Teach me the ways of the grill, Obi-Wan.

With Summer upon us, the urge to take the kitchen outdoors is met with excitement and well, a little hesitation.  The flame spitting grill can be a bit intimidating.  But armed with a few tips and techniques, you’ll look and feel like a pro while pleasing you and your guests with mass quantities of deliciousness.

The Grill

Charcoal or Gas, the grill is a beast that can wear many hats.  She’s an oven, a smoker, a lean mean burger searing machine.  All you need to do is learn how to set her up for each of these modes.

Heat  zones are your friend.  Really!

By creating zones on your grill, you’re setting yourself up for quick searing and quick evacuation of foods.  Hot heat is nice, but not when it burns your dinner.  Thick burgers, chicken, and sausage do well with an initial sear over super hot coals and then a slow finish over few or no coals.

To setup zones, simply place more of your hot coals on one side while placing fewer (or none) on the other.  This will allow you to sear off meats and move them over to the cooler side to finish at a slower pace.  On a gas grill, just turn on some of your burners while leaving others off.  Or you can turn them all on to sear and lower them to finish.

My grill is an oven?  You so crazy!

According to the Belly encyclopedia of cooking, an oven is any enclosed vessel capable of reaching a desired temperature in an effort to cook foods to your liking.  Simple enough.  So how do we accomplish this with a grill?  Easy.  Just scatter a half amount of glowing charcoal on one side of your rig.  If you’re using gas, just turn on one or two elements opposite from your food.  Get a balanced temperature inside your rig, insert your food on the cool side, and cover.  Drop a couple lumps of fresh coal on the glowing coals every 30-45 minutes to keep the heat going.  Yes, a thermometer on your grill and in your food is ideal, but you can still work without it.  After a couple runs you should be a seasoned pro.

So how much lighter fluid should I soak my coals in?

Let’s try none.  Chimney starters are a beautiful way to get your fire going.  They’re those steel cylinders you drop charcoal into and crumpled newspapers underneath.  I’m not a fan of newspaper because it creates a huge amount of ash and doesn’t really stay lit.  Instead, I use paper towels drizzled with a little cooking oil.  Just fill up your chimney with your preferred coal, tuck your dressed paper towels underneath, place the whole thing on top of your grill and give the paper a light.  Your coals should be ready for cooking in 40 minutes or so.

Always wait for the fire to die before dropping hot coals into your rig.  Cooking over flaming coals will destroy your food (a.k.a. burn your dinner).  You want gray coals that you can hold your hand over for at least 3-4 seconds.  Don’t forget to let the fire melt the gunk on your grates and to bust out the brush before dropping new food.  That old hot dog grease is not sexy…trust me.

In the words of Pauley Shore, “Hot on the outside, icesicle in the middle”.

Don’t let Pauley Shore down.  Just like in your home kitchen, temper meats before committing them to heat.  A super cold piece of meat will brown beautifully, but by the time the outside is done, you’ve got some serious rawness to deal with inside.  Our goal is to get the color on the outside to meet up with a juicy cooked interior at about the same time.  So feel free to pull your larger meats out of the cooler an hour or more before cooking.  But never leave any perishable foods out longer than 4 hours.

And now, a recipe to test your new found grilling skills…

Garlic & Herb Marinated Chicken

8 Chicken Thighs (Bone in, Skin on)

1 Bunch Sage

1 Bunch Parsley

4 Garlic Cloves

Olive Oil

1 TB Honey

Salt

Pepper

Clean and chop all of your herbs until you can’t chop no more.  Make a garlic paste by chopping your garlic, sprinkling it with salt, and then smashing it with the flat side of your blade until smooth.  Mix all of these together with honey and enough olive oil to form a thin paste.  This can all be accomplished in a food processor for those in the know.

Next, season both sides of your chicken with salt and pepper.  I can’t tell you how much cuz all chickens come in different shapes and sizes.  You’ll have to rely on your culinary expertise for this step.

Put your chicken in a zip-top bag and add the marinade.  Smoosh the bag around to distribute the goodness.  Yeah, I said smoosh.  Then squeeze as much air out as possible, seal the bag, place in a bowl or tray, and let sit in your fridge overnight.

The moment of truth!  While the coals are being lit, be sure to pull your chicken out of the fridge to come to room temp.  Light up that grill and create a hot zone on one side and a medium low zone on the other.  When you can stand the heat for more than 3 or 4 seconds with your hand an inch over the grill, it’s time to cook.

