Charles Mingus said, “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” Inside the kitchen there is no end to new devices, tools, spoon sizes, pots and pans. As Mingus stated, making the simple – ie, cooking – complicated is easy when variety and innovation overtake and replace solid flavor and style.
So, cooking inside the kitchen? It has its uses, sure, but what about outside…on the grill? Especially in the heart of the summer season, I feel that the home chef needs to take a walk out of the air conditioned kitchen and embrace the grill, whether charcoal, gas or what have you. If unbridled complexity is what you look for in cuisine, then turn around and walk back to your reduced squab and sunchoke quinoa (what does that even mean?).
Do I mean to slight elegant cooking? Absolutely not…but I do mean to make a point of braving the heat to enjoy the grill on your deck, patio or porch and appreciate the subtleties and qualities of grilled meats and vegetables.
Grilling in and of itself is a controlled art. It is simple, straightforward and fun – but extremely easy to ruin! Although many aspiring grill chefs have backed off after their succulent rib-eyes transformed into charred bricks, there are many simple solutions to most any grilling stigma.
Perhaps the biggest grilling misconception is the infamous marinade. Now, I have nothing against marinades, and I have enjoyed many a well-flavored piece of meat. However, it is a veritable sin to marinade everything you place on your grill! For instance, the whole point of grilling is to bring forth the greatest flavor from your steak, chicken, fish, bratwurst etc…without the necessity of adding external flavor and spice!
Here is the rule for marinade: if you marinate chicken, get some boneless breasts and go to town – but the most crucial thing to remember is that good steak is never meant to be slathered with teriyaki or lemon or Italian dressings! If you want to marinate steak, buy a cheaper, lower-quality flank steak and enjoy your flavor infusions. But if you decide to place a rib-eye, sirloin or even, dare I say it, a tenderloin filet in a bag of marinade for a few hours then I suggest you take cover from the lightning of the grilling gods.
When grilling chicken or fish, make sure to apply a light layer of olive oil to the grill before placing the meat on the grates – this prevents both meats, and especially fish, from sticking to the grill and shredding when flipped or moved. You do not have to worry about steaks in this regard as they are naturally tougher meats.
It is generally held that almost all grilling is to be done on high heat. High heat settings allow for maximum exposure to flame and coals and really gets the juices of the meats grilled flowing around. A good portion of the meat is cooked by the hot juices and steam as well as the flame underneath, so unless you wish to stand next to your grill for an hour or so for one steak, I advise high heat and the cover closed when no flipping or moving is required.
Steak is fairly easy to grill. Simply throw the steak over the flames and flip only a few times. Most meats are best left alone and only cooked once per side, but steak ought to be handled with utmost care, and if you begin to feel as though one side is becoming overcooked, flip it for its own sake. When deciding whether the meat is cooked to preference make a slice into the middle of the steak with a knife and note the color.
Inner color and toughness directly relate to each other for steaks of any kind. Brown, tough and hot represents well-done; brown, soft and hot represents medium-well; brown, soft and cool represents medium; some pink, soft and cool represents medium-rare; pinkish purple, tough and cold represents rare and anything beyond that is essentially raw.
Chicken can be a finicky meat to grill, but is easy to handle is flipped constantly. Now, I do not mean ten to fifteen seconds before a flip, but chicken is a meat with a very thin line between cooked perfectly and dry, tough and unpalatable. Thus it is also important to occasionally cut into the breast to check if it is cooked. Chicken does not have a color change, but if the center is slick and glossy it is definitely not ready. Undercooked chicken is notorious for salmonella and other nasty bacteria, so it is important to keep a close eye on your meats, both for cooking to perfection and keeping your meal safe to eat.
Fish is normally viewed as the most difficult and unwieldy meat to grill, but this is not the case. As long as there is a decent layer of olive oil on the grill, the meat should not shred or pull apart prematurely, but care should still be taken when flipping and moving, as it is a loose meat over fire. The best way to prepare and grill any fish is to apply and spices directly to the filet before grilling, spritz with lemon occasionally and add a little butter (but be careful, as too much butter can easily burn) and most importantly, flip only once. The top gets grilled proficiently, then the bottom. In essence, too much flipping will jostle the already delicate meat and break apart the fish. As well, changing where the heat is applied can make for uneven cooking in fish filets and steaks.
As far as burgers and brats are concerned, any backyard barbeque can go awry if these old standbys are ruined. Hamburgers should be constantly moved and flipped, as grease-fires will spring up all the time. Do not let a good char cause you to sacrifice flavor and juice in any meat – but especially if you don’t want a charred brick on a bun. I suggest leaving a portion of your grill without any heat so if your poor burgers need to be evacuated they have a safe haven protected from flare ups.
Bratwurst is easy to cook…place the meat on the grill, close the lid, wait about three minutes and flip. Repeat this four or five times and you will have slightly charred, succulently juicy and otherwise heavenly bratwursts just waiting to jump into your mouth.
Overall, if flare ups occur with more substantial meats, do not worry, unless there is a large amount of grease feeding the flames. In such a case, just move them out of the way for a short time. However, burgers have a ferocious tendency to char to pieces in the case of grease flares, and must be moved around.
Grilling is deceptively easy and infinitely rewarding. These are just a few simply pointers and tips for the sake of making your grilling experiences memorable and rewarding. Meat is a beautiful thing, and whether you are cooking a burger or tenderloin it is imperative to treat these meats the way they deserve. Grill, and grill with vigor.
