Outdoor Cooking Techniques; Gas, Charcoal Or Wood Cooking; Hybrid Cooking; Indirect Grilling - Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet K500HB Use And Care Manual

Outdoor Cooking Techniques

Gas, Charcoal or Wood Cooking

Which is best? This question cannot be answered easily, perhaps not at all. We
can, however, describe the differences. A charcoal fire produces a drier heat than a gas fire, which produces more
water vapor in the fire. Contrary to popular myth, a charcoal fire has no flavor. Any flavor that was in the wood was
burned out in the kiln used to produce the charcoal. It is the dry heat characteristic that helps create the desirable
"crust" outside a perfectly cooked steak.
Grilling or roasting with a wood fire is our favorite way to cook. A wood fire can produce a drier heat, similar to a
charcoal fire, but there is still a little flavor left in the fire. Similar to working with charcoal, you should not grill over a
wood fire until the fire has settled down. The wood chunks should be somewhat ashed over and glowing red. A wood
fire will not last as long in this state as a charcoal fire will.
A gas fire offers more convenience than wood or charcoal cooking, and the food can indeed taste great. The whole
experience is a little cleaner and a little less time consuming but, perhaps, also a little less fun.

Hybrid Cooking

Kalamazoo Hybrid Fire Grills combine the best of all worlds — gas, charcoal and wood. These grills
offer the convenience of a gas grill while still delivering the cooking experiences of a charcoal grill. Perhaps best of
all, a hybrid grill consumes less charcoal or wood thanks to the ability of the gas burners to supplement the heat.
Direct Grilling
The most common type of outdoor cooking, direct grilling, places the food on the grill grate directly
above the fire. The food is cooked for a relatively short period of time, usually less than 20 minutes. The temperatures
used typically range between 350˚ and 600°F, and the technique is generally appropriate for food that is less than
2 inches in thickness. Direct grilling is used for delicious steaks, fish fillets, burgers, chops, chicken breasts and
vegetables.
For those perfect grill marks we all love, the food should only be flipped once, about halfway through the grilling
time. This gives time for the grill grate to leave its mark. For a crosshatch pattern on standard, rod-style cooking
surfaces, rotate the food between 60 and 90 degrees halfway through cooking each side. The food will still be turned
over only once, but it also will be rotated once while cooking each side.
How do you know what the temperature is at the grilling surface? The hood thermometer won't tell you (exactly), but
there is a pretty reliable technique you can use: Place your open hand, palm-down, a few inches above the grill grate
and count the number of seconds before the heat becomes too uncomfortable. For most people, pulling your hand
away after about six seconds will equate to 400°F. Five seconds is usually about 500°F, and the equivalent to four
seconds is about 600°F.
Finally, a note on sticking food: First, make sure the grill grate is hot and clean; second, oil the food and not the
grate; third, be patient. Most foods, especially fish, will release from the grate when it is time to flip. We prefer to use
tongs for turning almost everything except burgers and some fish fillets. Lifting food away from the surface is often
easier than scraping it off the surface with a turner.

Indirect Grilling

Indirect grilling places the food next to the fire rather than above the fire. This technique is used for
larger foods with longer cooking times, typically more than 20 minutes. Turkeys, prime rib, whole chickens, racks of
lamb and large chops are all ideal for roasting on the grill using the indirect grilling technique.
While roasting food, the grill hood should remain closed as much as possible, and you should be able to rely on the
hood thermometer for accurate cooking temperature readings. Using wood smoke with roasting techniques is called
"smoke roasting," and this can add fabulous flavor. Read on for different options for adding smoke to your grilling.
Preheat the entire grill and then turn some of the burners off for the indirect zone before putting the food on the grill.
Searing Searing is a type of direct grilling using more extreme heat. A grill must be able to reach at least 700°F for
good searing. Searing is done quickly and is often followed by continued cooking at lower temperatures.
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