Sunday, March 7, 2010

Fire it Up

This is my first endeavor into a series- which kind of freaks me out. If you don't like the content- you won't come back until the series is over- Friday by the way. I'm trying to make this the least boring I can- though, if you are not one who likes to be in the kitchen- you might want to rethink that. Cooking is a sensorial experience. The scents, the flavors, the heat and if you never have- split open a blood orange and without preparing it- lower your mouth to it and take a bite. Such pleasures await!

I simply can NOT overstate the appreciation men feel at being cooked for. If you are not DOING it- DO IT. If he is not appreciative- he's NOT Clever so move on. If you are really lucky- he will sit, with a glass of wine in the kitchen with you and chat- his eye trained on your backside wondering when a good time would be to take you to the floor or press you against the counter top and lavish you with lingering kisses.

For my young and lovely readers. The kitchen is a fantastic place- get to know it and it will serve you well. Laine, your mother is one of the most compelling cooks I've ever met- learn from her- she has much to teach.

Lighting a Charcoal Grill

Obviously, you will need some charcoal, available at most grocery stores. Not so obvious would be lighter fluid, but I prefer non-toxic fire starters, and long matches for lighting.
When cooking for two, one layer of charcoal generally is sufficient. It should be situated into a cone shape and doused with lighter fluid, with the bulk ending up in the center of the cone.
How much lighter fluid? One quarter cup of lighter fluid per pound of charcoal is a good basic measurement (How are you supposed to measure this? I have no idea- it’s why I have an infrared grill).

Let the briquettes sit and absorb the fluid for about a minute. Using a long match, light the coals from at least two sides and allow them to burn until white before putting the food on the grill. If you do not allow the coals time to burn, or if you overdo the lighter fluid or add fluid after you put the food on the grill, you will be serving lighter fluid-basted burgers or fish, which, incidentally, taste terrible and confirm you suck at grilling (are you sold on gas yet?) Or, for less chance of lighting yourself on fire due to your love of synthetic fibers and hairspray, use the fire starters. Now you are ready to cook.

I personally think lighter fluid is repellant. There are two options here- one is a chimney starter- a cylinder in which you add newspaper at the bottom and charcoal on top. There are air holes at the bottom that allow you to light the newspaper- the construction is conducive to the slow burning of the coals. Once they turn grey- they are ready to dump into the grill and cooking can commence. PAIN IN THE ASS- but you won't have lighter fluid-flavored halibut.

NOW- let's pretend we never talked about lighter fluid because we have a fantastic option called an electric charcoal iron. It's available where grills are sold and requires only an electrical outlet. There are no disadvantages, and if you are a charcoal devotee, you likely use this method. Create a layer of charcoal- lay the iron on top- add another layer over the iron. It can take between 8 and 15 minutes for the coals to be ready to grill (ashy), and when they are, spread them and get grilling.

The Big Green Egg requires less charcoal than a traditional charcoal grill due to the construction. It is deeper so there is less exposure to wind or elements and the top actually acts as a chimney.


Lighting the Gas Grill


Open the lid of the grill and, using the lighting mechanism, light all the burners of your grill, close the lid and preheat 10 to 15 minutes with the burners on high. Open the lid and use your brush to remove old food from the grates if they are not already clean. Turn your burners down to medium and get started.


Lighting the Infrared Grill


Keep the lid closed, turn on the gas for five seconds and turn the knob to the ignite mode. If you did not already burn off the previously cooked food- keep the grill on high- close the lid and then after 10 or 15 minutes open and brush the surface. I can't stress the importance of doing so- you do not want your date to take a bite of filet mignon and end up with a charred chunk of salmon in his mouth.

Regardless of the type of grill you have chosen, consulting a grilling cookbook or some grilling websites is not a bad idea, especially if you are a novice. Using burners on your gas grill or scattering the coals on the charcoal grill will allow you to cook using three different methods.

Using direct heat, food is placed directly above the flame and generally flipped once.

Using indirect heat, the food is placed in areas of the grill where it will not be touched by the flame. This is generally for larger items like roasts and whole turkeys or chickens. Try to avoid opening and closing your grill too often or that valuable heat will escape.

Some recipes will call for you to first sear your meat over high heat and then move it so you cook it through with indirect heat. This utilizes both the direct and indirect heat methods.

It won’t be long before you can anticipate those grill marks and turn the meat in a timely manner for the perfect main course. Also fun to grill are vegetables and fruit. Epicurious.com is a fabulous resource for interesting and exciting recipes. Girlsatthegrill.com can answer most any question a CLEVER grilling girl might have. I did come across a site that has a ton of grilling and fire pit cooking information on it. Check it out!

If you can't wait a moment longer to get cracking on that wedding planning- check out the Clever Wedding Planning Tips on Clever or some articles I wrote for another site.

For tomorrow you can count on dating essentials for grilling. How NOT to smell like meat when you cozy up to your Clever Guy.

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