Most Americans spend more time in their hall closets than in their kitchens. Even if they have invested a fortune in appliances, gadgets, cabinets, and an island bigger than Barbados, they seldom venture into the room except to grab a bite or a beverage made by someone else. The obvious conclusion, widely assumed, is that we hate to cook.
Not so. Americans love to cook, at least when we can do it outdoors. Almost three-quarters of the population, according to a recent survey, prefer their backyards, patios, or balconies to their kitchens as the place to make meals. Even more families than that own a grill, and nearly one-third of us boast two or more grills, smokers, deep-fryers, and other kinds of outdoor cooking equipment. More than half of us keep the fires burning all year, even for traditional occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Maybe if architects designed the main home kitchen without roofs and walls, we would use them more often.
We cook out basically because it’s fun. When interviewers ask, the pleasures cited include “great-tasting food,” “enjoyment of the great outdoors,” “quality family time,” “casual and relaxed atmosphere,” and “easy entertaining.” We turn something that we often consider a chore inside into a party outside, and much of the time we invite friends, neighbors, and colleagues to join us in the celebration.
This is the complete guide to all the joys of outdoor home cooking. We’ve written numerous books and articles on various aspects of the subject, but this time we cover it comprehensively. We aim to make cooking outdoors even more fun than it already is, helping you improve the flavor of the food, broaden the range of your repertoire, and capitalize on the casual, easygoing spirit to create memorable parties. We’ll even suggest a few fun ways to use that indoor kitchen.
The following two chapters discuss the myriad forms of outdoor home cooking and the kind of equipment required. Be prepared for real advice and pointed opinions that often run counter to accepted notions. We’re dealing with topics that interest us personally and passionately. We know it would be prudent to equivocate, to go along with the conventional wisdom, to report facts rather than assess them, but that wouldn’t be like us and it would result in a much duller book.
“The Art of Outdoor Flavor,” the next chapter, puts the focus where it belongs in describing cooking methods. Grill flavor in particular is not well understood or appreciated, which presents some obvious problems in getting it right. We tell you exactly what you want in taste and texture and how to achieve it every time.
We do the same with barbecue smoking, rotisserie roasting, deep-fat frying for turkeys and fish, and big-pot boiling for shrimp, crawfish, and more. We also indicate here and illustrate later in the recipes why particular methods bring out the best in different foods. You can cook every cut of pork outdoors, for example, but there are compelling reasons for roasting the loin, grilling the chops, and smoking the shoulder.
“The Complete Outdoor Kitchen” then gives an overview of the phenomenal range of outdoor cooking equipment available today. If you don’t have enough toys in your backyard now, or need to replace some older ones, we’ll help you through the maze of options. We cover all kinds of grills-charcoal, gas, wood, electric, and infrared-vertical and horizontal smokers, pots and burners for frying and boiling, and also tools and cool gadgets that you may have needed for a long time without even knowing iL
The recipe chapters follow up on these subjects, providing lots of tips about cooking techniques, great ingredients, and special equipment. The advice is dead practical, but it’s also meant to bolster your showboating flair, so you can more splendidly parade your outdoor cooking talents for your family, friends, and neighbors. After you’ve mastered outdoor flavor and filled the gaps in your outdoor kitchen, these little tricks will make you the life of your own outdoor party.
In fact, unless you’re on the debutante circuit, or campaigning for the presidency of the opera board, forget the garden-party image of outdoor entertaining. A little low-key elegance works at times, but light the table with candles instead of a chandelier and leave the matching china in the dining room. Put the accent on fun, not high fashion.
In later sections of the book, we’ll describe many of the great American outdoor food celebrations that have inspired our national passion for cookouts. If you want to replicate a New England clambake or a Door County fish boil, we’ll guide you through the tradition. We also offer hundreds of “Party-Time Tips” and celebratory menus that will help you tailor any gathering to your own needs and budget. Just keep a few basics in mind for any kind of outdoor event.
KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE FOOD AND FRIENDSHIP. Don’t fret if your flower beds aren’t freshly weeded, the deck needs staining, your cloth napkins don’t match, or you don’t even have cloth napkins. None of that really matters. An outdoor party is all about sharing good food and good times with good friends. Pay attention to what you’re cooking. You want to spoil your friends, to show them they’re special, and you do that by putting your energy into pleasing them at the table.
FIX FOOD THAT FITS YOUR PERSONALITY AND ABILITIES. Are you a natural performer? You might want to try paella over an open fire or devote your talents to splashy seafood boils. Never cooked much? Master a couple of simple specialties, such as pork tenderloin or salmon steaks. By the third time, you’ll be able to make them with your eyes closed. On a budget? Dogs done right are hot, as are burgers and potato salad made well. It’s not what you spend in cash that counts but what you spend in care.
KNOW THE CAPABILITIES OF YOUR OUTDOOR COOKING EQUIPMENT. Work with what you’ve got, matching your menu to the potentials of your equipment. Plenty of people have gas grills that lack real searing power but cook fine over a lower heat. If you’re one of them, make your culinary claim to fame tacos al carbón rather than T-bone steaks. Some superhot infrared grills crucify chicken but do a dandy job with shrimp. An inexpensive water smoker won’t do justice to barbecued brisket, but it’ll produce smoked seafood that Neptune would envy. If you’ve got a problem with grate space, feed a crowd with kebabs instead of burgers.
PREPARE AN AMPLE AMOUNT OF FOOD.You don’t want to stuff guests-that really isn’t very satisfying-but you need to be prepared for contingencies. Have a little extra food just in case the dog sneaks a pork chop, the teenage guests eat like Goliath, or your boss pays an unexpected visit. If you don’t finish everything, you’ve got good leftovers for tomorrow.
CONSIDER THE OCCASION. Playing poker with friends? There’s a reason the sandwich was invented at a gaming table. Babysitting the grandkids? Grilled pizzas with help-yourself toppings entertain all ages. A Thursday evening get-together with the neighbors? Sausages and peppers go on the grill without any preparation. Thanksgiving? Deep-fried turkey will leave the oven available for other dishes.
MAKE THE SETTING COMFORTABLE. The first time we hosted a Labor Day weekend party, we completely forgot how early the sun would set. Now we’re ready for the dark with some twinkling Christmas lights in the tree that stands above the table. Nothing fancy is required for comfort, but think about solving possible seating problems, providing shade if necessary, and ousting uninvited pests such as flies and mosquitoes.
PLAN TO BE SPONTANEOUS. Sure, it sounds contradictory, but if you have a stocked pantry, a stash of beverages, equipment that’s clean and fueled, and a few go-to dishes, you can turn any moment into a memorable party.
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. Even when things don’t go the way you planned, if you keep a good attitude, your guests will too. People will remember your upbeat attitude much more than the problem. If your spouse forgot to refill the propane tank, finish the food in the oven (and start planning how you’ll hook up your next grill to natural gas). If a dish doesn’t come out the way you anticipated, give it a different name, garnish it to cover a flaw, or just come clean and blame it on the dumb cookbook you used.
ALWAYS BE A GUEST AT YOUR OWN PARTY. Do much of the prep work in advance, enlist the help of a friend, hire a cleanup person, keep the group small, plan to stash dirty dishes in your oven until the next morning, start early enough that you can sip a glass of wine in the tub before the guests arrive-think about what it will take for you to feel relaxed at your own event and then make it happen. You’ll light up your party even more brightly than you could with a bushel of candles.