everyone, whether novice or experienced home chef needs a good barbecue guide. Barbecuing is very different than indoor cooking. There are different aspects to consider, like temp and cooking time. Luckily there is a guide to use this summer.
Regular contributor and barbecue master , Steven Raichlen wrote about everything grilled in today's New York Times Food section. This is a must save. Chef Raichlen who has created amazing dishes on his PBS TV show first explains how to start and heat a grill. There will b e glowing embers in fifteen to twenty minutes of time without the addition of lighter fluid. It's building a tiered fire to control the hear. You should rake the coals into a thicker layer at the endof the grill. This is the searing zone. Have atinner layer in the middle which will be your cooking zone.It's then leaving no coals in the front third of the grill. This is your safety zone.If you have a gas grill. set one burner on high and one on medium,Keep one burner free to become your safety zone.If your grill lacks a third burner then use your warming rack as your safety zone. All this is possible if you have a clean grate. If;not it's time for a good cleaning. Chef Raichlen recommneds cleaning hot grates with a stiff wire brush. A better tool is a wooden scraper which eliminates the risk of accidentally ingesting a loose bristle. Also oil it.It minimizes sticking and gives you better grill marks. Use a tightly folded paper towel dipped in oil to do this. You can also use a chunk of bacon, steak fat or even an onion for this.
The most perfect steak comes from cooking evenly and accurately. Leave at least one inch between each piece of food for better heat circulation, Leave about twenty-five of your grill free of food so you have space to manuever and doge flare ups. Definitely use an instant read meat thermometer to check for doneness.Insert it through the side of a burger or chicken breast not through the top to get an accurate reading. Afterwards let the meat rest. Transfer over to a sheet pan to prevent the bottms getting soggy or directly onto a platter or plate,wait a minute before serving. This allows the meat to relax and the juices to redistribute.Thid goves you a juicier, more tender cut. Chef Raichlen also gives some tasty recipesThey run the gamut from steak to pork to hamburgers. grillers will like the variety of the barbecued chicken and salmon. Any of these can be made for a weekend dinner or part of an outdoor party. The grilled steak has a comboof bourbon and maple syrup on it while the chicken is covered in herbs.
It's grilling season. Use thsi guide and recipes to create tasty barbecues. They're a wonderful way to start the summer.