Back-yard grillmaster. The title suggests dominance, a pinnacle position with ancient tribal undertones.
But in truth, even that long-lodged, testosterone-charged, burger-flippin’, smoke-blowin’ stereotype of American legend is gradually evolving. Guys who used to man the grill without really knowing how to cook are more interested in developing skills.
Women who may have feared the flame or mess of outdoor cooking are investing in gas grills and learning how to use them. And putting the two together: “There’s more collaboration around the back-yard barbecue grill these days — about what is getting cooked and how,” said Susan Maddox, chef and co-owner with husband Michael of Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights. “Especially when couples study barbecue or take barbecue classes.”
Beyond the boom in grill-themed books, Chicago-area chef-instructors said that they’ve watched enrollment in seasonal classes around town steadily grow. That includes sessions offered by restaurants, cooking schools and shops. They also said that while many of the other consumer classes they offer are attended almost exclusively by women, grilling classes are attracting an increasing number of men, as well as women and couples.
“When we started four years ago we would have maybe two guys for every 15 women. Now, it’s five or more guys for every 15 women,” said Ruth Ross, director of Northshore Cookery and Flavors in Highland Park, which offers basic grilling and “Extreme Grilling” classes. “They come for all kinds of reasons,” said Phyllis Petrilli, executive chef at the school and teacher of the “Grilling Basics” class. “Most say they’ve signed up because they’ve never really learned to do barbecue right.”
Some complain about things sticking to grills; a lot of the women are interested in make-ahead tips and healthier recipes, and the men are interested in learning how to get good results with larger cuts of meat, Petrilli said.
With couples, she added, “I definitely see a lot of elbowing and comments like, ‘Pay attention — this is what I’ve been trying to tell you!’ “
“Everybody comes to class with a story,” said Elizabeth Karmel, author of “Taming the Flame,” founder of GirlsattheGrill.com, barbecue instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and executive chef at the just-opened Hill Country Barbecue there (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text).
Maybe he is tired of burgers and dogs and wants to expand his repertoire, Karmel said, or maybe she likes the flavor that outdoor grilling brings to food and takes a class so she can grill even when he’s not around.
“But my favorite is when one half of the couple is really into grilling and the other is just along for the ride,” Karmel said. “As the class progresses, the one that was just there for kicks has all of a sudden rolled up the shirt sleeves and is interested and participating.”
When that couple leaves, said Karmel, the excitement continues and becomes teamwork at home. “I like to say we’re making relationships better, one barbecue class at a time,” she joked.
A “ta-da!”-type thing
Building a more sophisticated repertoire is perhaps the biggest reason people sign up for classes.
“The Food Network has had a huge impact,” said Dan Marguerite, co-owner of The Backyard Barbecue Store in Wilmette, which teaches themed barbecue classes. “I have a lot more guys coming in for classes who are very food-savvy, interested in technique and wanting to learn how to wow their friends.”
Susan Maddox agreed: “People are a lot more adventurous in what they are willing to try grilling. It has become more a ‘ta-da!’ type thing.”
The recipes that the Maddoxes were teaching on one particular sunny Sunday afternoon offered a good example. Four couples signed up to learn how to use grills to make pizza, salad, spicy soft-shell crab sandwiches, stuffed quail and an elaborate pork tenderloin dish. Most said that they enrolled so the guy in the relationship could improve his basic skills.
“I came looking for new recipes to grill,” said Rich Munch of South Barrington, using a water-soaked toothpick to close the flap on a quail his wife, Barb, had just filled with a pancetta-cherry-raisin-and-onion stuffing. “But I can see that if you’re grilling more than the basic burgers and brats, it makes a lot of sense to divide the tasks and work together.”
At the next station, Robin Nimmo of Buffalo Grove was dotting goat cheese onto a pizza crust she had just grilled and covered with sauce and veggies.
“The class was a gift I gave my husband, and I came along just for fun,” Nimmo said. “But I’m also here to get over being a little afraid of the grill.”
Meanwhile, Craig Smith of Long Grove, trimming soft shell crabs with father-in-law Todd Pawlowski of Niles, said he was there to enhance his role at home.
“For years, my wife has been an excellent cook and I’ve mostly just done the stereotypical thing: Stand by the grill, give the meat an occasional poke and a shove and then getting really upset when the flames took over. This will change that, give me the ability to participate with her more.”
