G - Grilling
G is for grilling, that's good enough for me.
I almost went with garlic. An old myth says people should wear cloves of garlic around their necks to keep the vampires away. I think the vampires started that one. I mean, who wouldn't want fresh garlic with their next meal. Either way, I'm all for garlic jewerly.
Back to this grilling idea. I'm not here to debate charcoal versus gas. I'm here to discuss grilling and how grilling can make any meal better.
You might like to grill tuna steaks, t-bone, chicken breasts, bananas, and bologna, ok, maybe not bologna but you can grill just about anything. My personal favorite is bratwurst.
Let me take you on the narrow windy journey that is grilling bratwurst. Bratwurst comes in as many colors as Crayola crayons, mostly dependent on the filling and spices. I spent a short time in Germany and found brat's could be the size of small dogs or pencils depending on the city. Regional food in the best sence of the term.
Grilling brat's is a journey each person must take. My friend, Ben, goes with direct heat until the brat looks like a burned rodent - and that's how he likes it. It's a little too much gnawing for my taste. I have cooked a few over direct heat but only because I was pressed for time. It can be done without a leather exterior forming around the brat's core, but it's not style that's fit for everyone.
I'm a slow cooker when it comes to my Johnsonville's. Slow cooking over indirect heat. This style of grilling results in the juiciest brat's you've ever had - only if you can tell when it's done. You see, slow cooking a brat is a lot like cooking a salmon. Pretty much the same color when it's done as when it's raw. [whispers] My time gauge is a beer. If I can sit and relax with something smooth like a Corona, I know that when the beer is done, so are the brat's. Either grilling method you use, remember to flip the brat's every few minutes.
I want to mention indoor grilling. No, I'm not talking a George Foreman grill. I do have one and I do like it, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking a stovetop and a frying pan.
Let's be honest, not all foods need thrown on the grill. Many foods, like a ham and cheese sandwich, however, could definitely used a bit of grilling. For many years, I ate ham and cheese sammys. The routine was usually 1) toast the bread, 2) toss on ham and cheese 3) heat in microwave. Simple and quick. But what about presentation and taste? This isn't food fit for a microwave, it's food meant for a grill. If you doubt that, look at all the trendy "california style" restaurants that serve hot ham and cheese for six bucks. How can they do it? Easy, they grill their sandwiches for even heating with a nice bit of bread crunch.
Grilling a sandwich is easy. You can either grill just the bread or use my style; make your sandwich then turn on the stovetop and get out your pan. Butter up the top of the sandwich bread, Toss in the sandwich and let it grill, butter-side down. After a little time, butter the side that's on the top of the sandwich and then flip it over. When you are done, you'll have a nicely grilled sandwich that's heated throughout with perfectly melted cheese and a nice toasty texture.
You don't have to grill your sandwichs. You don't have to put parsley on the side of your meals. You don't have to make a pretty presentation. But why not take those few extra steps and few extra moments to present a meal that's plated for a king? Sometimes the $30 per plate restaurant and the $10 per plate restaurant are only separated by those few extra touches. Why not present those at home?
I almost went with garlic. An old myth says people should wear cloves of garlic around their necks to keep the vampires away. I think the vampires started that one. I mean, who wouldn't want fresh garlic with their next meal. Either way, I'm all for garlic jewerly.
Back to this grilling idea. I'm not here to debate charcoal versus gas. I'm here to discuss grilling and how grilling can make any meal better.
You might like to grill tuna steaks, t-bone, chicken breasts, bananas, and bologna, ok, maybe not bologna but you can grill just about anything. My personal favorite is bratwurst.
Let me take you on the narrow windy journey that is grilling bratwurst. Bratwurst comes in as many colors as Crayola crayons, mostly dependent on the filling and spices. I spent a short time in Germany and found brat's could be the size of small dogs or pencils depending on the city. Regional food in the best sence of the term.
Grilling brat's is a journey each person must take. My friend, Ben, goes with direct heat until the brat looks like a burned rodent - and that's how he likes it. It's a little too much gnawing for my taste. I have cooked a few over direct heat but only because I was pressed for time. It can be done without a leather exterior forming around the brat's core, but it's not style that's fit for everyone.
I'm a slow cooker when it comes to my Johnsonville's. Slow cooking over indirect heat. This style of grilling results in the juiciest brat's you've ever had - only if you can tell when it's done. You see, slow cooking a brat is a lot like cooking a salmon. Pretty much the same color when it's done as when it's raw. [whispers] My time gauge is a beer. If I can sit and relax with something smooth like a Corona, I know that when the beer is done, so are the brat's. Either grilling method you use, remember to flip the brat's every few minutes.
I want to mention indoor grilling. No, I'm not talking a George Foreman grill. I do have one and I do like it, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking a stovetop and a frying pan.
Let's be honest, not all foods need thrown on the grill. Many foods, like a ham and cheese sandwich, however, could definitely used a bit of grilling. For many years, I ate ham and cheese sammys. The routine was usually 1) toast the bread, 2) toss on ham and cheese 3) heat in microwave. Simple and quick. But what about presentation and taste? This isn't food fit for a microwave, it's food meant for a grill. If you doubt that, look at all the trendy "california style" restaurants that serve hot ham and cheese for six bucks. How can they do it? Easy, they grill their sandwiches for even heating with a nice bit of bread crunch.
Grilling a sandwich is easy. You can either grill just the bread or use my style; make your sandwich then turn on the stovetop and get out your pan. Butter up the top of the sandwich bread, Toss in the sandwich and let it grill, butter-side down. After a little time, butter the side that's on the top of the sandwich and then flip it over. When you are done, you'll have a nicely grilled sandwich that's heated throughout with perfectly melted cheese and a nice toasty texture.
You don't have to grill your sandwichs. You don't have to put parsley on the side of your meals. You don't have to make a pretty presentation. But why not take those few extra steps and few extra moments to present a meal that's plated for a king? Sometimes the $30 per plate restaurant and the $10 per plate restaurant are only separated by those few extra touches. