The book you are holding contains over 200 recipes from competition chefs and national cooking champions. This section provides an overview of the basic techniques these cooks use to produce their winning results. Designed for the beginner cooking enthusiast, these backyard basics will help take your skills to the next level! In this section, you’ll find insights about charcoal, smoking, ways to configure your grill and where to purchase the same products the champs use. Read on to learn about the methods and tools you’ll need to barbecue like a pro!
GUIDE FOR COOKING TEMPERATURES
Low heat: 250 to 275°F (121 to 135°C)
Medium heat: 300 to 400°F (149 to 204°C)
High heat: 500 to 600°F (260 to 316°C)
ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT
Aluminum foil
Butane lighter
Food-grade thermometer
Full roll of paper towels
Grill brush
Heat-resistant or leather work gloves
Long-handled basting brush
Metal tongs
Metal spatula
Charcoal chimney
CHARCOAL
The fuel of choice for most backyard cooking enthusiasts is charcoal. Sure, it takes a little longer to cook on a charcoal grill than on a gas grill, but the flavor of the finished product speaks for itself. Charcoal comes in two basic varieties: lump charcoal and charcoal briquettes. Lump charcoal is essentially large, mismatched hunks of burned wood. It usually burns at a slightly hotter temperature than charcoal briquettes. By comparison, charcoal briquettes are composed of burned wood that is mixed with fillers and chemical binding agents that help form their square shape. A variety of manufacturers provide natural briquettes, which typically use an alternate binding agent such as cornstarch. Because of the uniform shape, charcoal briquettes usually provide a more even and consistent burn than lump charcoal. When firing up your charcoal, never use lighter fluid. The preferred starting method is a charcoal chimney.
CHARCOAL CHIMNEY
A charcoal chimney is a round, metal cylinder with a slotted bottom that you use to light charcoal. You can light the charcoal by burning some crumpled-up newspaper or a paper towel doused with olive oil beneath the base of the charcoal chimney.
CHARCOAL BASKETS
A charcoal basket is a third-party product that contours to the curved edge of your grill and retains hot charcoal in a confined area. Charcoal baskets enable you to more easily configure your grill for the indirect and two-zone cooking methods.
A wonderful way to enhance the flavor of food is to cook using smoke wood. Pairing smoke wood with different proteins is actually quite simple. If you’re just learning to cook with smoke wood, a simple thing to keep in mind is that fruit woods pair well with pork and poultry, while nut woods offer a fine complement to red meats. Above all else, as you’re learning, let your taste buds guide you. Don’t use too much smoke wood, as it can build up a bitter taste in the food you are preparing.
Most home improvement stores carry a small selection of smoke woods next to the grills. Sometimes, you can also find smoke woods at fireplace specialty stores. Smoke wood is usually available in the form of chunks or chips. Chunks are roughly fist-sized (or half fist-sized) pieces of wood and are typically large and robust enough that you can place them directly on the hot charcoal. Chips are much smaller. They tend to burn quickly, and many cooks let them soak in water for about an hour before placing them onto hot charcoal. Chips are also a good choice if you want to smoke food using a foil packet.
HOW TO MAKE A FOIL PACKET
Cut a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil that is roughly 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30.5 cm) on each side.
Place a handful of wood chips in the middle of the square.
Fold the edges of all four sides of the square in towards the center.
Use a knife or fork to make 6 to 8 holes in the foil packet.
Place the packet onto the hot charcoal.
Put the cooking grate on the grill and you’re ready to cook.
DIRECT, INDIRECT AND TWO-ZONE COOKING
Throughout the book, you’ll notice that recipes often require that you set up your grill for direct, indirect or two-zone cooking. Each of these methods has its benefits for working with certain ingredients and different types of meal or dessert preparation. Getting comfortable with these methods will enable you to barbecue a variety of dishes and desserts.
Direct Cooking
Direct cooking is a method of preparing food where hot charcoal is directly beneath the food you are cooking. Generally speaking, this is a fast cooking method and is what most people see when they’re at a family cookout or tailgating at a football game: think of grilling hot dogs or chicken wings and you’re on the right track.
SETUP FOR DIRECT COOKING:
Light a full charcoal chimney.
When you see the edges of the briquettes at the top of the chimney begin to turn gray, the charcoal is ready to use. (It usually takes about 20 minutes.)
Carefully dump the hot charcoal into the grill.
Using metal tongs, form the charcoal into an even cooking layer across the bottom of the grill.
Quickly coat the cooking grate with olive oil.
Put the cooking grate on the grill, and let it heat up for 3 to 5 minutes.
Place the food on the grill and follow the instructions in the recipe.
For the indirect cooking method, the hot charcoal is not directly beneath the food you are cooking. Instead, the heat source is offset from the food you are preparing. This slower cooking method, which might not be readily familiar to newer backyard cooks, usually produces more tender results than direct cooking.
SETUP FOR INDIRECT COOKING:
Light a full charcoal chimney.
When you see the edges of the briquettes at the top of the chimney begin to turn gray, the charcoal is ready to use. (It usually takes about 20 minutes.)
Carefully dump the hot charcoal into the grill.
Using metal tongs, form the charcoal into a pile on one side of the grill.
Quickly coat the cooking grate with olive oil.
Put the cooking grate on the grill, and let it heat up for 3 to 5 minutes.
Place the food on the grill so it is not directly over the hot charcoal, and follow the instructions in the recipe.
Two-Zone Cooking
Don’t let the fancy name scare you; two-zone cooking is exactly what you think it is—a method of food preparation that uses both the direct and indirect cooking methods. Most experienced backyard cooks tend to prefer the versatility of this cooking method. The grill setup for two-zone cooking is the same as indirect cooking. The differentiating factor is that you take advantage of the benefits that both cooking methods provide. Essentially, you’re creating two cooking zones. Use the hot zone for direct cooking and searing meats. This allows you to seal juices inside the meat and form a flavorful surface char. The cool zone is where you perform indirect cooking. This slower, gentler cooking process helps create a tender and moist finished product.
WATER PAN
Some cooks like to use a water pan to help create moisture inside the grill during the cooking process. You can use a disposable aluminum pan, a rigid metal pan, or try forming aluminum foil into a bowl. A water pan can either be placed beneath the cooking grate, next to the charcoal or directly on the cooking grate—wherever you have sufficient space for it.
LETTING MEAT REST
After you finish cooking the meat, you should let it rest for at least 10 minutes. During the cooking process, the protein strands that make up the meat become rigid. Letting the meat rest allows the protein strands to relax and helps redistribute the meat’s natural juices throughout the finished product.
CLEANING AND MAINTAINING YOUR GRILL
Keeping your grill clean and well maintained can be simple and straightforward. For starters, when your grill is not in use, it should be stored with a cover to help protect it from rain and the elements. At the beginning of each spring, tighten the screws, nuts and bolts that fasten the grill together. You should also visually inspect the product for signs of rust and decay. You can clean the exterior of your grill using a damp rag. Every three or four cooks, you should also wipe down the interior of the grill to help prevent grease from collecting. This helps prevent flare-ups, or worse, a grease fire. Some cooks like to use a disposable aluminum pan to collect food drippings, particularly when they’re using either the indirect or two-zone cooking method. You can add water to the drip pan so it doubles as a water pan.