Lay your thighs skin side down over the hot side of the grill.  After that, just walk away.  Well, stick around.  Just don’t poke at the food.  Once the skin has a nice brown hue to it, flip the thighs.  Continue until brown then move the thighs to the lower heat zone to finish cooking.  You want an internal temp of 160 F before removing from the heat.  Pull your chicken off and cover with aluminum foil to finish cooking.  Let stand 10-15 minutes before digging in.  Serve with rice, veggies, chopped up in a wrap, or just straight up.  Yeah, it’s that good.

Happy Grilling!

-Belly of the Beast

Chicken Stock (a.k.a. Liquid Gold)

Stock: the foundation on which we build our culinary triumphs, and downfalls in some cases.  Many a dish is either based on or enriched with this liquid gold.  But sometimes we fail to ask ourselves what it really is.  Or, what the hell is in it for that matter.  So to help clear things up, we’ll cover these questions and a few more.  And of course, figure out how to make and store our own delicious homemade stock.  Scrumptious!

Now, the one question that bugged me for years…Stock vs. Broth, is there a difference?  Are they just two names for the same thing?  Nope.  They are in fact two entirely different and separate items.  Stock is simply animal bones simmered in water for a prolonged period of time.  Broth is the same but with the addition of certain meats and choice aromatics (i.e. carrots, onions, celery, herbs, spices, etc.).  Many store-brands you’ll find contain the obvious chicken and water, but will also house preservatives.  You can always opt for the lower sodium versions, but there are still preservatives in there.  Pickle cucumbers, not your body.

The amazing thing about homemade chicken stock is that it cannot be beat.  I don’t care how many blind taste tests you throw at it, or how many of those powdery chicken cubes you boil up.  Home stock will always prevail!  The mouth-feel from the gelatin cannot be duplicated.  I’ve used boxed and canned stocks in a pinch, and I’ve never found one I like.  So if you’ve got the time, give this recipe a shot.

Belly’s Chicken Stock

This recipe was basically lifted right out of the French Laundry Cookbook (Sorry, Chef).  Except, I leave out any and all aromatics.  This is a great launch pad for delicious soups and sauces.  It’s also great for finishing dishes that need a little moisture and body.  I have a dedicated 12 quart stock pot that I use.  But you can use any large heavy-bottomed pot you have on hand.  Just figure out some ratio exchanges and go from there (i.e. if you have a 6 qt pot, cut the recipe in half, duh).

5 lbs Chicken Backs

1 lb Chicken Feet (Don’t freak out.  This is where the gelatin is!!!)

Water

Rinse all bones and feet with cold water and place in your pot.  Cover with fresh cold water up to an inch from the top of the pot.  Slowly bring to a simmer.  Once the simmer starts, set your clock for 5 hrs.  Now, the hard part, there are impurities, fat, and coagulated blood that will rise to the surface…scum.  This must be removed to maintain the clarity and cleanliness of your stock.  So just skim the scum.  Say it out loud…”Skim the Scum!”  Good.  Now let this bad boy slowly bubble for the next 5 hours while you occasionally skim.  Say once every half hour or so.  Do not stir.  This will loosen and release more scum into your stock.  Be sure to adjust your heat so that you only see an occasional bubble rise up every couple seconds.  A raging simmer or boil will only loosen and introduce more scum.

Now, I like to taste my stock as it rolls.  No, don’t taste it 5 minutes in, the chicken is still raw.  Let it go for a couple hours and taste it every hour.  This is just so you can see where you’ve been and where you’re going.  When it’s done, it’ll be chickeny and rich.  Mmmmm.  When you’ve reached the golden hour kill the fire.  Let your stock hang out and cool for a while.  Say a couple hours.  Trust me, as long as it’s above 140 degrees you’re good.

Time to strain!  Line the biggest strainer you have with cheesecloth and ladle your baby into a very clean container.  Once this is done, you can drop it in the fridge or introduce a zip-loc bag full of ice cubes to cool it down quicker.  I usually refrigerate my stock overnight as the fat emulsified in it will rise to the top and harden, at which point it can be easily pulled off with a spoon.  Boom!  You got stock, and for pennies on the dollar.  Remember who sent ya.

Now, using or storing this massive tub of stock is easy for a restaurant.  They use their supply up every day or two and have walk-in refrigerators.  But you, you got better things to store, like leftover chinese.  So a few storage options are something we’ll have to dive into.  Me, I use something we probably all have…ice cube trays.  Yes!  Stock can be frozen for use at a later time.  Simply fill your trays with stock, cover the top with plastic wrap and freeze.  Once frozen, drop the cubes into a freezer bag and continue the process until your tub is empty.  I’ve kept stock for up to 6 months this way and I’m sure it could go longer.  If you want to keep it in the fridge, just make sure to boil it for 5 minutes at least once every 5 days.  I wouldn’t participate in this practice more than once per batch, but you can do with your stock as you please.

