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Things are heating up — so get out that grill

Check out my latest column https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2023/05/12/things-are-heating-up-so-get-out-that-grill/

Grilled vegetable platter A bounteous assortment of grilled vegetables served with a citrus-kissed vinaigrette makes for a casual and fabulously charry spread. (Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen)

Just the other day I was thinking, the gas grill needs to be brought out from winter’s hibernation, and the propane tank filled so it is ready for dad’s arrival from Florida. For three months a year, he enjoys grilling, especially those juicy burgers he makes by hand.

I have the perfect Father’s Day gift for him, “The Outdoor Cook” by the editors of America’s Test Kitchen (2023, America’s Test Kitchen, $29.99).

(Book Cover: Recipes and photos courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

Whether you are using a charcoal, gas or flat-top grill, fire pit or smoker, the book has you covered with 150 recipes to prepare the entire feast outdoors; main course, sides, bread, and desserts included. As we approach Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer and grilling season, the book will ignite your desire to get the fire and fun with family and friends going. Whether it’s a fast weeknight dinner or a soiree with the gang, “The Outdoor Cook,” provides the recipes to help make you a grill meister. What is it about cooking over a flame? Is it the sizzling sound, the aroma, or the smoky flavor of what was cooked? Perhaps it is all of the above…. tantalizing all of your senses. Other reasons…It doesn’t heat up the house, easier cleanup, and allows you to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family.

From smoked loaded nachos, grilled BBQ smokehouse burgers, grilled garam masala chicken, Kansas City-style BBQ ribs, paella for a crowd (the featured dish on the book’s front cover), no-knead Dutch oven bread, to glazed rotisserie pineapple with salted rum butterscotch sauce, and the recipes below (are you hungry yet?), you’ll find dishes for every meal component. Find the recipe for grilled French toast here: https://bit.ly/41sSKiZ

If you are in the market for outdoor cooking equipment there are reviews of grills, griddles, planchas (flat griddles that fit on top of a gas or charcoal grate), rotisseries, pizza ovens, smokers, and other cookware.

What I found helpful is learning how to convert recipes using different outdoor cooking methods plus gas and charcoal fire setups. The section, “Fuel for the Fire” is a primer on types of charcoal, wood, wood chips/chunks, and how to best use the fuel with confidence, resulting in the perfectly charred protein or vegetable.

Did you know….

· The first Weber grill was made from half of a metal buoy

· The grid-like marks made on food from grilling is quadrillage

· Pittsburgh-style steak is charred on the outside and rare on the inside

· Hamburgers internal temperature measured with a food thermometer should be 160 degrees

· To keep meat from sticking to the grill, pat the meat dry and then apply oil to the meat

· Tongs should be used for turning a steak over

· Barbecue comes from the Spanish word barbacoa

· New England has the fewest BBQ restaurants per capita

· May is National BBQ month

· Ellsworth B.A. Zwoyer, from Pennsylvania invented the charcoal briquette in 1897

New England Clambake

The headnote says, “Why This Recipe Works” Clambakes on the beach are a beloved rite of summer all along the East Coast. But if you can’t get to the shore, this grilled clambake captures all the smoky flavor and party vibes of the traditional version—with no shovel required. Because you’re working with a limited size cooking surface, cooking in two stages is key. The brined ears of corn, garlicky kielbasa, and par cooked skewered potatoes go over a hot fire first and then wait patiently while the split, buttered lobsters and the clams cook over more moderate heat. Use potatoes measuring 1- 2 inches in diameter; if your potatoes are larger, quarter them and increase the microwaving time as needed in step 2. You’ll need four 12-inch metal skewers.

New England Clambake This grilled clambake captures all the smoky flavor and party vibes of the traditional version. (Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen)

½ cup table salt for brining

4 ears corn, husks and silk removed

½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon pepper, divided

1½ pounds small red or yellow potatoes, unpeeled, halved

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided, plus extra for serving

¾ teaspoon table salt, divided

2 (1¼- to 1½-pound) live lobsters

1 pound kielbasa

2 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed

Lemon wedges

1. Dissolve ½ cup salt in 4 quarts cold water in large pot. Add corn and soak for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. Before grilling, remove corn from water, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon melted butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Microwave, covered, until potatoes offer slight resistance when pierced with tip of paring knife, about 6 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drain, then toss with additional 1 tablespoon melted butter. Thread potatoes cut side out onto four 12-inch metal skewers.

3. Split lobsters in half lengthwise, removing internal organs. Using back of chef’s knife, whack 1 side of each claw to crack shell. Brush tail meat with 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper.

4A. For a charcoal grill Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

4B. For a gas grill Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high. (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 325 to 350 degrees; if using 3-burner grill, adjust primary burner and second burner.)

5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill kielbasa, corn, and potatoes until kielbasa is seared and hot throughout, corn is lightly charred, and potatoes are brown and tender, 10 to 16 minutes, flipping and turning as needed. Transfer kielbasa to cutting board and vegetables to serving platter as they finish cooking and tent with aluminum foil.

6. Lay lobsters, flesh side down, and clams on grill. Cook until clams have opened, and lobsters are cooked through, 8 to 14 minutes, flipping lobsters and brushing tail meat with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter halfway through grilling. As lobsters and clams finish cooking, transfer to serving platter with vegetables, preserving any juices that have accumulated inside their shells. Discard any clams that refuse to open.

