Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Cuisine: How to Grill over Charcoal, Carne Asada Recipe
The popularity of gas grills seems to get ever higher. I think the convenience of a gas grill and the ability to cook outside are both very strong points to having one. The problem with the gas grill is that it's the exact same thing as my gas broiler in my oven, but upside-down. That was my prevailing thought when I considered buying a grill: what was the purpose in duplicating a cooking method that I already had in my kitchen? Hence, I settled on a charcoal grill and it was the best culinary decision I ever made. This post will explain what should have been explained to me before buying and using a grill.
The one and only reason you should have a charcoal grill is flavor. There is no other cooking method which can deliver the flavor of cooking over hot coals. What most people don't realize is that this grilled flavor successfully applies itself to more than just meats -- much more, in fact. Every other aspect of charcoal grilling is a pain the ass compared to gas grilling. But it's so worth it.
Charcoal comes in two useable forms: hardwood charcoal and briquettes. Hardwood charcoal is wood that has been burned in an oxygen-free environment. Briquettes are wood that has been burned in an oxygen free environment and then mixed with some other things to form them into neat little shapes. Which one is better? That depends. Behold the chart o' comparisons:
Hardwood Charcoal
Coal Temperature: Extremely hot (700 degrees F)
Time to burnout: 40 minutes at best
Ash residue: minimal
Flavor: Yummy
Charcoal Briquettes
Coal Temperature: Very hot (660 degrees F)
Time to burnout: hours
Ash residue: quite a bit
Flavor: Yummy, but can add off-flavors to delicate foods
So which one is better? Perhaps some examples would serve:
* Steaks for 2-4: Hardwood, since it will deliver the sear better and also burn out faster
* Burgers for 50: Briquettes, since they will hold the heat longer and cook more food
* A mess of vegetables and steaks: Briquettes, since you'll probably be cooking in shifts
* Salmon filets: Hardwood, since the delicate fish may pick up off-flavots from the briquettes
In conclusion, you should have both hardwood and briquettes on hand and know when each is appropriate.
Next, about lighting the charcoal. Do not use lighter fluid. Do not use briquettes that are pre-soaked with lighter fluid. It is dangerous and makes your food taste like lighter fluid.
I use a wonderful, cheap tool called a chimney starter to ignite the charcoal. It's basically a can in which the charcoal can all get very hot and light very quickly. It's safe,fast, and the chimney starter and a second, extremly valuable use that I will desribe momentarily. Here's my procedure for lighting the charcoal:
0. Remove the grates from the grill.
1. Get 1.5 sheets of newspaper. Wad it up in a loose ball and shove it in the bottom of the chimney starter.
2. Place the chimney starter on the charcoal pan in the grill.
3. Drizzle some canola or corn oil (I imagine other oils would work as well) right down into the chimney starter. It will ooze through thegrate and absorb into the paper. You don't want to completely soak the paper.
4. Fill the chimney starter with charcoal.
5. Ignite the newspaper and leave the area: it will produce a *lot* of smoke.
Easy enough. It will get *very* hot. My chimney starter glows red it gets to hot. Once the coals are covered with a layer of fine ash it's time for the next step.
0. Put on gloves and pour the charcoal from the chimney starter into the charcoal pan. Set the chimney starter away from combustible materials.
1. Replace the grates and close the grill cover to get them hot. Wait 5 minutes.
2. Open the grill and use the wire grill brush to scrape every bit of charred leftover food and grease off the grates.
3. Moisten a wad of paper towels with canola or corn oil (I imagine other oils would work as well) and wipe the grates so that they glisten. Eat the paper towel when you're done. Just kidding. Throw it away.
4. Start grilling!
The only limit to what you can grill is determined by whether or not it will fall through the grates. Asparagus is particularly notorious,so you might want to invest in a vegetable basket to help control them. I'll also add that grilling asparagus is a better preparation for that wonderful vegetable than any other; in fact, all the other ones suck in comparison. Grilled asparagus tips are delicious! I have also successfully grilled portabella mushrooms (they taste like meat when grilled), pineapple (for pizza), squash, toast,proscuitto, and god only knows how many kinds of meats.
