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Grilling Fine Pieces of Meat, Fish and Poultry
We do not actually consider grilling as true barbecuing - it's grilling. That's not to say that grilling is not 100% good tasting. On the contrary, it is excellent. Barbecuing utilizes an indirect heat source producing smoke and heat to cook the meat over longer periods of time thus creating fine pieces of meat.
Grilling, as opposed to smoking, produces a distinctively different-tasting meat. The difference is apparent in both surface texture and overall taste. Smoking is the primary method to cook larger pieces of meat. These larger pieces consist of briskets, turkeys, roasting chickens or pork roasts. Grilling, on the other hand, utilizes much smaller pieces of meat placed directly over the heat, turned frequently.
For example:
Meat |
Smoking |
Grilling |
Beef |
Brisket |
Steaks |
Pork |
Roast |
Chops |
Turkey |
Whole |
Breasts |
Chicken |
Whole |
Pieces |
Fish |
Whole |
Filets |
Types of Grills
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There are many types and sizes of wood and charcoal grills on the market today. They range from the typical 'backyard grill' which may be purchased at the grocery or drugstore up to and including the professional grill which will last many years and is capable of grilling up to 100 or more pounds of meat. The larger wood grills usually have an adjustable grilling surface which can be raised or lowered utilizing a pulley system. The classic wood grill is capable of handling approximately 20 to 80 pounds of meat at one time with all of the meat being raised or lowered at the same time. There are some grills which provide different height cooking surfaces. The larger the grill, the easier the heat source is to control. Besides, it offers you large amounts of excellent grilled meat for ultimate consumption. Just think of all the new friends you will be making. 'Cook it and they will come!
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Preparing the Grill
Contrary to the method of preparing the grill and fire in 3 seconds, as chef, you should carefully clean the grill of past burned-on food. This can be accomplished in many ways. Some prefer to cook or sear it off. This calls for raising the grill's surface temperature to a level where the food is basically burned throughout. Then a wire brush is used to scrape off the residue. Conversely, the wire brush may be used to clean the grill of the past food without raising the surface temperature of the grill. Either way is acceptable.
Next, make sure the grill will support the type of meat being grilled. You would not want to try to cook 6 steaks on a grill which would accommodate only 4. This will ruin the final presentation of the food. Some of the meat will be cooling off while the other is just beginning to be cooked. Always make sure the grilled entree is the last thing cooked. Nothing looks better than to present your accomplishments to guests when they can see and quickly taste the final, juicy product.
When the heat source becomes 'steady' at the desired temperature, take a cooking brush and coat the grill with any type of cooking oil. This prevents the meat from sticking to the grill and being torn apart when turned over to be grilled on the other surface. There is no reason for the entree to appear less than the masterpiece that it is.
As with smoking, the flavor of the meat comes from 2 sources. The first is the marinade, rub or other seasoning. The second results from the type of wood utilized. Grilling woods are generally stronger (as in heaving smoking flavor) than those utilized for smoking. The smoke resulting from the burning wood quickly passes by the meat's surface only momentarily. This, in addition to the fact that grilled meat cooks quickly, (fish as quickly as 3 minutes on each side) you can see, requires a stronger flavored smoking wood in order to pick up the desired flavors of the wood. To learn more about the effects of the different types of wood, please see our Specialty Woods page.
To obtain excellent grilled meat, which is crispy on the outside while remaining moist and tender on the inside, the chief needs to construct a proper fire capable of dispersing the correct amount of heat for the proper amount of meat being grilled. Begin by building your fire with a base of charcoal. The charcoal may be soaked in lighter fluid to begin the burning process. Allow the charcoal to burn a minimum of 30 to 40 minutes to allow the petroleum products to burn-off before beginning to cook. If your grill will allow, you may stack larger pieces of the wood of choice on top of the charcoals and allow them to be come your base of coals, or your heat source.
If your grill is smaller, you may, along with the charcoal, utilize wood/wood chips. In either event, the heat source should be 300 degrees F to 400 degrees F. This heat is higher than that used in smoking because grilling needs to occur over less time than smoking. The primary purpose in grilling is to quickly 'sear' the outside of the meat thus insuring a more moist center (assuming the meat is not cooked excessively).
Careful attention needs to be paid to the meat when grilling. Grilling requires higher cooking temperatures than smoking, because grilling needs to cook the meat quicker to prevent it from being dried out. Remember the meat is located directly over the heat sources and as such, has the direct effect of offering large quantities of dry, hot heat to the entree. Therefore, the possibility of burning is much greater than when "smoking".
The temperature of the heat sources should be about 350 to 400 degrees F. If your are utilizing the hand/palm method, you should be able to hold you hand one inch above the grill's surface for approximately 4 to 5 seconds. When you have this steady source of heat, you may then being grilling.
Key Grilling Notes:
- Serve immediately. The meat will continue to cook (and thus dry out) even after being removed from the grill's heat source.
- Baste and turn the meat frequently using marinade to prevent drying out the meat.
- Maintain a careful watch of the meat. It is easy to move from 'perfect' to 'overdone' to 'dead meat' very quickly over a hot heat source.
Charcoal Grills
Welcome to our listing of various Manufacturers of Charcoal Grills. From time to time, we will be adding the names, addresses and phone numbers of various manufacturers of charcoal grills. If you know of a manufacturer which you feel should be included, please pass along their name, address and phone numbers along with a brief description of the type of charcoal grills the make and sell.
When contacting them, be sure to tell them were you got their information - - - Thanks!
The Grillery
Grillworks Inc
202 758 7425
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Old Smokey Products Company
P. O. Box 4
Houston, Texas 77001
Phone: 800/ 999-1923
Fax 713/ 227-1923
http://www.oldsmokey.com
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Kingsford Charcoal Grills
1400 S. 13th St.
Louisville, KY 40210
800/ 585-4745
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Wedron Grills
P.O. Box 9
Wedron, IL 60557
Phone: 800/ 310-7057
Alternate: 815/ 434-0427
Fax: 815/ 434-0428
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Woodflame Inc.
910 Industrial Blvd.
St-Jean, Quebec J3B 8J4
Canada
Phone: 888/ 664-6966
Alt: 450/ 348-6139
Fax: 450/ 348-6139
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MasterBuilt Manufacturing Inc.
450 Brown Avenue
Columbus, Georgia 31906
Phone: 706/ 327.5622
Fax: 706/ 327-5632
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MECO Corporation
1500 Industrial Road
Greeneville, Tennessee 37745-3504
Phone: 800/ 251-7558
Hotline: 800/ 346-3256
Alt: 423/ 639-1171
Fax: 423/ 639-2570
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Grills To Go
37140 Marciel Ave.
Madera, CA 93638
Phone: 877/ 869-2253.
Alt.: 559/ 645-8089
FAX: 559/ 645-8088 |
The Brinkmann Corporation
Smoke'N Grill, Smoke'N Pit,
Sportsman, Country Cooker,
Gourmet All-In-One, Cook'N
Ca'Jun, Mr. Meat
4215 McEwen Road
Dallas, Texas 75244
Phone: 800/ 527-0717
Hotline: 800/468-5252
Alt.: 972/ 770-8511
FAX: 972/ 770-8596 |
Hasty Bake
7656 E. 46th St.
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74145
Phone: 800/ 4AN-OVEN
Alternate: 918/ 665-8220
Fax: 918/ 665-8225 |
Grill Meister
221 Jalyn Drive
New Holland, PS 17557-9210
Phone: 717/ 315-0779 |
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