by J. Michael Wheeler
Burn Baby, Burn
Of course if you use a gas grill for your
outdoor cooking your selection of fuels is, well, gas. But for those of
us who prefer to cook on real fire, there are more choices. Here are
some of them:
Lump Charcoal Usually made from softwood. It comes in a variety of sizes. Easy to light, but quick burning.
Charcoal Briquettes Slow burning, easy to find. Some claim they give food an unpleasant taste.
Self-igniting Charcoal Briquettes or lump charcoal treated with a flammable substance. Easy to light. Let all of that flammable substance burn away before cooking.
Wood Hardwoods like oak and olive burn slowly and the aromatic smoke imparts a great taste to the food. Wood fires must be tended carefully to keep an even and steady heat.
Adding different woods and other fuels to your grilling fire will flavor your food in different ways. Here are some recommended ingredients and where to use them:
Hickory Smoky, pungent with a bacon-like flavor: good with pork, chicken, beef, and wild game.
Pecan Similar in taste to hickory with a richer yet more subtle flavor: good with pork, chicken, lamb, and fish.
Maple Light smoky and sweet flavors: use for various poultry, vegetables and hams.
Apple Dense, fruity, slightly sweet flavors: tasty addition to beef, poultry, game birds, and pork.
Corncobs When mixed with hardwoods, corncobs add a smoky and sweet flavor. Cut away the kernels and break the cobs into pieces. Use when grilling beef, bacon, ham, and sausage.
Seaweed Great when grilling shellfish such as lobster, crab, shrimp, mussels, and clams. Seaweed adds tangy, smoky flavors. Rinse and sun dry before using.
Herbs, Spices, and More Try soaking rosemary branches and add to the coals. Or whole nutmeg. Orange or lemon peels contain volatile oils and add flavors. How about roasting a head of garlic? Experiment.
Wood Chunks and Chips Bagged wood chips are a convenient way to add smoke to your briquette grill. For a lot of smoke, soak the chips in cold water for about 30 minutes. For longer lasting smoke, put the chips in an aluminum pan and put the pan right on the coals.
Bonus for Gas Grills Yes you can get smoky flavors from a gas grill! Put wood chips in an aluminum pan and put the pan on the side of one of the gas burner, under the grilling rack.
For all of your grilling needs, visit the Grill Store at Dancing Spoon. Click here.
To buy Jack Daniels Wood Chips Click here.
|
Shop the Foodies Store
|
Newsletter |