For cooking most grilled foods, patience is the most important technique required: patience to allow the grill to heat properly and patience to let the food cook at moderate temperatures to prevent scorching and overcooking.
Whether you are entertaining or grilling for the family, these basics will help ensure a successful cookout:
Selecting a grill
There are three basic grills: charcoal, gas and electric. Although gas and electric are preferred by many for their ease of use, charcoal grills continue to be the most common. Whichever you use, be sure to plan adequate time to allow the grill to heat.
Uncovered grills and hibachis are better for any food that cooks for not longer than 25 minutes. They have the added advantage of allowing the cook to change the distance between the cooking grate and the heat source.
Covered grills generally do not have adjustable cooking grates. However, the heat can be varied by the number of coals used and adjusting the air vents. More air keeps the fire hotter, less air means a cooler grill. An oven thermometer can be used to help maintain an even temperature.
A covered grill is ideal for food requiring a long cooking time, such as large pieces of meat or whole poultry. It also helps impart a smoky flavor to food.
A tip: Keep a small area of the grill free of coals so food cooking too quickly can be moved there.
Setting up the grill
For gas and electric grills follow the manufacturer`s instructions.
For fuel for charcoal grills, select from briquets, hardwood lump charcoal or hardwood. (Save other items, such as wood chips, grapevine cuttings and fruitwood cuttings used for flavoring agents, until after the fuel has heated.)
– Charcoal briquets, the most readily available and least expensive fuel, are made from ground charcoal, sawdust, scrapwood and starch binders. They burn evenly, although some of the less-expensive brands may burn more quickly than others.
– Hardwood lump charcoal, made without additives from hardwood burned in the absence of oxygen, is preferred by some cooks. While it is more difficult to ignite and maintain at an even heat, it burns hotter, an advantage for certain quick-cook foods.
– Wood is the fuel of choice for many and remains the world`s most popular grilling fuel. Difficult to ignite, wood burns hotter and more unevenly than charcoal; it is not suggested for novice cooks. Appropriate woods include maple, hickory, oak and pecan. Cut the wood into small, even-sized pieces. (Never use painted or chemically treated wood, which can be toxic to ingest and inhale.)
Whether using charcoal briquets, hardwood lump charcoal or wood, always start the fire at least 25 minutes before putting food on the grill. Ignite the coals with an electric starter, a chimney starter or charcoal lighter fluid, according to package directions. Let the coals burn until evenly covered with a white ash, then cook over the coals, never over the flames.
Arranging the coals
– Direct-heat method: This means the food is cooked directly over the heat source. It is perfect for foods that cook in less than 25 minutes, such as smaller pieces of meat, steaks, burgers, fish fillets or steaks, seafood kebabs, cutup poultry and vegetables.
– The indirect-heat method: This method relies on reflected heat, similar to oven-roasting. Almost any food suitable for oven roasting, such as large roasts, whole poultry, whole fish and thick pork chops can be cooked in this manner. After the coals have heated to the white-ash stage, they should be banked equally on opposite sides of the grill with a drip pan between them. Then the food is positioned on the cooking grate over the drip pan and cooked with the grill covered.
If cooking time is longer than 30 minutes, new coals will need to be added. To do so, add a few coals at a time on top of the hot coals. Continue adding coals every 15 to 30 minutes as needed.
For long-cooking foods such as roasts, turkey and leg of lamb, use an oven thermometer to determine the grill temperature to keep the heat constant. Flavorings
To add smoke flavor to foods, soak wood chips, such as mesquite, hickory, apple wood, olive wood or grapevines, in water to cover for at least 15 minutes. (Soak chunks at least 30 minutes.) Drain and add to hot coals according to taste preferences. Add early in the cooking time for more smoke flavor; add later for a more subtle smoke flavor. Cover the grill to create maximum smoke.
Other flavorings, such as fresh herbs, pecan shells, citrus rinds, lemon grass stalks, should be added to the coals near the end of cooking. To minimize burning, the flavorings can be soaked in water first.
Cooking
For easier cleanup, remove the cooking grate from the grill and spray with non-stick vegetable spray. Heating the cooking grate before cooking also will help prevent foods from sticking.
Always turn foods with tongs or a flat spatula while cooking; a fork punctures and releases too much moisture from foods.
Foods at room temperature will cook faster than those refrigerator-cold. Most foods will come to room temperature in the time that it takes for the coals to reach the desired temperature.
Trim excess fat from meat and poultry to help prevent flareups. If flareups do occur, cover the grill to extinguish the flames.
Use a fine grate, wire-mesh screen or a Griffo Grill, sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray, on top of the cooking grate for cooking small, delicate foods such as cutup vegetables, skewered fruit, small shrimp, scallops and thin fish fillets.
