Outdoor cookery in all its forms is something I’ve always loved.
Whether it was during my college apartment days when I made do with a hibachi on the balcony, my high-country adventure years with a portable grate and packed-in charcoal briquettes, or now, when my options range from backpacker stove to fancy-schmancy electric smoker, they all have supported my love of producing meals in the great outdoors.
But none of these forms have rivaled the entertainment value my family placed on our gas grill from a decade ago.
Until its igniter switch went on the fritz there was nothing unique about this particular piece of equipment. But once the gol’darned thing ceased being reliable at producing a spark at the exact moment I was manipulating the “ON” nob, my loving family took interest.
They were just warped enough to have been charmed by the possibility that some night, in my frantic efforts to create a spark before a dangerous level of gas had built up, they might witness me blowing myself to smithereens.
Occasionally, my darling husband and two sons would stand on the other side of the patio door, peering out expectantly. As if a wall of glass would have protected them should my timing be too far off.
But they considered it worth the risk since they’d already witnessed two fiery shows.
In one of the wild events, a wall of flames leapt out of the grill, singing the hair on my arms and eyebrows.
Another night I created an extremely fine explosion by turning on the gas, tossing a lit match as close to the gas source as possible, then quickly closing the lid. I was hoping that the flame would ignite the cloud of gas before too great a build-up occurred.
Bad guess, great show: A most exquisite “whump!” and ball of fire rotated the heavy lid a good three inches back on its hinges.
Aside from such dramatic explosions, each style of grilling produces different-yet-delightful results. Gas grilling’s more convenient and less messy. Folks with a gas grill on the deck are more likely to grill all year long. On the other hand, I think most of us prefer the flavor of food that’s been grilled over old-fashioned charcoal.
We keep both kinds of grills on the premises. We also own a Traeger electric grill and smoker.
For those of you just learning your way around a grill, I thought I’d share a few of my basic and not-so-basic thoughts on the subject.
My own igniting escapades aside, the following tips should be read by every backyard grill professional wannabe.
* Always read the owner’s manual before using a new barbecue grill.
* All manufacturers of charcoal and gas grills have specific instruction manuals and warnings as to proper use. Please follow these instructions and pay close attention to the warnings because failure to do so can result in damage to property and serious personal injury or death, no fooling!
* When lighting a gas grill, the lid should always be open.
* Don’t be cheap when it comes to setting up a charcoal grill with the proper amount of charcoal. If you don’t use enough, you’ll run out of heat at the inopportune moment when guests are hungry but the food isn’t quite cooked. To get started, pile the briquettes into a tall peak. Once they’re lit, spread them out so that the bed of coals will extend a generous two inches beyond the food in all directions.
* Clean the grill grate well with a wire barbecue brush between uses. Before igniting the fire, brush some vegetable oil over the grates or spray with one of the nonstick sprays to prevent food from sticking.
* If your meats are at room temperature at the time of grilling they’ll cook faster and more evenly.
* Trim away extra fat from meats before grilling to avoid grease flare-ups that will contribute an unpleasant flavor.
* Keep a water bottle with a spray nozzle nearby to douse any grease fires as they flare up.
* Because of the high sugar content of sweet barbecue sauces, don’t brush them on the cooking meat until the last 10 minutes of cooking or the surface will burn.
* From a food safety perspective, solid pieces of meat can be cooked to whatever doneness you prefer, from rare to well-done, without worrying about food-borne illness, because the bacteria are lurking on the surface of the meat and will be destroyed with the proper amount of heat from grilling. However, ground meats need to be cooked thoroughly since the activity of grinding meat mixes all those surface bacteria throughout the product. Sorry, no pink meat allowed.
* For safety reasons, if marinating your meat longer than 60 minutes, do so in the refrigerator.
* Also for safety reasons, the platter used to carry the raw meat to the grill should be washed in hot, soapy water before cooked meat is placed on it. Any bacteria that might be on the raw meat would still be on the platter and would re-contaminate the cooked meat. The same goes for any utensils that came in contact with the raw meat – including your hands!
