Greg Baxter says that as summer approaches once again, our barbecue efforts are doomed to failure because we have such abysmal weather, we use the wrong grills and we always cremate our burgers and steaks.
There’s nothing so anti-climactic in the world as the Irish barbecue season. It seems to end before it ever began, and usually involves a lot of people sitting in a cool room looking out the window at a grey, heavy rain — while the host, under an umbrella, flips a few sausages accidentally into the ashes.
But the real reason every season seems to drift into the fog of immemorability has nothing to do with weather — that’s just an excuse the hosts use when everyone looks disappointed. It’s that the food is miserably bland.
Firstly, there’s an issue of semantics: grilling and barbecueing are not synonymous. ‘Barbecue’ is a specific term that refers to a style of cooking that involves smoking or cooking cheap meat over low heat, over a long period of time. In America, for instance, ‘barbecue’ falls into three major categories: Texas BBQ, Kansas City BBQ, and Carolina BBQ.
I suppose it is also, in the context of our busy lives these days, fitting to refer to grilled meat with barbecue sauce as ‘barbecue’. If you really wanted to argue, however, you’d be right to say that barbecue sauce is more like a condiment, rather than an indicator of method.
There’s no need to get into these specifics further. My point here is that, in all the years I’ve lived in Ireland, and all the barbecues I’ve gone to, I’ve never actually had barbecue — just grilled meats. So we’re talking about grilling here. Failure begins with fundamentals. Grills. Shallow grills, no matter how nice that large discount might seem at Woodie’s, take away your control. You sear meat on the outside and leave it rubbery on the inside. Basically, you’re making Oreos.
A deep Weber charcoal pit grill is your best bet, or a cut-in-half barrel with adjustable grill-height. Let the charcoals burn down to grey cinders: if you place fatty meat on a grill with coals still black, you’ll be eating tree bark. Gas grills ought to be adjustable as well, so that you can reach a depth of at least six inches — you want to be able to cook everything from thick steaks to shrimp.
Gas contraptions used to be considered grilling for dummies, and to a certain extent that’s true: if you can find a way to screw up good meat on a good gas grill, perhaps you should go back to stewing.
But slowly everyone has come around to the reality that if you’re cooking for more than four or five people, it cooks the best food, and provides the most reliable quality. And of course the most important thing is to have a cast-iron grill that you season and do not ever scrape clean with a wire brush.
Here’s a quick and easy recipe for the world’s greatest chicken fajitas. Get a bunch of skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Marinate them for four hours in: water, lime juice, black peppercorns, chilli powder (lots), cumin (loads), paprika, and a bunch of jalapenos. Grill them over a hot flame, covered, until cooked through.
Meanwhile, saute some onions and green peppers on a grill pan or a cast-iron skillet over the grill. Throw them into a warm tortilla, adding cheese and pico de gallo. If you’re brave enough, add finely chopped fresh jalapenos. And despite what Rachel Allen might tell you, don’t get rid of the seeds.
About Gary Culliton
Loading ...
