Livin la vida Brooklyn

With the heat of summer pushing us outside of our kitchens, the time has come once again for that age-old summer ritual: the barbecue. While burgers and hotdogs are a standard tradition, there are ways that a simple backyard grill can be transformed into a self-contained gourmet kitchen. I will be writing a multi-part series imparting my years of knowledge and backyard experimentation on you, the reader, so that you too can make mouth-watering creations on the grill!

The Fire

The first step in creating great barbecue is having an understanding of your fire. There is a debate as to whether gas or charcoal creates a better barbecue, but in my experience, both ways are equally good–they just require slightly different set-ups. Depending on what you’re cooking, you’ll want to set up your fire in one of three ways:

Grilling:

This is where you have your coals (or burners in the case of gas) as hot as possible, spread evenly across the bottom of the grill, and close to the grill to encourage searing. Searing is when the outside of the food is flash-cooked over high heat so that juices and fflavor get trapped inside.

You will almost always want to begin your barbecue by searing the food on both sides for about 1-2 minutes. This will keep the food from drying out. When you cook thin steaks, sausages, burgers, seafood or veggies, this is usually the preferred method of cooking.

Roasting:

This is a method of cooking that allows for a longer cooking time, which will help larger cuts of meat retain their moisture and develop flavor. When you start the barbecue, pile your coals to one side of the charcoal pan so that one side of the grill is very hot, while the other side is relatively cool. Once the coals have turned grey, put the lid on the grill and allow it to warm up for 5-10 minutes.

When you put your meat on the grill, start it out on the hot side, and sear both sides of the meat for 2 minutes. Then, pull the meat over to the cool side of the grill, baste it with your marinade and put the lid back on. Turn it and baste it every 15-20 minutes until it’s done. This is the preferred method for cooking chicken, pork, large cuts of beef, and steaks such as porterhouse or t-bone. It is usually best to use a cut of meat that is bone-in for this method, as the bone will help keep the meat from drying out.

Slow Cooking, or Smoking

This is the method of cooking that I prefer the most, but it takes significantly more time, effort and practice than the methods I mentioned before. This is the way that BBQ pits across the country make those mouth-watering ribs, tender brisket and smoky pulled pork. For now I will give you a basic overview, with more details to come in my future posts (along with some recipes that will have your whole block begging for a taste!).

To cook using this method, you need a large grill. A classic Weber Kettle or Brinkman smoker will work fine, but an offset smoker is the preferred method. It is more difficult to achieve good results using a gas grill for this type of cooking, but it is possible.

You will want to start your fire in the manner I mentioned before: pile your coals to one side so that there is a hot area and a cool area. Don’t make too large of a fire, as you want the meat to cook slow (maintaining a temp. of around 225-250 degrees is optimal–a meat thermometer sticking out of the top vent on the grill will help you determine this). Before you start the fire, put a small pan full of water in the cool area of the coal pan or rack, to catch the juices and create steam while the meat cooks–this is crucial, as you will be leaving the meat on the grill for hours and don’t want it to dry out!

Once the fire is going, put the lid on and let it heat up for 10-15 minutes so that the temperature is stable. You will want to have wood chips such as oak, hickory, mesquite or another hardwood soaking in a pot for about 30 minutes prior to cooking. Put a handfull off the wet woodchips directly on the coals (to create smoke) and then put your meat on the cool side of the grill, without searing it first (searing will prevent the wood smoke from permeating the meat, and the smoke is where you will get most of your flavor). You will want to turn the meat every hour and baste it, but it is important not to open the grill too often during this process, as it will allow the heat to escape and the meat will take longer to cook. You can add more coals or woodchips as necessary throughout the process to keep the fire hot and smoky. If you do this process correctly, you will wind up with some of the most delicious tasting barbecue you havve ever had.

Make sure to check out my next post, where I will be showing you how to make juicy, spicy chicken on the grill that will turn enemies into friends, friends into lovers and even the harshest critics into adoring fans. As my Dad used to say, “Put Some South in Yo’ Mouth and Pray For Lockjaw!”

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