Grilled food safety
Take care to keep raw meat, fish and poultry juices away from cooked foods. Wash platters, cutting boards and knives with soapy water after cutting.
Always marinate foods in the refrigerator in a covered dish. Never marinate at room temperature and never reuse marinade after food has been cooked. If you wish to serve the marinade alongside the cooked food, boil it first in a small saucepan for 1 or 2 minutes.
Do not cook meats or poultry partially and then finish the cooking later; this could promote the growth of bacteria. To speed up the cooking time, many foods can be cooked in a microwave oven while the grill heats, then transfered while hot to the grill to finish the cooking and add a grilled flavor.
Questions about food safety and grilling meats and poultry can be addressed to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 800-535-4555 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Grilling tips
– Meat: Select meats and chops for grilling that are about 1/2 to 3 inches thick. Thinner meats overcook quickly and tend to dry out. Larger roasts, or boned and tied roasts, should be cooked by the indirect method but can be seared first over the coals. Trim off most of the fat. Tougher cuts, such as flank steak, beef chuck and lamb shoulder, benefit from marinating in an acidic solution, such as a vinaigrette, for several hours before cooking.
The best way to check for doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. Remember, in large cuts of meat the temperature will rise about 10 degrees after removing from the grill, so remove them before they reach the desired doneness temperature. Let all meat stand 5 to 10 minutes before cutting to prevent excess juice from escaping.
Beef, lamb and veal: rare, 130 to 135 degrees; medium rare, 140; medium, 150 to 155; well done, 160 to 165.
Pork: medium, 150 to 155 degrees; well done, 160 to 165 degrees.
– Poultry: Grill cutup chicken or Cornish hens over direct heat, first searing them quickly over a hot fire, then covering the grill for the remainder of the cooking. Baste often with marinade, if using. Apply barbecue sauce near the end of cooking to prevent it from scorching. The skin is best left on grilled poultry to help retain moisture; remove after cooking if desired.
For whole poultry, truss the bird if desired. Grill whole birds, turkey breasts and delicate game birds over indirect heat. Baste often with marinade or chicken broth. For grilled duck and goose, always use a drip pan and cover the grill to prevent flareups.
Measure poultry temperature with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh or breast (but not touching the bone); white meat should be about 160 degrees; dark meat, about 170 degrees. The juices should run clear. If a whole bird has been stuffed, the stuffing should be at least 160 degrees in the center.
– Fish and shellfish: Thick fish steaks, such as salmon, swordfish, tuna, halibut, shark and marlin, are the simplest cuts to grill; select ones that are 1 to 2 inches thick. Fillets and shellfish also can be grilled
successfully with the use of a grill grate. Fish cooks much faster than meat and continues cooking after it is removed from the grill.
Fish steaks and fillets can be cooked over direct heat. Larger pieces and whole fish can be seared over direct heat and then cooked over indirect heat with the grill covered until done.
Fish grilling time, like oven cooking time, usually is about 10 minutes an inch of thickness. An instant-read thermometer should register about 140 degrees. Cooked fish should have opaque flesh; if it flakes easily it is overdone.
Shrimp, soft-shelled crabs and sea scallops should be cooked over direct heat with a medium-hot fire. They need only be cooked until their flesh turns opaque-longer and they`ll toughen. If skewering shrimp and scallops, soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before cooking to prevent them from burning. Cooking times: medium shrimp, 5 to 6 minutes; large shrimp, 6 to 8 minutes; sea scallops, 3 to 5 minutes; soft-shelled crabs, 5 to 6 minutes.
Cleaned oysters, clams and mussels can be put directly on the grate over the coals and then cooked in a covered grill until the shells barely open, usually 2 to 3 minutes-longer and they will be tough. Discard those that do not open which indicates they were not fresh when purchased.
– Vegetables: Grilled vegetables are one of summer`s simple pleasures. Most can be grilled with a minimum of preparation. Peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and onions, for example, can be grilled whole. Cut them up and add seasonings and marinades, and they become even more intriguing. Cut-squash and eggplant can be brushed with homemade or bottled vinaigrette before grilling for added flavor.
Cook cut vegetables over direct heat, turning occasionally, until crisp-tender or however desired.
If you need the grill space for the meat or poultry, grill the quick-cooking vegetables first and keep them warm while the main-course cooks. Or serve at room temperature.
Wrap potatoes and slices of sweet onion in heavy-duty foil with a small pat of butter or drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of herbs and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the packets near (but not touching) the coals. After 45 to 60 minutes the potatoes will be tender and provide a satisfying meatless entree or side dish.
Leftover grilled vegetables can be chopped and seasoned with a little olive oil, red-wine vinegar and chopped fresh herbs for a simple salad, or as an addition to a pasta, rice salad or omelet filling.
