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There’s just something about food that’s cooked on a backyard grill. I don’t care if it’s done over wood, or coals or a gas flame – it just tastes different hot off a grill. Sure, sometimes the chicken might come out a little dry. The steak might end up a tad tough. Or the fish sticks to the grill and falls apart. It’s still delicious. And these minor imperfections? Heck, that’s just going to happen now and then. Unless you’re a grill chef. Or you’re privy to his secrets. And you’re about to get just that from three of the region’s finest grilling artists – Alex Benes, partner and chef of Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill in Rancho Santa Margarita and Anaheim Hills; Phil Knoke, chef and owner of Steercrazy BBQ & Grill in Capistrano Beach; and Bill Bracken, executive chef of the Island Hotel in Newport Beach. Secret No. 1: Have fun. “Experiment. Play. Try new things,” says Bracken. The Island’s annual Sunday summer barbecues have become a treasured activity of hotel guests and regular diners. And Bracken says his own backyard has become his warm-weather kitchen: “I love grilling in the summertime. … If you can cook it, it can probably go on the grill.” Of course, there’s more to it than just having fun and experimenting. So let’s address that trio of issues mentioned earlier. Dry chicken This is usually the result of over-marinating or a lack of proper preparation. If you marinate chicken for too long, it zaps the moisture right out of the meat. “Meat absorbs marinade at the expense of the natural juices,” says Benes. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t marinate. In fact, Bracken says it’s one of the most important preparations for chicken – it’s what gives it flavor. It just means you’ve got to watch the clock. Benes suggests 30 minutes. Any longer and you’re taking a chance. Another important step in preparing chicken for the grill: brining. This will ensure the meat cooks up juicy and tender. The latter is particularly important if you’re going to be grilling up a boneless, skinless cut of white-meat chicken. (Chef’s tip: Brining isn’t just for chicken. Benes says pork chops “benefit wonderfully” from it, too.) “You immerse the chicken in a solution of water, salt and something else to provide a balance – usually honey or sugar,” says Benes. “Then you leave it for two hours, and the solution starts breaking down the proteins in the meat, and it begins to absorb the moisture.” Be sure to rinse off the chicken when you remove it from the brining solution. Otherwise, it could taste too salty. And, Benes warns, you might want to limit the amount of sodium you use in your seasoning, because the meat will retain some of the salt from the brine even after rinsing. A tough piece of meat Most home cooks know to choose cuts of beef with marbling in the meat. There’s flavor in the fat, and it makes the steak juicy and tender when it’s cooked. If there’s not much marbling, you could end up with a tough piece of meat. That’s no secret. But there could be another culprit. Like the marinades with chicken, if you let a steak sit with a rub for too long before cooking, you’re testing your luck. Bracken, Benes and Knoke all agree that rubbing a piece of steak with thick-grained salt and other seasonings can add great flavor. But it shouldn’t sit for more than 30 minutes. “If you season the steaks too early (before grilling), the salt will be absorbed by the meat and can affect the cooking and moisture,” Benes says. Choosing the right cut of meat is important, too. “Grilling means you’re cooking fast over a direct flame,” Knoke says. “So anything that is good for slow cooking shouldn’t be put on a grill.” For those cuts, use a smoker. “Even country-style ribs – that’s just pork shoulder cut into strips,” Knoke says. “And to make pork shoulder even edible, you’ve got to smoke it for 10 hours. If you put it on the grill, it’s going to be tough.” Bracken prefers grilling coulotte steak – also known as the baseball cut or top sirloin cap steak – because it’s packed with flavor. It comes from a small muscle that overlays a larger rump muscle. “It’s one of those lesser-known cuts that you can usually only get from the butcher,” says Bracken. “But there are so many fantastic and economical cuts of meat that are great for grilling.” Other great cuts for grilling: flank steak and, of course, rib eye. Fish that falls apart Selecting the right kind of fish is probably the most important key to success when grilling seafood. Mahi mahi, salmon, swordfish and shark are going to grill up the best. “You want tough cuts,” says Knoke. “You don’t want to use halibut, or cod or any kind of flaky or light fish. Those are just going to fall apart.” And make sure your grill is oiled and hot. That’s important for the searing effect. “Fish will stick to the grill if the surface isn’t hot enough,” Knoke says. “If it’s hot, it’s going to just sear the fish, and it won’t stick. And that’s what you want. You want to just sear the fish.” And he has a simple eye-test for grilling salmon: “As soon as you see that white stuff coming up to the surface, take it off the grill. That fish is done.” As for seasoning, all three chefs say they prefer to just rub their fish with kosher salt and pepper. “And then I’ll usually have a sauce that goes over it,” says Knoke, who serves fish with his house Hawaiian salsa. It gives it a sweet-and-spicy kick that delights the mouth. “Don’t be afraid to mix sugar and pepper,” he says. “The main key, as with anything, is that you want to be able to taste everything. When you bite into something, every one of your taste buds should explode with the sweet, the spicy and the savory.” And