04_079140 ch01.qxp 12/12/06 11:14 AM Page 1 Get Grilling COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 04_079140 ch01.qxp 12/12/06 11:14 AM Page 2 Selecting a Grill You may have a big bag of briquets sitting on your deck, but they won’t do you much good without a grill to hold them. Choosing a grill is like picking a new car—your choice has a lot to do with your personality and how you plan on using your purchase. Do you insist on the latest model with all of the bells and whistles, or are you returning to a familiar tried-and- true brand that you’ve “driven” many times before? Are you a weekend “driver,” or do you plan to take long “trips”? Are you holding out for big, shiny bodywork, or would you be just as happy with a no-frills compact? There are three basic grill designs: kettle, brazier, and specialty/hybrid. Each has pas- sionate fans, but it is hard to argue that one is actually better than another. Regardless of the design, features to consider are ease of ash disposal, a thermometer in the lid to tell the inte- rior temperature, the size of the cooking grate, how additional briquets are added to an exist- ing fire, efficient air circulation (which is important to control the heat), and convenience of buying replacement parts. You don’t have to depend on tire-kicking at a dealership anymore, as there are many places online that compare different brands and have owner reviews. And grills can be purchased online, too, which is helpful if you have your heart set on an obscure Grill from the Gods that can’t be found at your local home and garden shop. The kettle grill is probably the most familiar model. Made from sturdy metal, it has a spherical shape that reveals its original function as a buoy! Vents at the top and bottom reg- ulate the oxygen flow, which affects the heat level of the fire—the more oxygen, the hotter the fire burns. Unlike with the brazier grill, with kettle grills, the level of the coals cannot be adjusted, so you have to learn to how to adjust the heat with the vents and the amount of charcoal to use, a skill that is not complicated and comes easily. The standard grilling 1 1 1 grate size is 22 ⁄2 inches in diameter; there are smaller 18 ⁄2-inch grids and huge 37 ⁄2-inch- 1 diameter models. The standard 22 ⁄2-inch kettle is the one most likely to be found in America’s backyards, and it was used to test these recipes. Brazier grills have square or rectangular grates, although their housing may be bar- rel-shaped. While they have vents for air control, you can easily adjust the heat with a lever or crank that raises or lowers the firebox holding the briquets. The cooking surface of these grills tends to be larger than that of the kettle grills. 2 KINGSFORD COMPLETE GRILLING COOKBOOK 04_079140 ch01.qxp 12/12/06 11:14 AM Page 3 Specialty/hybrid grills have features unique to their design. They often mix elements of traditional grills with those of smokers (which create smoked, and not grilled, food). The oval grill/smoker, which looks like a big ceramic or metal egg, has devoted followers. Some grills have smoke boxes off to one side of the grill to move the smoke source farther away from the food, which also reduces the heat. Smaller tabletop grills are portable and good to bring along to picnics, as long as you aren’t cooking for a crowd. Allabout Charcoal Created from wood that has been heated in the absence of oxygen, with moisture removed and the wood carbonized so it burns hotter and longer, charcoal is the fuel of choice for millions of grill masters. Lump charcoal is this charred wood in its unchanged state. Some grill cooks like lump charcoal because it burns very hot. However, it also burns away relatively fast, and its irregular shape can create hot spots, so you must give the fire extra attention to address these issues. Briquets are made of granular charcoal compressed into individual pillow shapes. Each briquet burns at the same rate, giving off reliable, steady heat. The Kingsford Products Company was the first firm to manufacture briquets commercially, and they remain the industry leader. The original “recipe” was in use for almost 90 years, but there has been a recent reformulation, Kingsford® Charcoal with Sure Fire Grooves™, that allows the bri- quets to ignite more quickly and burn even hotter and longer than was ordinary. In addition to the regular briquets, Kingsford also makes Match Light® Instant Light Charcoal (for lighting without