Psychologically, Memorial Day may signal the beginning of summer, but many of us-suspecting that Mother Nature could still throw us a chilly curve-won’t break out the grill until it’s time to slap on some UV protection. For some back-yard chefs, though, one day is pretty much like any other. What is a warm weekend novelty for most of us is a year-round way of life for them. “I grill whether it’s below zero with the wind chill, or 106,” says Larry Gerber of Elgin, who’s more than willing to toss a crown roast on the Weber at Christmas.
“I haven’t cooked a turkey inside in 20 years,” says James Lawshe of Addison. A veteran of the late Mike Royko’s barbecue rib challenge in Grant Park a few years back, Lawshe grills a good part of every weekend.
Another veteran griller, John Noah of Chicago, was drawn to the fire at an early age. “My dad worked for Swift & Co. When I was a kid he used to take me down to the stockyards. Once a year, the packing division would have a huge picnic and I can remember seeing this long pit filled with tons of ribs.”
Like Noah, Gerber started early. “My dad and grandfather were butchers,” says Gerber, a real estate developer and builder. “They owned meat markets at 38th and State and 63rd at Dorchester. Their specialty was brisket. They cooked it outdoors, slow. That’s how I got hooked.”
Kettle fare
The advent of the gas grill, touted for its convenience and temperature control, has convinced many cooks to extend their grilling season (gas units outsold charcoal grills for the first time last year, according to the Barbecue Industry Association).
Nonetheless, Gerber is committed to his 12-year-old kettle.
“It doesn’t take long to open a bag of briquettes and get them going,” Gerber says. “And it’s not tough to control the heat in a charcoal grill if you use your vents properly. As for taste, you can add a smoker box to gas grills, and some of them have flavor coils that impart a smoke when the juices of whatever you’re cooking hit them, but I like the way the charcoal kisses the meat.”
Which is not to say any briquettes will do. “I started using hardwood charcoal two or three years ago and I haven’t turned back since,” says Gerber. “It cooks hotter and gives a better flavor and it has fewer fillers, no sawdust, no coal. The stuff I use is a mix of hickory and oak. I buy 10 bags at a time and go through probably 15 bags in a year.”
Noah doesn’t mind cooking with standard charcoal briquettes, but he can’t abide lighter fluid. “I don’t care what anyone says, it imparts an oily taste,” Noah says. “I use an electric wand or a chimney starter.” For better flavor, Noah relies on wood chips (hickory or apple for pork, cherry for beef, alder for fish) and dry rubs, which he finds penetrate meat better than marinades.
On these grills, a stage more famous for steak and chicken, you’ll find instead a whole salmon or pork tenderloin.
At the Gerber home, “What’s for dinner?” rarely yields a meat-and-potatoes answer. “I’ve done Polynesian Cornish hens that I marinate for 24 hours, Oriental sesame scallops, lamb, venison steaks marinated in red wine vinegar and fresh herbs, buffalo, ostrich, yellow fin tuna with a honey Dijon glaze. Mussels. You throw them directly on the grill and they’re done in five minutes. But people don’t think about that; they think, `Mussels, I have to steam them in wine,’ ” Gerber says.
If tackling more than a steak or chicken breasts seems daunting, Gerber says never fear.
“No matter what the weather, you’ve got nothing to lose because you can always finish it in the oven. If you’ve got a party of hungry people and you know your dish needs an extra half hour, you can take whatever you’re preparing, wrap it in foil and throw it in the oven at 365-400, just to get the center cooked. It’ll be done in no time and you still have that smoky flavor from the grill.”
Better yet, he advises, be prepared. “If it’s cold or windy outside, a larger piece of meat may take longer to cook than you think, maybe another 10 minutes per pound. In that case, I always leave myself more time for cooking.”
Cooking in the slow lane
Lawshe gravitates toward the large roast cuts, “which take considerably longer than most people spend around a grill,” he says. “Whole pork shoulders, anywhere from 13 to 18 pounds. Leg of lamb. A 21-pound ham that’ll be on for 41/2 hours. Even a 31/2-pound chicken will take me 3, 31/2 hours. I cook it more slowly than other people might to retain the moisture.”
Cooking for such long times requires a watchful eye and a steady supply of fuel.
“People think I’m nuts,” Lawshe admits, “but I count coals. If I’m cooking indirect, with coals around a drip pan, there has to be an even number on both sides. And if you’re cooking for three or four hours, that means adding more coals every 45 minutes or so. I count those, too, and pre-ignite them in another grill so that they’re already gray when I add them.”
For the less fanatical, no amount of mesquite can impel us to shovel a path to the grill in midwinter, or to slow-cook a whole chicken outside in July. But this holiday weekend, many of us will join more experienced grillers in welcoming the season.
And although what we whip up may be a far cry from gourmet fare, no matter. It’s that good-times ambiance grilling provides, as much as what’s on the plate, that counts.
“Every once in a while,” Noah says, “I’ll pick up a chicken, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and slather on some Open Pit. Sometimes you say, `I’ve got a taste for that.’ And you should always cook for your own taste.”