don’t forget the veggies Bracken says just about every kind of vegetable is grill-able: “Rutabagas, turnips, butternut squash, asparagus, mushrooms.” (My favorite: zucchini and sunburst squash.) Prepping takes next to no time. Just make sure you slice them all the same thickness. Then toss them in a little oil. They cook super fast, and you can season them after grilling or just drizzle them with a nice vinaigrette. Perhaps easiest of all: corn. Just husk it, then throw it on the grill for a few minutes. Miscellaneous tips • Never put wet meat on the grill. The water can collect in pockets of the meat and drip onto the flame – not a good thing if you’re cooking over coals or wood. • Most often, it’s best to cook over a medium flame, which is usually between 350 and 400 degrees. The food will cook more evenly. • If you’re grilling steak, make it the last thing you cook. “Everything else should be already done or almost done,” says Benes. • Look for a cut of steak that’s about an inch to an inch and a half thick. The thicker the steak, the wider your margin of error will be in terms of cooking. “If it’s cooked too rare for someone’s taste, you can always throw it back on the grill,” says Benes. • Always oil your grill before cooking. Knoke says he takes a white terry cloth towel and wraps it tightly around his grill brush, then soaks it in oil and rubs it on the grill. That’s going to keep food from sticking. •> HOW TO BRINE MEAT The process locks in juices and adds loads of flavor. Brining can be used on a variety of meats, but it’s a critical step in preparing chicken for the grill – particularly if you’re cooking boneless, skinless chicken breast, says Alex Benes from Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill. (“Pork chops also benefit wonderfully from brining,” he adds.) Brine is a salt solution that permeates the meat, locks in natural juices and adds loads of flavor. Before refrigeration was a common household amenity, it was a method that was used to preserve meat. While many cooks recommend allowing the food to rest in the brine for several hours – even overnight – Benes says the process really only takes two hours. (Tip: Be sure to rinse the meat afterward.) Here is a basic brine recipe, to which you can add a variety of other herbs and spices – even onion, garlic and fruit – depending on your taste. The basic brine (Can be used on chicken and other types of poultry, pork and shrimp) Ingredients ¼ cup kosher salt ¼ cup packed brown sugar 4 cups hot water Preparation Combine all three ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved, and allow the mixture to cool. Then pour the solution over your meat, making sure your cuts are completely submerged in the liquid. Source: grouprecipes.com •> LOBSTER FEST Grilling up this little delicacy is simpler than you might think. Want a sure-fire way to impress your dinner guests? Serve them up some lobster tails grilled fresh from your backyard barbecue. The thought of preparing lobster at home may be intimidating, but it’s really pretty simple. All you need is some fresh lobster tails, a few tasty herbs and a sharp pair of kitchen sheers. Here’s how: Ingredients (Enough for six lobster tails) ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh-chopped dill Preparation Whisk all five ingredients together. To prep each lobster tail, take a sharp pair of kitchen sheers and cut away the shell along the edges of the lobster tail’s underside, so that the white meat inside is exposed. Pull the meat about halfway out of the shell, starting from the opposite side of the tail. Spoon the lemon-and-dill mixture into the shell and along the back of the lobster, then tuck the meat back inside the shell. “Then all of that good stuff will cook with the lobster inside the shell,” says Island Hotel Chef Bill Bracken. Spoon more of the mixture onto the exposed meat, and allow the tails to sit for about 5 minutes. Then place the tails on a hot grill, belly first, for just a few minutes. Turn them over and continue grilling shell-side down. Total cooking time will be about 12 to 15 minutes. •> RUBBING THE RIGHT WAY Coating steaks with spices and other seasonings punches up the flavor. Island Hotel Executive Chef Bill Bracken challenges any cook who says his steak doesn’t need any seasoning. “That’s just arrogance,” he says. It’s true that a fine cut of beef that’s cooked just right should be juicy, tender and full of flavor. But rubbing on a few herbs and spices – even just salt and pepper (the coarse and fresh-ground varieties are recommended) – will make it just that much better, he says. Common ingredients for rubs include salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder and sugar. But you’ll also find more exotic spices such as mustard, rosemary and curry in some recipes. Here’s a recipe for a spicy mix that is perfect as a prep for grilled filet mignon. (Tip: Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill Partner and Chef Alex Benes says new science suggests frequent flipping on the grill promotes faster cooking and distributes the natural juices evenly throughout the meat. Don’t ever cut into a piece of meat to check the doneness, however. Use a meat thermometer.) Ingredients (Enough for six 6-ounce tenderloin steaks) 2 tablespoons paprika 2 teaspoons onion salt 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon dried thyme Preparation Combine all ingredients and coat each steak with the rub about 30 minutes before cooking. Grill over medium heat (350 to 400 degrees) until the inner temperature reaches 110 to 120 degrees. Allow steak to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting. Source: allrecipes.com |
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