lighter fluid), Kingsford® Charcoal with Mesquite (to impart an extra layer of woody flavor to your food), and Match Light® Instant Charcoal with Mesquite. For one-time-use charcoal briquets, look for the Kingsford® BBQ Bag. Stored in a cool, dark place, charcoal will keep indefinitely. Moisture is the enemy of charcoal—damp charcoal will not ignite. Do not use charcoal for any other use than as a cooking fuel. For household uses like absorbing odors, use activated charcoal, available at plant nurseries and pet stores. And charcoal ashes are not meant to be used as compost or fertilizer, so do not distribute them in your garden. Lighting the Perfect Fire There are a number of ways to light the fire for the grill. Sure Fire Grooves™ improve the air flow around and inside the briquets, and as oxygen supply is crucial to the intensity of the flame, the briquets will be ready in about 15 minutes. 1 How many briquets? For a standard 22 ⁄2-inch-diameter grill, use about 5 pounds bri- quets. Don’t take out a scale—just pour the amount needed from the bag. Use about half of a 9-pound bag, a third of a 15-pound bag, or a quarter of a 21.6-pound bag. GET GRILLING 3 04_079140 ch01.qxp 12/12/06 11:14 AM Page 4 Brazier grills have differing dimensions, so the amount of coals varies. For average use, light enough briquets to provide a double- to triple-thick layer of coals at one side of the grill, and a single-briquet depth on the other side. This “banked” grilling setup is the most versatile method. The easiest way to estimate this amount is to spread unignited char- coal in the grill in the banked pattern, taking note of the volume used. Once you know the amount of coals for this setup, you can use less for indirect heat or more for direct heat. No matter what method you use to light the fire, let the fire burn until the charcoal is about 70 percent covered with white ash. By the time you spread it out, replace the grill grid, and do a few other steps to ready the food for the grill, the coals will be completely covered with ash, which indicates that they are at the peak of their heat curve. Here are various ways to build a charcoal fire: LEFT TO RIGHT: Stack the briquets and squirt with the fluid. ■ Light with a long match. ■ Spread out the ignited coals. The Pyramid with Lighter Fluid. Charcoal stacked pyramid-style and ignited with the help of lighter fluid is a time-tested method for starting the fire. It is one of the quickest methods because it exposes the maximum surface of the charcoal to fire. When used correctly, the lighter fluid aroma will burn off. Problems with lingering lighter fluid aroma and taste occur when grill cooks get anxious and apply more fluid than needed. The excess fluid splashes into the inte- rior of the grill or into the ash can, and it is this overflow that inadvertently flavors the food. Pour the required amount of coals (about 5 pounds for a standard kettle grill) in the center of the charcoal grate. This is the grate closest to the bottom of the grill, not to be con- fused with the grilling grate in the upper section of the grill, which holds the food. Stack the charcoal in a rough pyramid shape. Squirt the lighter fluid over the surface of the charcoal. You’ve added enough lighter fluid when the charcoal is glossy. Carefully light the charcoal with a match or “click” igniter. Do not cover the grill, as the fire needs oxygen to live. Let the fire ignite. Be patient, as it will take at least 5 minutes before you see ashes begin to form around the corners of the briquets. When the coals are almost covered with white ash, spread the coals as required for direct, indirect, banked, or pocket grilling. 4 KINGSFORD COMPLETE GRILLING COOKBOOK 04_079140 ch01.qxp 12/12/06 11:14 AM Page 5 LEFT TO RIGHT (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM): Stuff chimney with two sheets of newspaper. ■ Light the paper. ■ Burn the briquets until 70 percent ashed-over. ■ Pour out the coals. ■ Spread out the ignited coals. The Charcoal Chimney. A tall, chimney-like canister with a large handle, this tool uses news- paper as its fuel to ignite the charcoal. Store chimneys in a dry place (not where they can get rained on), and they will last forever. To use, place the chimney on the charcoal grate. Fill the smaller bottom compartment with two double sheets of crumpled newspaper. Do not overstuff the bottom compartment, or the air flow will be impeded and the charcoal will not light.