* Marinades may be cooked or uncooked, but cooked marinades should be completely cooled before adding to the meat.
* A heavy-duty plastic zip-lock bag is a convenient container for marinating. To make sure that all the sides of meat are exposed during marinating, smoosh the bag around every now and then, or stir the meat if it’s in a deep dish, so the pieces on the surface get buried.
* Because most marinades need time to do their magic, it’s an ideal “before you go to work” sort of activity. The upside to all that fussing in the morning is that you end up with a fast meal at the end of your day.
For tenderizing and flavorizing to take place, beef must be marinated 4 to 6 hours, or as long as overnight. Marinating longer than 24 hours causes the meat fibers on the surface to break down, resulting in a mushy texture.
With the lighter meats such as pork or chicken, 2 to 3 hours will do the trick for high-flavored or extremely salty (soy sauce-based) marinades. Much longer than that and the meat doesn’t retain its own identity – which is a real shame.
* Don’t think the marinade has fulfilled its job once the meat goes on the grill. Brush it on the meat during grilling for an extra boost of flavor and moisture. Marinades that have a high sugar content, or contain other ingredients which might burn easily, should be brushed on only during the last 20 minutes of grilling.
* As long as you boil whatever marinade is left over for at least 1 minute to kill bacteria, it can be served as a sauce with the grilled meat.
One of the handiest devices for starting charcoal is the electric charcoal lighter. You place it under a pile of charcoal and plug it in. In no time at all, the heating unit is glowing hot and the chunks of charcoal sitting on or near it light very quickly. It isn’t expensive, but it does require an electric outlet.
Another trick that doesn’t require electricity calls for either a very large tin can (those commercial kitchen sizes, number tens), or 15 inches of stovepipe (8 inches in diameter). To use it, place the can or pipe on the base where you would pile the charcoal. Stuff a sheet of crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the pipe. Now pour on the desired amount of charcoal on top of the newspaper. When you’re ready to start the coals, ignite the newspaper from below. The flame will shoot upward through the charcoal, lighting it in short order. Within about 10 minutes, the coals are taking on a life of their own and it’s okay to remove the pipe; lift carefully, using either thick kitchen mitts or pot holders, or tongs. The coals will tumble out the bottom. In about 20 more minutes or so, the coals should be ready.
When carefully watched, shrimp can be cooked to juicy perfection on the grill. The key is to use the largest shrimp you can find (or afford!) since small shrimp overcook and toughen easily. Also, threading the shrimp onto skewers makes them easy to turn. Shrimp take well to marinades and rubs.
2pounds large, extra-large, jumbo, or colossal shrimp, peeled, with the tail segment left on, and defeined
Soy-ginger marinade (recipe follows)
In a shallow glass baking dish or a zip-lock plastic bag, combine the shrimp and the marinade. Refrigerate, turning the shrimp occasionally, for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
Thread 4 or 5 shrimp onto two soaked bamboo skewers held slightly apart and parallel to each other. (Using two skewers works to hold the shrimp in place and not twirl on an axis.) Pierce each shrimp through the top and bottom while threading so it keeps its natural c-shaped curve. Don’t crowd the shrimp on the skewer, or they will take longer to cook. The total number of bamboo skewers depends on the size of the shrimp.
Meanwhile, prepare either a charcoal or gas grill: for charcoal, build a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill and let it burn until the coals are lightly covered with white ash and you can hold your hand just above the coals for about 3 seconds (medium-hot). In a gas grill, preheat on high, then adjust the heat to medium-high.
Lightly oil the cooking rack. Place the shrimp on the grill and cover. Grill just until the shrimp turn opaque around the edges, about 2 minutes. Turn and continue grilling until the shrimp turn completely opaque and change color (deep pink to orange, depending on the shrimp variety) and feel firm when pressed, 3 to 4 minutes for large and extra-large and 5 to 7 minutes for jumbo and colossal shrimp. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Soy ginger marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup sweet sherry, 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 3 tablespoons shredded fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 coarsely chopped green onions (white and green parts), 2 cloves of chopped garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
Adapted from “Barbecues 101,” by Rick Rodgers
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.
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