This takes me into the enormous success that I had last night on the grill: carne asada tacos. Carne asada is grilled steak, but finding the right preparation and combination of ingredients turns a pedestrian dish into a superb one. This was an A+. The key is to get a *reallyhot fire* so that the steak can be cooked and have crispy, super-caramelized tips. Here's the recipe:
1 skirt or flank steak
4 fresh limes
1 fresh lemon
1/2 c olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 T white vinegar
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, rinsed, destemmed, and chopped (substitute shredded lettuce if you hate cilantro)
1/2 onion, finely diced
corn tortillas
0. Slice the skirt or flank steak against the grain in thin slices (between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch). Do not make diagonal cuts.
1. Juice the limes and lemon into a mixing bowl
2. Whisk the olive oil, garlic, and vinegar into the citrus juice until it emulsifies. (This is the marinade, though you may recognize it as citrus vinagrette.)
3. Add the steak slices to the marinade.
4. Cover the steak/marinade mixture with plastic wrap pressing the plastic wrap directly down onto the surface of the mixture until no air bubbles remain.
5. Refridgerate the steak for 1-3 hours.
6. Remove the steak from the marinade and thread them into metal squewers. Sprinkle on some kosher salt and pepper.
7. Prepare the grill as above using hardwood charcoal, but instead of pouring the charcoal from the chimney starter you should leave it in there. Instead, put a small grill grate on top of the chimney starter. You will be cooking on top of this grate. It will be *very hot*. Don't forget to oil the grate!
8. Grill the squewers over the ultra-hot fire until black and crispy on all sides. Use your judgement as to how "black and crispy" you like them.
9. Place the sqewers onto a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes.
10. Remove the meat from the squewers and dice it. It's better to dice it pretty small otherwise you'll end up with huge pieces of steak inyour mouth. (Maybe you like that, I dont.)
11. Assemble the tacos in corn tortillas making about 50%-25%-25% rations of meat-cilantro-onion.
12. Eat! You can add some hot sauce if you want it. I hate it, so I don't add it.
As I said, these are the best carne asada tacos I've ever had. The keys to success are:
0. Ultra-hot charcoal fire
1. Proper slicing of beef
2. Good marinade
3. Proper proportions of ingredients
The one and only reason you should have a charcoal grill is flavor. There is no other cooking method which can deliver the flavor of cooking over hot coals. What most people don't realize is that this grilled flavor successfully applies itself to more than just meats -- much more, in fact. Every other aspect of charcoal grilling is a pain the ass compared to gas grilling. But it's so worth it.
Charcoal comes in two useable forms: hardwood charcoal and briquettes. Hardwood charcoal is wood that has been burned in an oxygen-free environment. Briquettes are wood that has been burned in an oxygen free environment and then mixed with some other things to form them into neat little shapes. Which one is better? That depends. Behold the chart o' comparisons:
Hardwood Charcoal
Coal Temperature: Extremely hot (700 degrees F)
Time to burnout: 40 minutes at best
Ash residue: minimal
Flavor: Yummy
Charcoal Briquettes
Coal Temperature: Very hot (660 degrees F)
Time to burnout: hours
Ash residue: quite a bit
Flavor: Yummy, but can add off-flavors to delicate foods
So which one is better? Perhaps some examples would serve:
* Steaks for 2-4: Hardwood, since it will deliver the sear better and also burn out faster
* Burgers for 50: Briquettes, since they will hold the heat longer and cook more food
* A mess of vegetables and steaks: Briquettes, since you'll probably be cooking in shifts
* Salmon filets: Hardwood, since the delicate fish may pick up off-flavots from the briquettes
In conclusion, you should have both hardwood and briquettes on hand and know when each is appropriate.
Next, about lighting the charcoal. Do not use lighter fluid. Do not use briquettes that are pre-soaked with lighter fluid. It is dangerous and makes your food taste like lighter fluid.