7. Slice kielbasa into 1-inch pieces and transfer to serving platter with lobsters. Remove skewers from potatoes. Serve with lemon wedges and extra melted butter.

Open Fire: Prepare hot single-level fire in open-fire grill. Set cooking grate at least 6 inches from coals and flames and heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. Proceed with step 5. Serves 4

Philly-Style Cheesesteaks

The headnote says: “Why This Recipe Works: With a plancha on your grill, you don’t need to travel any farther than your backyard to enjoy a Philly cheesesteak. Its flat surface gets the beef and onion beautifully browned and provides plenty of room for shingling slices of cheese over separate mounds of filling for easy portioning. The best cut of beef for a homemade version of this iconic sandwich is skirt steak: Its thin profile and open-grained texture make for easy slicing, especially when the steak is briefly frozen first. As for the cheese choice, we’re partial to melty, gooey American cheese, with a little Parmesan mixed into the meat to add a welcome sharpness. If you’re a provolone loyalist, by all means substitute that for the American cheese. Top these sandwiches with chopped pickled hot peppers, griddled or sautéed mushrooms or bell peppers, sweet relish, or hot sauce. You will need a cast-iron plancha measuring at least 20 by 10 inches.

Philly-Style Cheesesteaks With a plancha on your grill, you don’t need to travel any farther than your backyard to enjoy a Philly cheesesteak. (Courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed and cut with grain into 3-inch-wide

strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon table salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

8 slices white American cheese (8 ounces)

4 (8-inch) Italian sub rolls, split lengthwise, toasted on grill if desired

1. Place steak pieces on large plate or baking sheet and freeze until very firm, about 1 hour.

2. Using a sharp knife, shave steak pieces as thin as possible against grain. Mound meat on cutting board and chop coarse with knife 10 to 20 times.

3A. For a charcoal grill Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4 ½ quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, center plancha on grill, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill with plancha until hot, about 5 minutes.

3B. For a gas grill Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Center plancha on grill, cover, and heat for 5 more minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.

4. Heat oil on plancha until just smoking. Add meat and onion in even layer and cook without stirring until well browned on 1 side, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until meat is no longer pink, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer meat mixture to colander set in large bowl. Drain excess moisture from meat.

5. Return meat mixture to plancha (discard any liquid in bowl) and add Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Heat, stirring constantly, until meat is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium (if using gas). Divide mixture evenly into 4 individual portions the length of rolls. Shingle 2 slices of American cheese over each portion. Cover and let cheese melt, about 1 minute. Center rolls cut side down over each portion of meat. Using spatula, scoop under each portion of meat and flip meat and roll to create filled sandwich. Serve immediately.

Flat-Top Grill: Turn all burners to medium-high and heat griddle until hot, about 10 minutes. Leave all burners on medium-high. Clean griddle and proceed with step 4, reducing heat to low in step 5.

Open Fire: Prepare medium-hot single-level fire in open-fire grill. Set cooking grate at least 6 inches from coals and flames, place plancha on cooking grate, and heat plancha until hot, about 5 minutes. Proceed with step 4. Serves 4

Grilled Vegetable Platter

The headnote says, “Why This Recipe Works A bounteous assortment of grilled vegetables served with a citrus-kissed vinaigrette makes for a casual and fabulously charry spread. The vegetables are even better at room temperature than they are hot, so you can easily make this ahead, if you like. It makes an excellent starter to keep everybody happy at the outdoor table while you continue to grill up more goodies, or you can easily customize the platter with add-ons to make this the centerpiece of your meal. The burrata is a great start; its creamy insides will mingle with the vegetables on guests’ plates. Also consider additions such as crusty bread slices toasted on the grill, marinated olives, marinated white beans, high-quality tuna packed in oil, and/or grilled lemon halves to squeeze over whatever you please. If burrata is unavailable, sliced fresh mozzarella makes a suitable substitute. ”

Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus basil leaves for garnish

Grilled Vegetable Platter

2 red bell peppers

1 red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds

4 plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise

2 zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick planks

1 eggplant, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon pepper

8 ounces burrata cheese, room temperature

1. For the lemon-basil vinaigrette Whisk lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper together in bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in oil. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature and whisk to recombine before serving.)

2. For the grilled vegetable platter Slice ¼ inch off tops and bottoms of bell peppers and remove cores. Make slit down 1 side of each bell pepper, then press flat into 1 long strip, removing ribs and remaining seeds with knife as needed. Cut strips in half crosswise (you should have 4 bell pepper pieces).

3. Push toothpick horizontally through each onion round to keep rings intact while grilling. Brush onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini all over with oil, then brush eggplant with remaining oil (it will absorb more oil than other vegetables). Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper.

4B. For a gas grill Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.

5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill vegetables until skins of bell peppers and tomatoes are well browned and onions, eggplant, and zucchini are tender, 10 to 16 minutes, flipping and moving vegetables as necessary to ensure even cooking and transferring vegetables to baking sheet as they finish cooking. Place bell peppers in bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam to loosen skins, about 5 minutes.

6. Remove toothpicks from onion and separate rings. When cool enough to handle, peel bell peppers, discarding skins; slice into 1-inch-thick strips. Arrange vegetables and burrata attractively on serving platter with lemon-basil vinaigrette. Garnish platter with basil leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

Stephen Fries, is a newly retired professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, CT. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 14 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, CT. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. [email protected] For more, go to stephenfries.com.

#America's Test Kitchen #The Outdoor Cook #BBQ #summer entertaning #summer entertaining

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