Oh, how Americans love the great outdoors. Last year, we headed there to fire up our back-yard grills an estimated 3.1 billion times, according to the Barbecue Industry Association.
And most of the time, it seems, those fires burned blue. The industry group says gas grills now have the edge in the United States. About 60 percent of grill owners opt for gas and 50 percent for charcoal. (Some folks own both.)
But while Americans are going for gas in greater numbers, the debate over which grill makes the best-tasting food sizzles on.
Some aficionados say only charcoal can impart the great grilled flavor we crave. They don’t care that charcoal fires take time to start and are messier to maintain.
Nearly three-fourths of those surveyed recently by the Weber-Stephen Products Co., makers of Weber grills, said they thought they could tell the difference between foods cooked on the two types of grills. But Weber also says repeated blind tests show that most people really can’t.
You’ll never convince Len Kronman. The grilling teacher and former owner of Natural Grilling and Fuels, an equipment and charcoal manufacturer in Winchester, Mass., believes the differences are more than perceived.
Not only do foods cooked over charcoal taste different, but they also have a different mouth-feel because they are moister, Kronman says.
“The moistness comes from higher heat, from charcoal being able to sear the food better, sealing in the interior juices,” says Kronman, who is accredited to teach grilling and smoking techniques by the American Culinary Federation in St. Augustine, Fla.
“It’s that extra heat that closes the pores of the food to make certain it retains the maximum amount of moisture.”
BURGERS BORRACHO
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Marinating time: 6 hours Cooking time: 14-18 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
These beer-marinated burgers should cook up equally well on a gas or charcoal grill.
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, crushed dried rosemary, freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 pounds lean ground sirloin
1 1/2 cups beer
Mustard sauce:
3 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon beer
6 hamburger buns, split, toasted
Lettuce leaves, onion slices, optional
1. Combine chopped onion, tomato paste, garlic, salt, rosemary, pepper and allspice in large bowl. Add ground sirloin; mix well. Shape mixture into 6 patties, each about 3/4-inch thick. Place patties in shallow dish; pour beer over them. Cover; marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or overnight, turning once.
2. Prepare grill or heat broiler. Remove burgers from marinade; discard marinade. Grill burgers over medium heat or broil, turning once, until meat is no longer pink, about 15 minutes.
4. Mix mustard, Worcestershire sauce and beer in small bowl. Serve burgers on lettuce-lined buns with onion slices. Top with mustard sauce.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 395 Fat ……….. 18 g Saturated fat .. 7 g
% calories from fat .. 42 Cholesterol .. 80 mg Sodium …… 670 mg
Carbohydrates …… 26 g Protein ……. 29 g Fiber …….. 2.6 g
