Boot Camp for Potential Grill Masters
To become good at grilling requires undergoing a process. The process can be compared to the infamous boot camp that young soldiers must go through. The difference is that the uniform is less macho (but much cooler), and the food tastes significantly better. Welcome to the world of grilling!
Man's best friend
We often get the question, "What kind of grill should I have?" This question does not have one right answer. Our grilling needs determine the right grill (or grills; or smokers) for us. Here are some questions that may help you when choosing a grill:
1. How often are you grilling?
2. Do you grill year round?
3. What is the largest number of people you are grilling for?
4. Are you grilling just to make simple dishes, or will you also be grilling whole pieces of meat, whole fish, etc.?
5. How much money do you want to invest in the grill?
There are unlimited opportunities to empty your bank account on your next purchase of a grill and barbecue equipment. It is not difficult to get rid of some big bucks if you want to, and if you have that much money.
Fortunately, you can make just as good food without having to sell your house and car. I myself have little will power when it comes to purchasing grills, smokers and accessories. I do know that some of the best BBQ food I have eaten has been cooked on decent, affordable and sometimes home-built grills.
If you only need to grill some sausages and some tender pieces of meat such as thinner steaks and chops once in a while, you do not need more than a simple charcoal grill, and even the lid has little significance. This type of food will usually cook on the grill in less than fifteen minutes. You only need to consider that the grill should be of solid quality, and that it is large enough.
For those of you who grill a lot (no matter the weather!), you will of course need a sturdy grill. For you, a flimsy gas station grill will not last longer than one, maybe two seasons.
People who grill a lot would be wise to spend some money on a good quality grill.
We must also emphasize that size matters here (unfortunately). Always make sure to have some extra space on the grill. This is very important so that you can have different temperature zones and move food around a bit if the flames become too hot underneath.
Actually, you can almost never have too much space on the grill and in many cases it may be advisable to have more than one grill.
Grill enthusiasts must have a grill with a lid. If you have tasted a completely grilled ribeye steak or chicken, then you will understand what I mean. A lid takes grilling to the next level and provides the opportunity to expand your grilling repertoire with thousands of recipes. A grill with a lid means you will never run out of new grilling opportunities. And I think this is great.
Some Tips, Part 1: The obvious
Never grill indoors. OK, it is actually possible – if you invest in a huge ventilation system, and a big gas grill in addition to the grill(s) you have outside. In other words: 99.99% of the rest of you should never, in your wildest dreams, consider grilling indoors.
Always use the best available ingredients. I do not know how many times I have heard or read this, and I have certainly said and written these words myself a few hundred thousand times. Just don’t get too upset if you do not have exactly the same ingredients on hand as requested in the recipe. Supplements can often be found!
Do not squirt lighter fluid on people or animals, and certainly never on a live flame.
Do not grill without a cap. A nice suit or dress can be worn at work or at a gourmet restaurant. But out in the garden you should wear the most comfortable clothes you own, no matter how ugly they are. You can always switch to something slightly more decent right before the guests arrive. But a cap makes grilling fun, authentic and successful. And as I always say, a cap is essential if you do not have paper towels or should you need a potholder or flyswatter.
Other Tips, Part 2: Are you serious?
Do not use water to extinguish flames on the grill and this also includes the infamous spray bottle with water. A better solution is simply to move the food away from the flames, and that is why it is always advisable to have a flame-free zone on any grill. If it flares up too much, you can put the lid down to shut down the valves (lack of oxygen means certain death for flames). A fire extinguisher can also be useful to have near the grill.
Allow the grill to stand on a flat surface. Grilling should preferably be conducted in a place that is flat and airy. Try to grill where you get the least amount of wind, and maintain a considerable distance away from things such as houses and trees, at least three meters in distance. Be extra careful if you grill under any kind of covered area.
Do not be afraid to season generously your grilled foods. You do not have to go crazy, but a little extra spice is always smart, as you will lose some of the spices during cooking. This is especially important when grilling larger or thicker items.
