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Grilling Basics: Grilling Better
A few key skills make grilling more satisfying and successful. The following tips and
tricks represent some of the best of what we have learned from cooking with fire over
the years.
Whole Chicken
More than rotisserie, "Beer Can" or other
popular methods for cooking a whole chicken, we prefer
to butterfly and roast it. Butterflying a chicken (also called
spatchcock) lays the bird flat for quicker and more even
cooking. A butterflied chicken can be cooked at higher
temperatures, so you are able to more easily achieve a
nice, crispy skin and perfectly cooked meat. Whether using
a barbecue rub or simply brushing the bird with olive oil,
this is our favorite way to prepare chicken. It takes about 35
minutes for a whole fryer laid directly on the grill grate in
the indirect cooking zone at 500°F. Remove the bird when
the juices from a prick in the thigh meat run clear or when
an instant-read meat thermometer reads 165°F. (The USDA
recommends 180°F. See page 55 for a complete Food
Temperature Chart.)
To butterfly a chicken, use kitchen shears to cut out the
backbone and discard it. Without cutting through the breast
meat, snip the breast bone part way down the middle from
the top. Open the chicken out flat with the skin-side-up. The
thighs should point in toward the middle with the drumsticks
pointing out the back. Tuck the wings up and under as
shown in the photo at left.
Chicken Breasts
The challenge with cooking a boneless
chicken breast perfectly is the shape: thick at one end and
pointed at the other. For even grilling, a "palliard," which
flattens the breast to a uniform thickness, will yield juicy and
tender results throughout. Place the breast between two
layers of heavy plastic (split open a zip-top freezer bag and
place it between the layers) and then pound it to about 1/2-
inch thick. Brush each breast with olive oil, sprinkle with salt
and grill directly over a hot fire for a few minutes per side
until cooked through but still juicy and tender.
Burgers
First, try to select USDA Choice grade beef or
better. Kalamazoo recommends 85/15 grass-fed ground beef
for the best flavor. Chef Bobby Flay offers a tip to compensate
for the way a juicy burger plumps up on the grill. By recessing
the patty in the middle before cooking, the burger becomes
flat when it plumps up. Just use your fingers to recess the
middle of each patty a bit from both sides.
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The next step in a perfect burger is to brush it with olive oil.
This helps form the flavorful crust that is one of the hallmarks
of a great burger. Grill the burgers directly over a medium-
hot fire (about 450°F), turning only once, until it is cooked
to the desired doneness. When cooking for larger parties, it
can be a good idea to cook an extra, sacrificial burger. Break
into this burger a couple of minutes before you expect the
burgers to be cooked to medium to check your timing.
Continue cooking to at least medium-well, an internal
temperature of 160°F.
Skirt Steak
Skirt steak should be cooked quickly over a
hot fire to medium doneness — no more, no less. Squeeze
a lime over the steak, then brush it with olive oil, sprinkle
it with salt and toss it over a wood fire. When prepared
properly, skirt steak is tender and full of flavor. After letting
it rest a few minutes, slice skirt steak across the grain to
compensate for its stringy character.
Filet Mignon, Ribeye or New York Strip
to cook a thick steak (at least 1.5 inches) is to sear it directly
over a hot fire and then move it to an indirect cooking zone,
close the lid and let it coast up to temperature for 15 to 20
minutes. This creates a nicely browned exterior crust and
a tender, juicy center. Lightly oil and salt the steaks before
they hit the grill. The searing is done at about 900°F, and the
indirect time is spent at about 500°F. Flip, turn and move the
steaks every 5 minutes during the indirect cooking time.
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes after coming off the grill
before cutting into them.
Pork Chops
Our favorite way to cook chops is super-thick
and with the bone. A 3-inch-thick chop can be seared over
direct heat for a minute or two and then get smoke-roasted
for up to 30 minutes at 500°F. For the juiciest chops, try
brining them before cooking. As with steaks, give chops a
light brushing with olive oil and a little salt before they go
onto the grill.
Salmon
Salmon is one of the most popular fishes on the
Our favorite way
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