One of the biggest grilling mistakes happens before the food even hits the cooking grate: not building the proper fire. Just as you don’t cook everything on high heat on your stovetop, you don’t cook only on high heat on the grill. Shrimp need even, high heat to give them good color and cook them through, but if you tried that method with thick bone-in chicken breasts, the outside would be charred by the time they cooked through—different types of food need different types of fires. Here are the setups we use in this book and how to build them.
SINGLE-LEVEL FIRE
A single-level fire provides even heat and is used for small, quick-cooking foods like hamburgers and fish fillets.
For charcoal grill, open bottom and lid vents completely and pour lit coals (3 quarts for medium fire or 6 quarts for hot fire) evenly over grill; set cooking grate in place and preheat grill. For gas grill, turn all burners to high and preheat grill. Leave all burners on high for hot fire or turn all burners to medium for medium fire.
HALF-GRILL FIRE
A half-grill fire has two cooking zones: a hotter side for searing and a cooler side to cook food more gently. This setup is best for cuts like bone-in chicken breasts that require longer cooking times.
For charcoal grill, open bottom and lid vents completely and pour 6 quarts lit coals over half of grill, leaving other half empty; set cooking grate in place and preheat grill. For gas grill, turn all burners to high and preheat grill; leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) off.
CONCENTRATED FIRE
A concentrated fire creates a blazing-hot fire for food like scallops or lamb that needs to quickly get a good sear to avoid overcooking the delicate meat.
For charcoal grill, poke 12 holes in bottom of 13 by 9-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan. Open bottom and lid vents completely and place pan in center of grill. Pour 4 quarts lit coals into pan, set cooking grate in place, and preheat grill. For gas grill, turn all burners to high and preheat grill; leave all burners on high.
Is Your Fire Hot Enough?
While grilling, we preheat charcoal grills, covered, for 5 minutes and preheat gas grills, covered, with all burners on high for 15 minutes. After preheating the grill, hold your hand about 5 inches above the cooking grate and count how long you can comfortably keep it there. You should be able to hold your hand over the fire for 5 to 6 seconds for a medium fire and 2 seconds for a hot fire.
Cleaning the Cooking Grate
Before placing food on the grill, it is important to clean and oil the cooking grate. After you’ve heated the grill, scrape the grate clean with a grill brush. Then dip a large wad of paper towels in vegetable oil, grab it with tongs, and wipe the grate thoroughly to lubricate it and prevent food from sticking. When grilling fish, it’s important to repeat this process until the grate is black and glossy.
0 Comments