By the time the class was over, couples were feeding each other samples of the food they cooked together, and discussing which dishes they thought they would make again at home.
“That’s the thing I like about teaching back-yard grilling techniques,” Michael Maddox said. “For guys who don’t normally cook, it feels like an easy point of entry. And for women who normally just cook indoors, it’s liberating to find out that they can easily take those skills outside, do everything on the grill.”
Peggy Ryan, chef-instructor at Kendall College in Chicago, used to teach grilling classes at the Winnetka Community House, “specifically to get men out of a rut with their home barbecue recipes. People just get fixated on what they know. But when they take a hands-on class, that can be just the right tool to leverage them into trying something different at home.”
At Northshore Cookery, Ruth Ross said that her “Extreme Grilling” class was designed for that reason.
“I’ve tried to cover things that were like, ‘Wow!, I didn’t know you could do that!’ Partly to get guys to think beyond steak and burgers, but also because grilling salads, fruit, fish, cedar-planked salmon — that’s where you’re going to get more interest from the women.”
Gender generalities
Figuring out who’s going to do what for each back-yard cookout is as individual as every couple. However, some gender-specific generalities linger.
“Honestly? The guys are drawn to the flame and smoke and like to do a lot more ‘flipping’ than women,” Ryan said.
Scott Anderson, who handles marketing for Merle’s Barbecue in Evanston, agreed. “In the classes we teach, it’s still largely the guy at the grill who’s just sort of glorying in the whole experience of standing there getting sweaty absorbing the smoke and heat. The women just aren’t into that. When they barbecue, they don’t stand around the grill. They move on to other things.”
“Research has shown that women are more interested in thinking about the big picture, coordinating all of the steps — from menu, to marinade, to side dishes, to cleanup,” Karmel said. “Women are also more up on the food-safety information.”
To build on complementary strengths and maximize collaboration, Michael Staver, who teaches “The Art of Barbecue” at Kendall College, said that taking a few minutes to sit down and plan the menu together, read through recipes and then shop for the food together naturally leads to synergy through the rest of the cooking.
Similarly, the Maddoxes said that teaming up to make side dishes and to prep actual items the day ahead of a party frees them up to share the actual grilling role during the event.
Also helpful in promoting back-yard bonding: Avoid being a snob about grill knowledge.
“If you really want to excel at barbecue, you have to be open to learning skills — wherever they come from,” said Jeff Belmonti, who runs bbqproshop.com with his wife, Gretchen.
This is something Belmonti “got” from the beginning of his relationship with Gretchen. “The first time I had her over for dinner, I told her I’d barbecue, and she was really pleased,” he said.
He started by dousing charcoal briquettes with lighter fluid in a kettle grill, he recalled. “She audibly gasped, and said, ‘Lighter fluid?’ And I was, like, ‘Is there any other way?’ “
Gretchen, it turned out, knew lots of better ways (a starter chimney eliminates the need for the lighter fluid) and introduced him to a wide array of ideas, techniques and recipes.
“It changed my life,” Belmonti said, laughing. Far from being threatened by Gretchen’s barbecue acumen, he said he was pleased to learn whatever she could teach. That led the Belmontis to lots of home experiments, frequent discussions about best methods, visits to national barbecue competitions and more recently, friendly rivalry on their multiple back-yard grills.
With young children at home, “I really want that instant gratification that comes from barbecuing on the gas grill,” Gretchen said.
“And I’m convinced nothing tastes better than barbecue made in the charcoal smoker,” he said.
Either way, Belmonti added, they’re working together well and talking “about what we can do to make back-yard barbecue better.”
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Grilling classes
Here are a few of the classes offered by the grilling experts we talked to.
– Private group barbecue and grilling classes with chef Michael Staver, award-winning barbecue competitor and culinary instructor at Kendall College, can be scheduled by calling 847-951-6048 or go to chefstaver@gmail.com.
– “Way Beyond Burgers: New Ideas for Your Back-Yard Grill,” hands-on instruction with chefs Susan and Michael Maddox and team, this class culminates with a four-course dinner including wine pairings. $78 per person. 2-4 p.m. Aug. 12. Le Titi de Paris, 1015 W. Dundee Rd., Arlington Heights, 847-506-0222, letitideparis.com.