The smoke from the grill will also add an extra dimension to grilled food and you may want a little extra spice to balance the chargrill flavor.
Wooden skewers must first be soaked in water to prevent them from burning up.
They should soak at least a half hour before use.
Have a workplace near the grill. A table at workbench height is enough.
An apron is an essential companion with any grill. Most people will find barbecuing messy, and an apron is a good thing to wear.
A barbecue prong fork should not really be classified as a barbecue tool, though it does have limited uses.Tongs and a grill spatula are best for turning or moving the food. A barbecue fork pokes holes in your food, thus letting the juices run out. The only thing I use a barbecue fork for is to move the barbecue coals around, or to appear dangerous if anyone complains about the food.
Marinades or sauces containing sugar or tomatoes burn easily during cooking. Brush these sauces on during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. Sometimes marinades are used as sauce for the finished food. Save some of the marinade in a separate bowl to use for the sauce instead of serving "used" marinade.
Kids are a natural part of a successful barbecue party. The patience limit for kids, however, lies a few notches lower than for he-who-has-had-one-martini-too-many. Have some snacks available for those who need it: vegetable sticks, chips or a hotdog to hold. Some mineral water is also a good idea.
How to grill a steak?
The best steaks are always cooked using dry heat, which means either in a frying pan, in the oven or preferably over a live flame. It is important with high heat to ensure the meat is browned on the outside. Through a chemical process called the Maillard reaction, the natural sugar in meat caramelizes. When moisture from the meat’s juices on the outside of the meat evaporates, it combines with the spices (such as salt and pepper), and results in an irresistible flavor.
A lot of research has gone into determining how meat can and should be cooked.
Some claim that steaks should be cooked in the oven at the same desired temperature as in the middle of the finished meat. When the meat reaches the ideal temperature, it eventually browns on high heat. There is nothing wrong with trying something new, but I can guarantee you that the best steaks are made using the good old-fashioned over-high-heat method!
Oops! A lot of cookbook authors have claimed that steaks and chops should be at room temperature before grilling. I am going to go out on a limb here: I now believe that it is not such a big deal if the steak is cold when it goes on the grill. There is, of course, nothing wrong with grilling a steak that has spent some time on the counter beforehand, but I also know that in many of the world's best steakhouses, chefs take the meat straight from the fridge and slap it on the grill.
Both chicken and fish should be at room temperature to reduce its sticking to the grate and burning. This is not a problem with a great steak.
To sum up: Whether the steak is cold, or if you have taken it out of the fridge half an hour prior to being grilled, it doesn’t matter. You will need a bit more time on the grill for a cold steak, but otherwise the process is the same.
First: Grilling is actually the same as cooking
How does one fry an egg? The most common way is to get an egg, a dollop of butter, a frying pan, a spatula and a little salt and pepper. Then you turn on the oven burner (medium heat is fine), and then fry the egg until it is cooked just right.
What one does not do when frying an egg is turn all the burners on full, as well as the oven and the microwave, then the toaster and waffle iron, while turning up the radiator and lighting a bunch of candles.
Another thing one doesn’t do is take out the dirtiest pan, located beneath the rest of the dirty pans, from deep inside the cupboard.
So why is it that as soon as it is twenty degrees and sunny, some people set everything at maximum heat, full fire and flames on a grill covered with old food and grease?
It is challenging enough to live a normal life for 11½ months, and then try to grill something good on the first barbecue day. The challenge is considerably greater if one tries to cook without any control over the heat on a grill that has never been cleaned.
Grilling is no different than cooking and usually takes place only a few feet from where the daily cooking occurs. There is very little difference between frying an egg in a frying pan and grilling some pork chops and vegetables on a grill. You will get much farther by practicing regular kitchen techniques on food to be cooked on the grill. Good temperature control, good hygiene, a little planning and a little logic will do miracles.