I hope I answered some or all of your stock questions today.  If not, just write a comment or drop us a line and we’ll do our best.  Belly out!

Belly's Monte Cristo

This is a very simple recipe that doesn’t require hours of work in the kitchen.  Our version is presented in rounds, but if you’re looking to get down on a serious sandwich, skip that part and leave the slices whole.  This recipe, like most, relies entirely on the quality of your ingredients, so don’t skimp!  Aioli and Jam recipes follow, but feel free to buy these items if you’re hard up for a Monte.

Monte Cristo (serves you or 8)

16 slices great quality sandwich bread

8 4”x4” slices of your favorite deli ham

Aged Gruyere

Aioli (fancy name for mayo)

Dijon Mustard

2 Eggs

3 Tbsp Whole Milk

Salt

Butter

Raspberry Jam

Using a 3” round cutter, cut 2 circles out of each slice of bread.  Smear half with aioli and the remaining with Dijon to taste.  Use a veggie peeler to cut super thin slices of cheese and place a slice on all sauced sides of the bread.  Take your ham and fold the corners in on itself to create a small circle the size of your sandwich.  Place it on the aioli side and top with the Dijon side.  Congratulations!  You made a sandwich!!!  Now, the fun part.  Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Beat the milk into the eggs and season lightly with salt.  Dip both sides of your bread in the mixture and place on a rack or just hold while the excess egg wash drips off.  Repeat until you have 4 sandwiches dipped and drop a Tbsp of butter in the pan, let it melt, bubble, stop bubbling (that’s when you know butter is ready to be cooked in) and gently drop your rounds in the pan.  Try to keep them from the center, as this is the hottest part of the pan (fire is in the middle, right?)  Cook until golden brown and flip.  Once they’re done, repeat the dip and cook with the remaining sandwiches.  Once completed, place all sandwiches on an oven-proof tray and stick in a 350 degree oven to finish warming through.  Plate the sandwiches and drop about a teaspoon (more if you like) of jam on top.  Enjoy!

Now, aioli is a little difficult at first, but with a little practice you won’t have to go out to buy that jar of worst foods mayo for your sandwich and burger needs.  Awesome!  Remember, this is all based on taste.  You can change the acids and seasonings to fit your dish.  But the egg yolk, oil, and an emulsifier (mustard in this case) must remain.

Aioli (Mayonaise!)

1 Egg Yolk

Dash of mustard powder (or tsp of Dijon)

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

Splash of Lemon Juice

Splash of White Wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

½ Cup Canola Oil

When I first made this, it took two cooks.  One to drop the oil, and one to hold the bowl and whisk.  Since then I’ve learned the greatest trick in the world.  Take a saucepan and cover it with a dish towel.  Drop your mixing bowl in.  Bam!  A one-hand station.  In your bowl, combine all ingredients except the oil.  Whisk to combine (the bigger the whisk, the easier and quicker this will be).  Slowly, drop by drop, whisk in the oil.  You’ll notice the sauce starting to come together.  Keep going.  Not until the sauce is one emulsified liquid can you begin to add the oil in a slow steady stream.  If you do this too fast, the aioli will break and you’ll have to start over.  The mixture will get thicker as more oil is added.  Once all the oil is in taste it.  Yes, it’s okay to taste mayo.  Geez!  What does it need?  More salt?  More lemon?  It’s up to you.  We cook by feel and so should you.  If it’s too thick, thin it out with a tiny splash of water.  Kapow!  You got mayo, son!

Raspberry Jam

16oz Raspberries (frozen is cool too)

½ Cup Sugar

Water

Now, not all things are created equal.  Raspberries come in varying levels of sweetness (just like the ladies).  So you may not use all the sugar, you might need more.  Use that tongue!  Drop your berries in a small saucepan and cover them halfway with water.  Fire over a medium stove.  Once it gets to a simmer drop in half of the sugar and stir.  Continue to cook until the jam begins to break down (30-40 minutes).  Taste it.  But be careful, stuff is hot.  More sugar?  Add it.  Remember, the colder something will be served, the stronger the seasoning needs to be.  When you’re satisfied with the flavor, pull from the fire and strain the seeds out and add back a small spoonful of the pulp you strained out and stir to combine.  This is your thickening agent, or pectin.  Let this mixture chill.  It will thicken as it cools.  Enjoy that berry goodness.  Hey Frampton!  Do you like toast, too?  Cuz’ this is great on it.