Techniques to Take Your Grilling to the Next Level
Once you’ve mastered the barbecue basics, it’s time to expand your repertoire and try some new techniques. Kick it up a notch by presenting your guests with a smoky pulled beef sandwich or a fire-grilled pizza. Surprise them with salmon you’ve cooked to savory perfection on a plank of alder or delicious fruit or veggie skewers.
Not sure where to start? We’ve got your step-by-step instructions for each technique right here.
Technique 1
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. You can smoke your food by cooking over indirect heat and adding wood chips to the fire during cooking. Start by soaking the chips for 30 minutes to an hour; drain. For a charcoal grill, simply place soaked chips on top of the heated charcoal on one side of the grill and a disposable aluminum foil pan filled with water on the other side. Then cover the grill while cooking and maintain a temperature of 200° to 225°F. If your food requires a
long cooking time, you should add more preheated charcoals and fresh chips.
Some gas grills have a separate smoker compartment for holding wood chips; if yours does, just add your chips and fire away. If not, you can make a pouch out of aluminum foil, fill it with a cup or two of soaked wood chips, fold up, poke a few holes in the top and place the pouch very close to a burner set to high heat. Place a disposable aluminum foil pan filled with water on the unheated side of the grill. When you start to see smoke, adjust the temperature for cooking. Again, keep the cover closed as much as possible during cooking.
Technique 2
Walk the Plank. If you’re cooking on a wood plank, the technique is simple: You soak a plank in water for at least one hour. If the plank starts floating, use a can to keep it submerged. Next, place the plank on your preheated grill for 5 minutes or so, until you see it start to smoke. Flip the plank over and place your food on the charred side. For maximum flavor, arrange food in a single layer so as much of it is touching the wood as possible. Once you’ve got your food on the plank, close the grill to let the smoke circulate, then cook until done.
Technique 3
Pizza Perfection. Ever consider cooking pizza on the grill? It’s a delicious, unexpected way to enjoy this family favorite, and it’s easier than you think:
On a charcoal grill, coals should be spread in a single layer; let them burn until they are covered with fine grey ash, then set the grill grate, cover and let it heat for 5 minutes before thoroughly cleaning the grate with a grill brush. On a gas grill, preheat by turning all the burners on high and closing the lid. Then reduce heat to medium high for cooking.
Press dough into small (about 8 inches across by 1⁄4-inch thick) rounds for cooking. Lightly brush each round with oil before placing, oiled side down, on the prepared grill. Cook for about 2 minutes or until you can see grill marks on the underside; if bubbles appear while cooking, pop them with a fork. Lightly brush the top with oil, then use tongs to flip. Add your toppings and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until toppings are heated through and dough is cooked.
To ensure your toppings are heated through without the crust burning, don’t top pizzas too heavily and use ingredients that don’t take too long to cook. Then use a disposable aluminum pie plate to cover the pizza while it finishes cooking.
It will be easier to heat pizza toppings if they haven’t come directly from the refrigerator. Bring everything out and let it reach room temperature before cooking.
Make sure you remove the pizza from the grill as soon as it’s done cooking — you don’t want the crust to burn! It can be difficult to get the pizza off the grill using just tongs and a spatula. To make it easier, use your tongs and slide the pizza onto a rimless baking sheet. (Make sure to wear a grill mitt to hold the sheet!)
Technique 4
Flame-Cooked Fruits & Vegetables. Many of summer’s flavorful bounty of fruits and vegetables taste amazing when prepared over an open flame. Just stick with firm-fleshed, not overripe produce; if it’s too soft, it will just fall apart on the grill. Vegetables grill beautifully when cut into chunks and skewered, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy them. Note also that all fruits and veggies should be cooked over medium heat.
Here’s an at-a-glance chart to get you started:
Flame-Cooked Fruits & Vegetables At A Glance:
Asparagus - Grill 5 to 7 minutes until tender, turning once.
Bananas - Leave peel on and cut in half lengthwise. Grill 2 minutes on each side.
Corn - Grill in husk 8 to 10 minutes, turning every 1 to 2 minutes. Or remove husk and silk and cut into 1-inch-thick rounds and skewer. If they’re hard to skewer, use a corkscrew to drill a hole through the center of each round.
Eggplant - Cut off ends, then slice into 3⁄4-inch-thick rounds or strips. Grill 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Mango - Peel, remove seeds, and cut into four pieces. Grill 4 to 5 minutes, turning once.
Mushrooms - Using a grill topper, cook 6 to 7 minutes, turning often, until golden brown; you can also remove the stems from button mushrooms for skewering.
Onions - Grill 1⁄2-inch-thick slices 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally.
Peaches - Cut in half and remove pit; grill 5 minutes on each side.
Pears - Cut in half lengthwise, and remove seeds and stem; grill 5 minutes on each side.
Peppers - Grill large wedges 8 to 10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes.
Pineapple - Grill slices 3 minutes on each side.
Zucchini - Remove ends and slice lengthwise into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips. Grill 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Up in Smoke
Which wood should you choose for smoking? Different types impart different flavors to food. Here’s a guide to your best options.
• Alder: Delicate flavor; good for mild food, particularly seafood. Salmon is especially delicious when grilled with alder.
• Apple: Sweet and mild; a versatile choice that can be used with just about any type of food. Pork and apple make a wonderful combination.
• Cedar: Quite aromatic, adds a pleasant, complex wood flavor. Use with hearty food (chicken, pork) and recipes that include spicy sauces.
• Hickory: Familiar, strong smoky flavor that blends well with stronger meats, particularly beef, chicken and pork.
• Maple: Mild, smoky/sweet flavor. Use with fish, chicken or pork.
• Oak: Its medium aroma and slightly acidic flavor blend well with just about everything, but especially fish, chicken and pork.
Artwork is for display purposes only and does not necessarily reflect specific items. Not responsible for typographical errors.
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