I use a wonderful, cheap tool called a chimney starter to ignite the charcoal. It's basically a can in which the charcoal can all get very hot and light very quickly. It's safe,fast, and the chimney starter and a second, extremly valuable use that I will desribe momentarily. Here's my procedure for lighting the charcoal:
0. Remove the grates from the grill.
1. Get 1.5 sheets of newspaper. Wad it up in a loose ball and shove it in the bottom of the chimney starter.
2. Place the chimney starter on the charcoal pan in the grill.
3. Drizzle some canola or corn oil (I imagine other oils would work as well) right down into the chimney starter. It will ooze through thegrate and absorb into the paper. You don't want to completely soak the paper.
4. Fill the chimney starter with charcoal.
5. Ignite the newspaper and leave the area: it will produce a *lot* of smoke.
Easy enough. It will get *very* hot. My chimney starter glows red it gets to hot. Once the coals are covered with a layer of fine ash it's time for the next step.
0. Put on gloves and pour the charcoal from the chimney starter into the charcoal pan. Set the chimney starter away from combustible materials.
1. Replace the grates and close the grill cover to get them hot. Wait 5 minutes.
2. Open the grill and use the wire grill brush to scrape every bit of charred leftover food and grease off the grates.
3. Moisten a wad of paper towels with canola or corn oil (I imagine other oils would work as well) and wipe the grates so that they glisten. Eat the paper towel when you're done. Just kidding. Throw it away.
4. Start grilling!
The only limit to what you can grill is determined by whether or not it will fall through the grates. Asparagus is particularly notorious,so you might want to invest in a vegetable basket to help control them. I'll also add that grilling asparagus is a better preparation for that wonderful vegetable than any other; in fact, all the other ones suck in comparison. Grilled asparagus tips are delicious! I have also successfully grilled portabella mushrooms (they taste like meat when grilled), pineapple (for pizza), squash, toast,proscuitto, and god only knows how many kinds of meats.
This takes me into the enormous success that I had last night on the grill: carne asada tacos. Carne asada is grilled steak, but finding the right preparation and combination of ingredients turns a pedestrian dish into a superb one. This was an A+. The key is to get a *reallyhot fire* so that the steak can be cooked and have crispy, super-caramelized tips. Here's the recipe:
1 skirt or flank steak
4 fresh limes
1 fresh lemon
1/2 c olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 T white vinegar
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, rinsed, destemmed, and chopped (substitute shredded lettuce if you hate cilantro)
1/2 onion, finely diced
corn tortillas
0. Slice the skirt or flank steak against the grain in thin slices (between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch). Do not make diagonal cuts.
1. Juice the limes and lemon into a mixing bowl
2. Whisk the olive oil, garlic, and vinegar into the citrus juice until it emulsifies. (This is the marinade, though you may recognize it as citrus vinagrette.)
3. Add the steak slices to the marinade.
4. Cover the steak/marinade mixture with plastic wrap pressing the plastic wrap directly down onto the surface of the mixture until no air bubbles remain.
5. Refridgerate the steak for 1-3 hours.
6. Remove the steak from the marinade and thread them into metal squewers. Sprinkle on some kosher salt and pepper.
7. Prepare the grill as above using hardwood charcoal, but instead of pouring the charcoal from the chimney starter you should leave it in there. Instead, put a small grill grate on top of the chimney starter. You will be cooking on top of this grate. It will be *very hot*. Don't forget to oil the grate!
8. Grill the squewers over the ultra-hot fire until black and crispy on all sides. Use your judgement as to how "black and crispy" you like them.
9. Place the sqewers onto a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes.
10. Remove the meat from the squewers and dice it. It's better to dice it pretty small otherwise you'll end up with huge pieces of steak inyour mouth. (Maybe you like that, I dont.)
11. Assemble the tacos in corn tortillas making about 50%-25%-25% rations of meat-cilantro-onion.
12. Eat! You can add some hot sauce if you want it. I hate it, so I don't add it.
As I said, these are the best carne asada tacos I've ever had. The keys to success are:
0. Ultra-hot charcoal fire
1. Proper slicing of beef
2. Good marinade
3. Proper proportions of ingredients