One should be able to continue to eat barbecued food in the autumn and winter too, and some of the best food that can be grilled, is actually better suited to the colder, darker season. The more often one grills, the easier it becomes; (ever heard the expression, "practice makes perfect"?).
The best and only way to get good at grilling is to have some basic knowledge about the techniques and equipment in mind. Good ingredients have never been more available than they are now, and the internet has countless great recipes that are easy to obtain. But the most beautiful tomatoes and the best recipes will not help if you do not master the techniques for great grilling.
Keep the grill clean
Cleaning the grill can be compared to cleaning the kitchen. Burners and barbecue grills should both be cleaned each time they are used. The best way to clean the grill grate is to use a steel brush. It is more effective going over the grate when the grill is warm, but before the food is placed on. I also recommend brushing off the rack again when the cooking is finished, but before the grill has cooled.
A charcoal grill is quite easy to keep clean, and yet another reason why I am so fond of them. I clean the inside of my charcoal grills every time I grill. It is easy to remove the grates, remove the ashes, and to use a scraper to remove the food and fat residues left in the grill. You should thoroughly clean the grill with warm water and soap at least once a year. Please feel free to take the grill with you on a trip to the car wash for this year's cleaning.
Cleaning a gas grill is another matter. First and foremost, I recommend that you follow the instructions that come with the grill. Different gas grills may require slightly different types of cleaning.
Some grill manufacturers recommend that you fire up the gas grill on maximum heat to burn leftover food from the grate. I personally do not recommend this. First of all, you don’t need such intense heat to clean the grill grate, and if you forget that you have turned it on, you will end up using a lot of gas quickly. Burning off the grill at a high temperature for fifteen minutes is the same as the normal use of the grill for a few hours. It is completely unnecessary.
The grate must of course be cleaned in the same way as with the charcoal grill. There should not be too many barbecue sessions between each time you clean everything above the burners. Remove the grate and wash the grill thoroughly. At least once a year, (or more often if you grill a lot), you must take out all the parts of the grill that can be removed for a proper wash. All that is required is some water, soap and a little muscle. I also use a scraper and a couple of cloths to get the difficult corners of the grill.
When you want to make the grill’s exterior look brand new, the ideal thing to use is car polish. A clean grill is a happy grill, so why not give it a try?
Extra hot tips!
An important message to anyone who grills: There is no better way to give food more flavor on the grill than by using wood chips. These small miracle workers can be used both on charcoal grills and gas grills. Place wood chips in water (or beer, juice, wine, or water with a little whiskey perhaps) for at least half an hour before use.
On a charcoal grill, simply take a handful of wood chips, let them drain and sprinkle them on top of kindled charcoal or briquettes. The chips provide a lot of smoke, (which means lots of flavor), and they will continue producing smoke for approximately 10 minutes.
Wood chips are a gift to the gas grill as well. This is your opportunity to unify the difference in taste between coal and gas grills. Make a double layer of aluminum foil about 30 x 30 cm. Put a fist full of drained wood chips in a pile in the middle of the foil. Pack the foil around the chips into a smooth, thick "disc"-shape (about 5 cm thick and 15 cm wide). Put some holes in the top of the foil package with a sharp knife and place the foil disk directly on a lit burner in the grill. If the disk of wood chips is laid directly on the grid, this will provide enough heat to make the chips smoke. Put down the lid and wait until the foil disk begins to smoke. Use tongs to move the disc up to the grid, preferably to a food-free corner. It takes longer for the smoke to take effect with this kind of foil packet, but the advantage is that it will last much longer!
It is wise to experiment with different types of wood chips, especially with different types of food. A chargrilled flavor can be good with all sorts of ingredients, but most people will quickly discover which foods they prefer with more chargrill flavor, not to mention the type of wood chips that are best suited to the different grilled foods.
The most common types of wood chips on the market are from hickory or mesquite wood. Other wood types that also work well are oak, juniper, apple, cherry and other hardwoods. Steer clear of pine and other wood containing resin.