Copyright © 1997 Tarla Fallgatter. All rights reserved.
It’s a beautiful, warm summer evening and your tummy is sending "smoke" signals! Don’t fight it. Join tens of thousands of your fellow Americans in exchanging the heat of the kitchen for the sheer joy of cookin’ out back. Romans, crusaders, pilgrims, forty-niners, and most of the other great explorers all did it. Now rivers of barbecue sauce and other marinades are splashing across the world’s newest frontier. That is, at last count over 49,000 Web sites contained the word "BBQ," roughly 27,000 the word "grill" and 2,450 "marinade"! Just fire up your computer, throw on some "links," and you’ll be smokin’ on down the barbecue trail to great recipes, supplies and tricks of the trade. Once online you will find out everything you want to know about barbecue and MORE. To start your pilgrimage off right, visit The National Barbecue Association.
The Grill
When selecting a grill, it all comes down to personal preference. There are many types of grills on the market, from tabletop hibachis you can pick up for five dollars, to specially designed grills made to order. The one critical factor is the size of the grilling surface; the larger the surface the easier it is to move food around to hotter and cooler spots during cooking. I recommend that you buy the largest grill that will fit in your cooking area. Also, in general, covered grills such as the classic Weber kettle are somewhat more versatile than open grills because they allow you to simulate slow-cooking methods like roasting, smoking and barbecuing. Stop by The World Wide Weber to find find recipes, tips, tricks and answers to all your burning grill questions.
The Heat
Charcoal and Wood
If you don’t own a gas barbecue then you’ll have to start the fire with some charcoal or plain old hardwood. Briquettes are the traditional, square, black chunks of charcoal. They’re cheap and sold in every supermarket. Since they’re made from sawdust and scrap wood, rather than solid wood, they don’t get as hot as other fuels and you’ll need to use more of them. Avoid those impregnated with starter fluid; they can give an "off" taste to food. C. Clark "Smoky" Hales clears up many barbecuing misconceptions at Barbecue’n on the Internet.
Lump hardwood charcoal, made from oak and other hardwoods, is the best choice because it is almost pure carbon, without any of the fillers and chemicals that are included in charcoal briquettes. Hardwood charcoal starts more easily, burns hotter and slower with a minimum of ash, and is easier to control. The fire can be doused with water and the charcoal used again.
Mesquite charcoal, made by charring the wood of the southwestern mesquite tree under special commercial conditions, is popular among many home and restaurant chefs. It burns fast and clean and imparts a pleasantly smoky taste to meats, fish and poultry.
Dried fragrant hardwoods such as alder, apple, hickory, mesquite and oak are now available to patio chefs. These woods have two basic uses. You can soak the wood in water, then place it atop burning charcoal to smolder and give off smoke that flavors the food, or you can cook directly over burning wood chunks or the coals they form. The fine folks in Atlanta, Georgia, explain the use of wood chips very well at The Big Green Egg.
If you own a covered barbecue, you can add a delicious smoke flavor to foods as they cook. Start by soaking your choice of wood chips (about 20 minutes). Then prepare the barbecue fire. Either sprinkle the coals with one cup of wet wood chips or place the chips on a piece of aluminum foil on top of the grill. Set the cooking grill, food and lid in place and adjust dampers as needed to maintain an even heat. Cook as the recipe directs.
Whichever fuel you choose, you should lay a bed that is about three inches deep at the center, tapers out to about 1-1/2" at the edges and is larger in surface area than the total surface area of the food you are planning to grill. In this way you will end up with a very hot center and a cooler periphery and can shift food between them to regulate the cooking.
To ignite this well-laid fire, you have two options. Oval-shaped, electric fire starters are reliable, quick and energy-efficient. Set the starter on a few briquettes in the firebed and pile more briquettes on top; then plug in the starter. After 10 minutes remove the starter from the pile (if you leave it in the coals for long periods of time, the heating element will burn out quickly). In about 20 minutes the coals will be ready to spread. Even better, however, is the fire chimney which you can buy in most hardware stores—or you can easily make one of your own.
Take both ends off a large coffee can and punch a few holes around the bottom rim, using nails or a can opener that makes triangular holes. To use it, simply crumple up some newspaper and place it in the bottom of the chimney, fill the chimney to the top with charcoal and light the newspaper. If all goes according to the laws of physics you will end up with a can full of blazing fuel in about five minutes. Remove the chimney and spread the hot charcoal out into the center of your grill, top with other charcoal. It will take about 40 minutes to reach the fiery-red stage and then die down until all the coals are covered with a fine, gray ash.
When the fire has reached this point, test the temperature to make sure it’s appropriate for the food you’re cooking. Most seafood, for example, cooks best over a medium fire, while steak does best over a very high, searing heat. To check the fire temperature, simply hold your hand about five inches above the cooking surface. If you can hold it there for five to six seconds, you have a low fire; three to four seconds, a medium fire; and one to two seconds, a hot fire.
Cooking With Gas
Gas units are fueled by either bottled or natural gas. Those fueled by bottled gas usually roll on wheels, but they’re heavier and more difficult to move than their charcoal counterparts. Natural gas units are mounted on a fixed pedestal and must be connected to a permanent gas line. To help you decide if a gas grill is really for you, do some research at Gas Grills: Product Review.
