salad, some fresh vegetables from the farmer's market, all topped off with ice cream or frozen yogurt and sliced fresh fruit.

"The biggest mistake people make," she says, is planning a menu that requires them to be in the kitchen finishing side dishes at the same time they're outside watching the grill. That's why easy things that can be made ahead, or require only the tiniest bit of last-minute preparation, are the most practical choices.

And then the centerpiece can really stand out.

"The key to doing larger pieces is to roast them slowly at lower temperature," Ms. George says. She cooks everything with indirect heat, moving the coals aside after they're hot to encirle the grill, or placing them in semicircular piles on each side of the grate.

The vents in the grill also help control the temperature, she says. "When I do something large, I close the bottom vents and open the top ones, to let in a little more oxygen." She tries to keep the temperature between 275 and 300 degrees. (She recommends buying a good meat thermometer, commercial-style if you can find one at a kitchen specialty store or restaurant supply outlet.)

"Doing a whole turkey is wonderful," she says. "I do nothing to it. I just let it cook." She props up less dense areas of the bird by placing an old half-cup measuring cup under the tail, and allows half an hour per pound to cook the bird. The skin gets brown and crispy and the flesh is firm and juicy, she says.

"Another thing that's spectacular on the grill is a whole salmon," Ms. George says. She divides the coals into two semi-circles on opposite sides of the grill, so no part of the fish will be directly over the coals. "The night before I wash it and dry it and make sure there are no scales left on it, then I open it up and fill the interior with a paste made of honey and brown sugar." You can also put in sprigs of fresh herbs -- dill, tarragon or thyme all work well, she says. The honey-sugar mixture should be the consistency of thick paste. She stores the fish in a plastic bag on a baking sheet in the refrigerator until she's ready to cook it.

She puts the fish in a two-sided rack, so it can be turned over halfway through the cooking process. For perfectly cooked fish, she says, allow 10 minutes per inch of thickness at 400 degrees. To make sure the fire stays hot enough when she divides the hot coals, she adds an extra 8 to 10 coals per side. Then she throws on a handful of wood chips that have been soaked in water for a couple of hours. "I predominantly use hickory," she says. "I think mesquite is too strong. Cherry is also nice."

With fresh ham, she says, "before I cook it, I rub it with a combination of freshly grated horseradish and honey." The heat from the coals dries out the glaze, and when the ham is sliced, "you get little tastes of it" with each slice, she says.

For a truly special occasion, she says, she will do a New England-style clam bake. She uses a two-part steamer, putting corn in the husk and potatoes in the water in the bottom section, then layering lobster, clams, monkfish, shrimp, mussels and perhaps scrod in the top section. She sprinkles each layer with Old Bay; the steam picks up the spice and takes it back to the water, so everything is suffused with flavor.

Delightful as it is, grilling needn't always be a big deal. "If I'm cooking for myself, which I do quite a lot these days because my kids are all grown and my husband travels a lot," Ms. Barnard says, "I would rather go turn the grill on and cook myself up a piece of chicken, than to cook it in the house where I'd have to dirty a frying pan and it's no more time and no more effort and it tastes a whole lot better.

"We have good seafood," in Connecticut, where she lives, Ms. Barnard says. "Pretty soon we'll get soft shells. I love to grill those. I do that for myself. That's a real treat."

*

Here are a couple of recipes from Ms. Barnard's book. While this first recipe is for a whole side of salmon, you can also use steaks or fillets, if you adjust the cooking time to about 5 minutes per side.

Mustard-dill salmon roast

Serves six

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons minced shallots

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 1/2 to 3 pounds side of salmon fillet, in one piece

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

whole dill sprigs, for garnish

In a shallow dish just large enough to cover the fish, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, shallots, chopped dill, and pepper to blend well. Add the salmon and turn to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours. Return to room temperature before cooking.

Combine the yogurt with the lemon zest. Refrigerate until ready to use.

zTC Prepare a medium fire in a covered or charcoal gas grill. Cover and grill the salmon, skin side down, until nicely browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Carefully turn over with one or two wide spatulas and grill until the fish is just opaque throughout, 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Serve the fish garnished with dill sprigs and accompanied by the lemon yogurt sauce.

Ms. Barnard recommends the next recipe as simple starter for summer barbecues. Use high-quality ingredients for best results.

Tomato-basil bruschetta

Serves eight

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/3 cup chopped sweet white or red onion

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus leaves for garnish

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

8 slices crusty Italian bread, cut 1/2 inch thick

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic and let stand 15 minutes. In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, basil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons garlic oil. Stir gently to .. mix. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Prepare a medium to hot fire in a covered charcoal or gas grill. Brush both sides of the bread with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil. Grill until lightly toasted on one side, about 45 seconds. Turn the bread over and quickly spoon the tomato mixture over the toasted side. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Grill until the bread is toasted, the cheese melted, and tomato mixture slightly warmed, about 45 seconds. Garnish each piece with a basil leaf.

DON'T FORGET . . .

Here are some tips on grilling from the National Live Stock & Meat Board, an industry group in Chicago, Ill.

* Prepare coals well in advance so they have time to reach the correct temperature before the food is cooked.

* To check the temperature of coals, place the palm of your hand at cooking height, just above the grid. Count the number of seconds you can hold your hand there before the heat is so uncomfortable you have to pull it away (to count seconds, count one-one thousand; two-one thousand, etc.). Approximate times-temperatures are: low, 5 seconds; medium, 4 seconds; medium-hot, 3 seconds; hot, 2 seconds.

*In appearance, low coals are covered with a thick layer of gray ash; medium coals glow through a layer of gray ash; and hot coals are barely covered with gray ash.

* Avoid cooking over direct flame so the outside of food is not charred.

* When cooking meats, trim them well of fat to avoid flare-ups.

* Use spatula or tongs to turn foods; don't pierce with fork or flavorful juices will be lost.

* In warm weather, it is important to keep cold foods cold (below 40 degrees) until you are ready to cook or serve them.

* Food should not be left out at room temperature for long periods. Two hours is the maximum for most foods; extremely perishable items should not sit out more than 20 minutes.

* Leftovers should be packed quickly in small, covered %o containers, and returned to the cooler, refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible.

* Keep raw and cooked foods separate. Wash utensils and surfaces that touch raw food with hot soapy water before using )) them for anything else.