– “Grilling Basics,” a hands-on class with chef Phyllis Petrilli teaches the fundamentals. Dishes include barbecued chicken, shrimp kebabs, grilled vegetable panini and grilled fruit skewers with dessert sauces. $65 per person. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 27. Northshore Cookery, Port Clinton Square, 600 Central Ave., Highland Park, 847-432-2665, northshorecookery.com.
– “Extreme Grilling,” hands-on class with chef Ruth Ross includes grilled pizza, cedar-planked salmon, and honey-glazed fruit. $65 per person. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 30. Northshore Cookery, Port Clinton Square, 600 Central Ave., Highland Park, 847-432-2665, northshorecookery.com.
– “Slow Cooked Barbecue,” Merle’s Barbecue of Evanston presents a demonstration class that includes dinner. $50 per person. 7 p.m. Sept. 6 at The Backyard Barbecue Store, 1147 Greenleaf Ave., Wilmette, 847-251-2272 or backyardbbqstore.com.
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Grilled pizza with duck confit, goat cheese and Caesar salad.
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 9 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from a recipe by chefs Michael and Susan Maddox of Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights. Look for duck confit in specialty markets such as Fox & Obel and Trotters To Go. Regular cooked-duck leg meat also can be used.
4 rounds (about 4 ounces each) refrigerated pizza dough
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, oil reserved, cut into thin strips
2 legs duck confit, shredded
1 package (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
5 green onions, white and some green, sliced
2 jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained, cut into thin strips
2 bags (5 ounces each) chopped Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup prepared Caesar salad dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat a grill; brush tops of the dough rounds with reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes. Place dough on hot grill. Grill, turning once, until dough browns and puffs on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill; transfer to a baking sheet.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Top each pizza with equal amounts of duck, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, green onions and bell peppers. Cook until toppings are heated through, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine lettuce, dressing and Parmesan in a large bowl; toss. Top each pizza with salad.
Nutrition information per serving:
734 calories, 50% of calories from fat, 43 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 82 mg cholesterol, 65 g carbohydrates, 32 g protein, 1,307 mg sodium, 6 g fiber
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Grilled Caesar salad
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from a recipe from Northshore Cookery in Highland Park.
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon each: fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon each: anchovy paste, salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 large heads of romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise, outer leaves trimmed
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
Parmesan shavings, anchovy fillets
1. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Blend the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper to taste in a blender until smooth; set aside.
2. Brush the cut side of the romaine with grapeseed oil; grill, cut side down, until just tender and the leaves have grill marks, about 3 minutes.
3. Place each lettuce half on serving plates; dress each with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Garnish with Parmesan shavings and anchovy fillets. Pass additional dressing.
Nutrition information per serving:
302 calories, 27% of calories from fat, 30 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 261 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
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Grilled yellow pepper saffron sauce
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Standing time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 cups
This sauce from Northshore Cookery is delicious on fish, chicken or as a salad dressing. This also can be made with red or orange bell peppers.
2 yellow bell peppers
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 to 3 saffron threads
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1. Prepare a grill for high heat; grill the peppers, turning, until all sides are charred, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a paper bag; close. Set aside 15 minutes. Remove peppers from bag. Remove peel, ribs and seeds; chop coarsely.
2. Combine the peppers, garlic, saffron, rice vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper to taste in a blender or food processor; blend 30 seconds. With processor on, slowly drizzle in oil until mixture emulsifies.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
50 calories, 90% of calories from fat, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 38 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
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Grilled lemon vinaigrette
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
A vinaigrette recipe from North Shore Cookery in Highland Park starts with grilled lemons. It’s wonderful over fish, grilled chicken or salad greens.
2 1/2 lemons
2/3 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoons each: brown sugar, fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Cut the 2 whole lemons in half; brush the cut sides of the 4 halves with 1/2 teaspoon of the grapeseed oil. Place the lemon halves on grill, cut sides down. Grill until lightly charred, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 2 minutes. Juice the grilled lemon halves into a small bowl.
2. Add the brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper to taste to the lemon juice; whisk to combine. Add remaining oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Juice the remaining ungrilled lemon half; whisk in about 1 tablespoon, or more to taste, of the juice to the vinaigrette.
Nutrition information per serving:
84 calories, 95% of calories from fat, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 73 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
