rants – grills

BBQs are out and fired up across the country so let’s discuss grilling outside. I never really understood the concept of a gas grill outside. The charm of grilling for me is over an open flame. Real wood, no lighter fluid. I hate lighter fluid, it ruins the taste of food. I use newspaper and dry kindling to get going and then go right to nice dry wood chunks mesquite etc…

So a couple of really cool grilling tips.

Aluminum foil (heavy duty) is an AMAZING grilling tool! Wrap a whole eggplant or whole onions/beats/carrots right up. The foil will protect anything from burning and the moisture from the item itself keeps it moist. It’s a perfect method. When I cook onions on the grill I wait till they begin to caramelize, then I pull them off, quarter them, sprinkle some sea salt & EVOO and they’re ready to eat! Eggplant comes out incredibly smoky and earthy. Use the same method, just wait till the eggplant collapses in the foil. Split it open and add sea salt and EVOO. Another favorite is to grill big thick slices of beefsteak tomato. You need to use a super, super hot grill and like the others, finish with sea salt and EVOO but also add some basil. Corn also does extremely well on the grill, as well as yams. They ooze out sugar and become smoky and sweet. I like to add some hazelnut oil and cinnamon to these. Even winter squash works amazingly. You can quarter it and season it to speed up the process. It takes a while to cook something whole in foil on the grill. They have smokers and grillers online that work incredible for pretty cheap. Remember, its just heat. Learn to manipulate it and you win!