CHOW! SUMMER 2005
BARBEQUE FREAKS, TAKE NOTE
Grilling’s not just for burgers and hot dogs anymore.
TODD COOPER
BY SARA BRICKNER
G OOD G RILLING
T ECHNIQUES
Like any culinary endeavor, the subtle
nuances of grilling are what make a raw
meat canvas into either a succulent master-
piece or just another dry piece of burnt
flesh. And while most people think the
word “grilled” applies only to hamburgers
and hot dogs, you can cook almost any
meal on the grill with a choice accessory or
two. Whether you’re using charcoal, gas,
or new infrared technology, grilling isn’t
just for summer cookouts anymore.
You can grill two ways: directly and
indirectly. Direct grilling is when meat is
cooked quickly over a direct heat source. It
works better for burgers and foods with
low fat content that can be cooked quickly
at high temperatures without burning or
undercooking.
Indirect grilling is just that. The meat
is cooked away from the heat source,
more slowly at lower temperatures. It
takes a little longer but if you’re cooking
up a honkin’ slab of meat, it ensures thor-
ough cooking without burning your suc-
culent dinner.
To prepare your grill for indirect
grilling, spread coals or whatever fuel
you’re using on one side of the grill bot-
tom. If you’re using a two-burner gas grill,
only light one burner. This is the “hot” side.
On the other, place a metal pan of water to
make the “cool” side. Don’t be fooled,
6 JULY 21, 2005 CHOW!
though — for our purposes, cool still
means pretty darn hot.
The steam from the water helps keep
the meat from drying out so you don’t end
up with a crusty, charred exterior and a raw
bloody interior. Whatever you do, don’t use
lighter fluid or other chemicals to start an
old-fashioned grill fire or your dinner could
end up tasting like a chemical flambé.
Instead, use crumpled up newspaper or
kindling and an electric lighter.
T HE G REAT S MOKE O UT
Even if you don’t have a smoker, it’s
pretty easy to smoke meat using a grill. But
smoking isn’t about exposing meat to
burning wood smoke, which can contain
carcinogens and infuses meat with noxious
flavors.
The wood chips should be smolder-
ing embers and higher-end grills often
come with built-in trays for wood chips
so they don’t burn. If you don’t have
one, in the book Grilling America Rick
Browne suggests taking one or two
handfuls of wood and wrapping them in
a layered, heavy duty foil packet and
poking a few holes into just the top layer
of tinfoil so that the wood smolders
without catching fire.
At Fire for Life, a local Eugene store
that specializes in grills and flame-related
merchandise, owner Mike Alford and
employee Jim O’Hare say it doesn’t matter,
as long as the chips aren’t on fire. Just
make sure to get the smoke going before
cooking the meat, O’Hare advises.
Otherwise the meat will be done before the
wood chips get going.
But the most important rule seems
almost counterintuitive: don’t get too cre-
ative when selecting wood chips.
Hardwoods work best. Unless you want
meat that tastes like a charred tree branch,
avoid soft woods including pine, cotton-
wood, willow, eucalyptus and poplar.
Instead, try hickory, oak, pecan, mesquite,
alder, apple, or maple.
Also, be sure to select wood that will
complement your meat. Different woods
yield different flavors, and what tastes
good with steak might ruin chicken or
seafood. Some chefs, including Mike and
Jim, believe that it’s best to soak wood
chips before smoking; others, such as Rick
Browne, believe that dry is the way to go.
When smoking, low temperatures and a
slow cooking time help keep the juices in
the meat.
S OAK U P THE F LAVOR
Marinades and rubs are the foundation
of all amazing grilling, adding flavor and
zing like splashes of color to your meat
masterpiece.
Rubs, an assortment of spices, either
dry or with a liquid element, are
“rubbed” into the meat for additional
zest. On their website, Better Homes and
Gardens suggests refrigerating your
rubbed meat for anywhere from 15 min-
utes to two hours before cooking so it
can fully absorb the flavors.
When it comes to marinating, barbecue
sauce tends to be the standard choice. How
boring. Get zippy with one of the thou-
sands of pre-made marinades and rubs in
stores or make your own at home. The only
real rule is to use plenty of salt, which helps
the meat absorb the other flavors.
The longer you let meat sit, the better,
but marinating times vary depending on the
recipe and type of meat you’re using. For
roasts and other whole meats, injectable
marinades are available to spread flavor
evenly throughout the meat.
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MAGICAL
MARINADES
AVOCADO-
TOMATILLO SAUCE
From Bobby Flay’s new book, Boy
Gets Grill:125 Reasons to Light
Your Fire! Scribner, Hardcover,
$30.
Bobby Flay suggests using this
sauce with swordfish, salmon,
mackerel, bluefish or any other
rich fish.
8 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 jalapeño chiles
1/2 C. mild vegetable oil, such as
canola, plus extra for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pep-
per
1/4 C. fresh lime juice
2 T. honey
4 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pit-
ted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch
cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
leaves
Heat your grill to high.
Brush the tomatillos and chiles with
oil and season all over with salt and
pepper. Grill the tomatillos and
chiles, turning, until blackened on
all sides. Remove from the grill and
coarsely chop the tomatillos. Stem,
seed and chop the chiles.
Combine the tomatillos, chiles, lime
juice, and honey in a blender and
blend until smooth. With the motor
running, gradually pour in the oil
and blend until emulsified. Transfer
to a bowl and fold in the avocados,
onion, and cilantro. Season to taste
with salt and pepper.
Makes 2 cups.
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