5 GRILLING TIPS:
1. To keep food from drying and sticking to the grill, lightly coat the rack with cooking oil spray before heating it.
2. Leave the food alone. Don’t move it around the grill, turning constantly. Be patient; let the grill do the work.
3. Don’t use a fork to turn the meat. The juices will run out. Use tongs or a spatula.
4. When using a lid, don’t peek. Opening the lid lowers the temperature and lengthens the cooking time.
5. Substitute flavor for fat with dry rubs and marinades.
GRILLED SPICY ONION-LIME SHRIMP
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours
Grilling time: 4 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from a recipe by John Noah.
1/ 1/2 pounds large or jumbo shelled shrimp, deveined
1 cup olive oil
4 green onions, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon red pepper sauce, or to taste
Cooked rice
1. Combine all ingredients except rice in large plastic food storage bag. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning once or twice.
2. Prepare grill for direct cooking. Place shrimp on skewers. Grill over medium-hot coals just until shrimp turn pink, about 2 minutes per side. Serve over rice.
Nutrition information (not including rice)
Calories ….. 130 Fat ………… 6 g Cholesterol .. 160 mg
Sodium …. 190 mg Carbohydrates .. 2 g Protein …….. 18 g
MIXED VEGGIE GRILL
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Grilling time: 10-12 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
This recipe is adapted from one by Larry Gerber.
3 large portabella mushrooms, quartered
2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium zucchini or 6 asparagus spears, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 large tomatoes, quartered
2 heads radicchio, quartered
1 large each: green bell pepper, red bell pepper
1/2 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons, 3 table spoons reserved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Prepare grill for direct cooking. Place vegetables in greased grill basket. Combine remaining ingredients, except 3 tablespoons reserved lemon juice, in small bowl for basting sauce.
2. Place vegetables on grill; baste with sauce. Cover grill. Cook, basting and turning vegetables several times, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes, removing vegetables that cook faster from grill.
3. Place vegetables on serving platter; sprinkle with reserved lemon juice and serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ….. 75 Fat …………. 4 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium …. 10 mg Carbohydrates .. 11 g Protein ……. 2 g
BLUE CHEESE PORK TENDERLOIN ON THE GRILL
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Grilling time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from a recipe by John Noah, who likes to serve this pork with escalloped apples.
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 pork tenderloin, about 2 pounds
1. Prepare grill for indirect cooking. Mix cheese, onion, garlic and dill in small bowl. Cut a lengthwise slit three-fourths of the way through tenderloin.
2. Spread cheese mixture in slit. Fold meat back together and tie closed with kitchen string. Grill over medium coals, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove string; slice to serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ….. 255 Fat ……….. 10 g Cholesterol .. 100 mg
Sodium …. 300 mg Carbohydrates .. 2 g Protein …….. 36 g
GRILLED NEW POTATOES WITH MIXED HERBS
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: Up to 2 hours
Grilling time: 10-12 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Larry Gerber uses white balsamic vinegar for these potatoes, but any kind of balsamic or red wine vinegar can be used.
2 pounds medium-size new potatoes, washed, cut in half
2 tablespoons each: balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon each: dried basil, dried oregano
1 teaspoon each: dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
1. Heat water to a boil in 6-quart Dutch oven or stockpot over high heat. Add potatoes; cook 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
2. Place potatoes in large non-reactive bowl. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine. Cover and marinate up to 2 hours.
3. Prepare grill for direct cooking. Place potatoes in greased hinged grill or basket; reserve marinade for basting. Grill, covered, basting and turning several times, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Note: Grill baskets are sold in most cookware and department stores.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …… 90 Fat …………. 2 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium …. 270 mg Carbohydrates .. 16 g Protein ……. 3 g
GRILLED STUFFED RED SNAPPER
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Grilling time: 18-22 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from a recipe by James Lawshe.
1 package (7 ounces) herb stuffing mix or favorite homemade stuffing
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons
4 green onions, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped
8 ounces each, cooked, chopped: shelled shrimp, crab meat
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 red snapper fillets, 1/2-pound each, washed, patted dry
Melted butter for basting, if desired
1. Prepare grill for indirect cooking. Combine stuffing mix, water and 1/4 cup melted butter in large bowl. Stir to moisten.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add green onions, celery, garlic and jalapeno. Cook until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes; add to stuffing mix. Stir in shrimp, crab, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Layer two 18- by 12-inch pieces of aluminum foil. Fold up all sides of foil to create a tray to catch liquids. Lay one snapper fillet, skin side down, in foil tray. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon about 1/4 of the stuffing mixture on top of fillet; top with second fillet, skin side up. Repeat with remaining two fillets. Spoon remaining stuffing around sides of fillets.
4. Place on grill; close lid. Cook, basting with butter if desired, until fish flakes with a fork, 15 to 25 minutes.
Note: Two 1-pound fillets can be substituted for four 1/2-pound fillets. Increase cooking time to 30 to 45 minutes. Cooking times vary because of temperature of individual grills and size of fillets. To use a whole fish: Fill cleaned cavity with stuffing; cook as directed for 1-pound fillets.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …… 650 Fat ………… 25 g Cholesterol .. 265 mg
Sodium … 1,480 mg Carbohydrates .. 42 g Protein …….. 61 g
