All About Grilling

Outdoor cooking should be a fun, relaxing and delicious activity; however, without the right equipment, grilling can be messy, disorganized and downright dangerous. Browse the menu to the left to view some of the essentials to barbecue successfully, along with several definitions of outdoor cooking terms!

Many cookbooks differ when giving advice on the correct temperature of food before being placed on a hot grill. Contrary to popular belief, foods should not be brought to room temperature before cooking on the grill. Especially foods like boneless chicken breasts, delicate fish and even the thicker chops, butterflied leg of lamb or whole butterflied chickens with bones. Foods that are grilled to perfection are those that attain a deeply caramelized exterior while remaining moist and succulent within. If foods that don’t require lengthy cooking are brought to room temperature before cooking, chances are that by the time the exterior looks right, the interior will have become overcooked and dry. The exception here is when grilling a whole (uncut) leg of meat (lamb, veal or pork) or poultry. These larger cuts benefit by being removed from the refrigerator thirty minutes to one hour before grilling because they need longer exposure to heat in order to cook sufficiently. Most importantly, these cuts should always cook over indirect heat to prevent the exterior from burning. If, when almost cooked to your liking, the meat doesn’t have the desired savory look, simply place over direct heat for a couple of minutes to intensify the color.

Grilling vs. Barbecuing

It’s common for most people to use the terms “grilling” and “barbecuing” interchangeably when referring to “cooking food on a grill.” But the truth is, they are very different both in terms of timing, and heat intensity, and which technique you use will largely depend on “what’s cooking!”

Grilling

“Grilling” usually means to cook over intense heat for a shorter period of time. Regardless of whether grilling is accomplished over direct or indirect heat, never cook over red hot coals since you’re likely to quickly incinerate your food on the outside, while leaving it raw on the inside which tastes (and looks!) nasty. When coals have become red hot, allow them to subside, and when the coals are glowing from below and a fine layer of ash covers them, they’re ready. This takes a little patience and time planning. Closing the bottom vents halfway will help this occur and will also help slow down the burning. Figure a solid 30 minutes after the red-hot stage, before placing food on the hot rack. Then open bottom vents all the way to help feed the fire. Always lubricate the grill (use a long basting brush, or a rolled kitchen towel) and have your food lightly but evenly oiled before cooking. If your food looks great but is not cooked through to your liking, move food to side of grill (indirect heat) and apply the cover with top vents open. Cook a few more minutes and test for doneness.

Barbequing

To “barbecue,” is to cook long and gently over slowly smoldering hardwood or charcoal. For best flavor, use either all hardwood or a mixture of hardwood and charcoal (and hardwood burns slower than charcoal briquettes). The grill should always be covered and the food should be cooked over indirect heat. Vents should be opened only halfway to slow air circulation. Most importantly (and here’s where most people get into trouble!), be patient when building your fire to just the right degree of heat. Arrange coals to one side of grill. Ignite and allow them to get red hot (bottom vents wide open initially). When hot, cover grill and close bottom and top vents halfway. Allow coals to become gray throughout and to heat enclosed space sufficiently. Wait until temperature drops to around 300°F (put an oven thermometer on grill rack on the side without coals.) Place food on the grill and apply cover. Allow food to cook very slowly, occasionally checking, basting and turning food. You may need to add more coals to keep fire smoldering. To do this, use strong metal tongs to remove food to a platter. Using the tongs, lift rack and scatter some coals over and around existing hot coals (don’t overdo it or you’ll extinguish the fire). Replace rack. Replace food and leave lid off for a few minutes (with bottom vents wide open) to encourage new coals to ignite. Cover grill and, after a few more minutes, close vents halfway and continue to cook. Don’t lift cover too often or you’ll cause the cooking temperature to drop. If you ever want to speed things up a bit, open vents wide to increase air circulation, which will help feed the heat. (If planning to cook a tough cut like brisket, be prepared to tend the fire for up to 6 hours.)

More

• About the Grill
• Starting a Charcoal Grill Fire
• Hand-Held Equipment for Grilling Outdoors