By William S. “Sandy” Kaplan

Summer is here and it’s grilling time!

Before we go any further, it’s best that you understand that grilling is not the same as barbecuing. Think of grilling as fast food; barbecue as slow food. To grill means to cook quickly over a fire that’s close to the product being cooked, as in grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, and fish. It’s what takes place when your neighbor’s backyard burgers nuke themselves to cinders in a burst of flame. It’s quick cooking over hot coals, designed to sear the meat to hold in juices that otherwise would be boiled out by the hot coals. It’s fine for burgers and dogs, but it’s not barbecuing.

On the other hand, smoking is a process by which a product is slow-cooked with the fire being away from the product. There is liquid (which can be anything including but not limited to water, beer, wine, or even Dr Pepper in between the heat source and the product being smoked. The meat is cooked in hot, moist air, and therefore tends to retain more of its original water content.

Now, barbecue is a combination of grilling and smoking, but closer to smoking. Barbecuing is a different position from grilling, gentle by comparison, that uses lower temperatures and no direct flames. Hot smoke does the cooking, gradually adding its own flavor to the meat, which remains naturally moist.

Grilling is probably one of the healthiest method of food preparation since most of the fat content is burned off over the hot coals and fresh herbs and spices are all that is needed to bring out the true taste and flavor of whatever you’re preparing. And there’s just nothing better than something cooked outdoors over an open fire.

So, if it’s grilling you want to do, you need to scout around to find the one that will work for you—just be sure you learn how to use it. It’s not really the grill, but the griller when it comes down to it.

First of all, you will not need one of those huge 50-gallon drum barbecue pits or a stainless steel rotisserie jobs that can cost as much as your first car. And you don’t have to worry about digging a hole in the ground that will hold a whole pig. You’re not cooking in Hawaii. Buy a simple grill.

Grills range from the reasonably priced cast-iron hibachi you can sometimes find on grocery store aisles, to the Weber kettle (which is quite versatile since it has a cover) that’s moderately priced.

I’ve been grilling food for over 30 years and I’ll share my secret of the perfect grill with you. There really is no secret! All you need is a hot fire and a grill large enough to hold the food you’re cooking. If you can move the grill close to, or away from, the fire that will help. But, if you’re cooking on a stationary grill, it just has to be big enough to move the food away from the hottest part of the fire, that way you can regulate the cooking time . . . remember, you want to sear the food, not char it.

When it comes to fuel, charcoal briquettes can be found anywhere. You might want to try hardwood lump charcoal; it burns hotter and cleaner than briquettes and is long lasting. Regular hardwood, whether oak, hickory, mesquite or other fruitwoods are wonderful, but harder to manage. The easiest way to get real grilled wood flavor is to sprinkle water-soaked wood chips on the fire as you cook. The smoke they impart adds wonderful flavor to your food. I use damp pecan shells when I grill because I like the wonderful nutty flavor that results. Try damp herbs on your coals as well. The absolute best, smartest advice I can offer is to watch what you’re doing. You want to sear the natural juices in, not burn the food to a crisp! Down here in Louisiana when people say they want their steak warm and juicy we call it grilling (about a beer and a half on the pit). For the ladies that want their steak well done we call it barbecuing (sometimes two six packs on the pit)!

Just remember what I’ve said here—sear it, don’t burn it. Whatever you do, share it with friends. It’s summer and time to fire up the grill!

Filed Under: Food Talk