subject: 10 Tips For Grilling From Culinary School [print this page] Grilling is the great male excuseGrilling is the great male excuse. Most men could benefit from a few tips for grilling because theyre hiding behind their barbeques. Why do most men say they can cook outdoors but they cant cook indoors?
Im a grill master, my father often said. But, ask him to cook a steak on the stove-top, he was lost. Is grilling more macho than saut? Do men think that just because you burn something outdoors, its acceptable? If you created something with a thick black char in the oven or stovetop, it would be unacceptable to everyone.
But, if you burn it outdoors, its somehow beautifully blackened. Its the great male excuse.
The essence of all cooking is controlling heat, and the barbeque grill is one of the hottest, most intense pieces of cooking equipment you have at your disposal. A saut pan wont get as hot as your grill; your oven wont reach those temperatures, not even a commercial deep-fryer. Your grill is hottest.
When you combine the most intense method of cooking along with male bravado, you get a total disregard for cooking basics, whether inside or out. Understanding HOW the grilling method works will make all men (and women) better cooks in the back yard and the kitchen tile.
Grilling is a dry conductive cooking process because there is no medium for the heat to be transferred. Its applied directly from the flame below.
When working with a dry conductive process, you need to be aware that the item will cook very quickly, making it through the progression of temperatures. Proteins will coagulate quickly, stiffening and shrinking. Then sugars will caramelize, turning brown then black, giving us the lovely grill marks we desire.
The issue here is that the item wont cook in the center while the outside is burning and stiffening. Grilling is used for food items that are already tender. The basic cooking method of grilling wont make your product more tender like braising or poaching might.
Tip Number 1 - Select a delicate tender product to grill. Rather than whole roasts, choose thinner steaks. Instead of whole fish or poultry, use filets and cutlets. The thinner cut will allow the item to cook completely before it burns on the outside.
Tip Number 2 - Use marinades to add flavor and tenderize. Since the grill wont tenderize anything, and can dry food quickly, adding moisture and flavor can be the difference between fair and excellent.
Marinades with an acidic product like tomatoes, lemon, citrus juices or vinegar have a slight tenderization effect. The acidic ingredients help to break down connective tissues, making the product better for grilling. Its wont turn stew beef into filet mignon, but it helps.
Tip Number 3 Always grill on HIGH. You should use your barbeque like a rocket ship engine. I never reduce the heat once Ive got it blazing. Grilling is different than pan frying or saut where you might lower the heat to reduce a sauce or simmer a liquid. Grilling is about fast, intense cooking and full throttle is the way to go.
Tip Number 4 Coat your grilled item in fat. By brushing a steak with olive oil, you aid in the caramelization of sugars. You help keep the item from sticking to the grill, but also help get the attractive grill marks that indicate a nicely cooked steak.
Tip Number 5 Show side down. Chicken has a show side and a no side. The most attractive side is the show-side. Its what youll eventually want showing up on the plate, staring at the diner. Because most of your cooking will be done on one side, its the first side down that goes up on the plate.
Tip Number 6 Peek after a few minutes. Dont cook by a watch. You should never cook with the idea that time dictates doneness. You have to watch the changes in the product to know when to turn the item over.
Tip Number 7 The 90 degree turn. After you peek under your steak and see the beginnings of grill marks, pick the item up, move to a hot spot on the grill and turn it 90 degrees. This will result in the attractive cross-hatched grill marks that give you finished dish even greater plate appeal.
Tip Number 8 Cook 75/25. Grill the item as long as you can on the first side and watch the changes taking place. Youll see the steak turn from pink to grey. Youll witness the blood start to rise from the meat. These are indicators of whether the product is ready to be flipped or not.
If you flip your grilled item after a set amount of time, then youll just be looking at a grilled piece of meat. Youve lost all the indicators of whether this is done or not.
Tip Number 9 - Always use a thermometer! The only way to quantifiably tell if your grilled item is done is with a thermometer. Forget every other wives tale about poking your chin or your palm in comparison to the toughness of the steak. Its ridiculous.
Tip Number 10 Bump and Run. Just because youve removed the steak from the grill, it hasnt finished cooking yet. You get a few minutes of carry-over cooking as the temperature changes and liquids within the meat resettle.
If you take the steak directly from the grill to a plate, youll have a bloody pool collecting within seconds. This is amateurish. Bump and run means that you rest the steak on a towel or separate plate, transfer it to the service plate, and then run it to the dining room. Bump and run.
My tips for grilling may have been given in culinary school, but you can use them in your own back yard. The challenge is issued to all men. Stop hiding behind sloppy outdoor cooking and accept that there is a standard procedure to applying heat to food, inside or out.