In general, gas barbecues have two or three stainless steel burners, each with a separate control that allows you to regulate the flame from high to low, depending on the amount of heat required. To cook by direct heat, light both burners if you use the entire grill area. To cook by indirect heat, turn one burner on and leave the other off; place the food to be grilled over the off burner. Most manufacturers of gas units recommend you do all cooking with the lid closed.
To distribute the heat from the burners, most gas units use lava rock, either crushed or in various shapes. When the meat juices drip on the hot rock, smoke rises to penetrate and flavor the food. Instead of lava rock, a few units have a grillwork of porcelainized metal "flavorizer bars." These do a good job of distributing heat and minimizing flare-ups.
The Tools
The world of barbecuing offers a full range of gadgetry, both useful and frivolous. For everyday use and care of your barbecue, just a few tools are necessary: long tongs for adjusting hot coals and turning foods; long-handled spatulas and forks for turning foods while they cook (be sure not to puncture juicy meats with a fork); drip pans (either disposable foil or inexpensive aluminum) for catching meat and poultry juices while barbecuing by indirect heat; mitts for emergency adjustment of the grill and removal of drip pans from the firebed; and a stiff metal brush for scrubbing the grill.
The Technique
In grilling, food is placed within a few inches of a very hot, live fire, and is quickly cooked by conduction, concentrating the juices in the middle of the food while searing the outside. During the searing process, the high heat produces a browning and a concentration of flavor that is the cornerstone of the taste of grilled food. This complex browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction and creates what food scientist and authority Harold McGee describes as "a full, intense flavor," the characteristic "browned" taste that cannot be achieved through any other process. More grilling techniques regarding direct and indirect grilling can be found at Outdoor Cooking.
The Ingredients
Because grilling is a means of cooking quickly over high heat, you should grill only foods that will cook to the desired degree of doneness on the interior before being turned to cinders on the exterior. Tender cuts of meat with little connective tissue, like steaks, chops and smaller pieces of chicken, are excellent choices, as are firm-textured fish like tuna, swordfish and mahimahi. Just avoid grilling foods that are too mushy, like tofu; too delicate, like sole; too tough, like stew beef; or too large, like roast beef.
The Marinade—Put Some Thrill in Your Grill
Dry Marinating
Rubbing food with spice mixtures prior to cooking is a key technique in creating spicy, high-flavor food. When food that has been rubbed with a spice mixture is cooked, the rub creates a super-flavorful, slightly crunchy crust on the outside, while the interior retains its own distinct flavor. Just ask the Georgians at The Big Green Egg—Sauces, Marinades and Dry Rubs, where you’ll find a list of rubs, marinades, and basting or mopping sauces. This technique is commonly used in the barbecue pits of the South. Beef brisket or pork shoulders which undergo long, slow cooking on the barbecue are first rubbed with the pit master’s favorite blend of spices before the long, slow cooking of the barbecue process.
The use of rubs or spice pastes are preferable to traditional marinating because, in many cases, marinades penetrate food only a little bit, so they don’t flavor the entire piece of meat or fish. They don’t maintain their own taste very well, either.
With rubs, the spicy crust provides a great flavor contrast to the interior, which is largely unaffected and maintains the pure taste of the unadorned ingredients. Rubs are also easier to use than marinades, as all you have to do is rub them on and cook. No soaking time is necessary as with marinades.
When you use a rub, take small handfuls and coat the entire surface of the food you are about to cook. Use a little bit of pressure to rub the spices in, mixing the spices slightly with some of the liquid from the flesh so they adhere.
Wet Marinating
Before the dawn of refrigeration, marination was a means of preserving food. When marinating meats, fish and poultry, avoid using salt as the salt will draw out the juices and toughen the flesh.
When making your own marinade, assemble it a few hours ahead so that the flavors can blend. To make a marinade, mix the vinegar or juice with an oil, seasonings, herbs and spices. It is not necessary to chill it, but when the meat is added, refrigerate the mixture immediately. In a pinch, you can use a prepared vinaigrette salad dressing as a marinade.
Marinades tenderize meats, but when used with seafood and poultry, their primary purpose is to add flavor, lubrication and moisture during cooking. In these cases, less vinegar or juice is used because these foods are already tender; they are also marinated for less time.
Tips for Barbecuing
Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb. each), trimmed of excess fat
Herb and Spice Mixture
2 Tbsp. minced fresh Italian parsley
2 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and blend well - or process in a food processor. Rub this mixture all over the tenderloins and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Grill the tenderloins over medium heat for bout 10-12 minutes, turning them every 3 to 5 minutes to ensure even cooking and brushing with the honey mustard glaze during the last 4-5 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting surface and let stand about 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices about 1/2" thick. Spoon some corn relish over each portion and garnish with Italian parsley sprigs.
MAKES: 6 servings
Honey Mustard Glaze
2 Tbsp. coarse-grained Dijon-style mustard
2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
5 Tbsp. honey
Combine all ingredients in a small pan and simmer over low heat until the sugar melts - about 5 minutes.
Roasted Corn Bacon Relish
3 ears corn, shucked
4 Tbsp. maple syrup
3 slices bacon, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the corn from the cob and toss with maple syrup. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until slightly golden.
In a sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Set aside. Add the onion and cook until the onion is transparent. Add the corn and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the bacon, salt and pepper to taste.
MAKES: 6 servings
Additional Barbecue Links
Woodbridge Vintage Barrel Chips
A Listing of Barbecue Sites
The Great Southern Sauce Company
Dan T’s Inferno Home Page
Salsas, Etc.!
Smoke Rings Hot Links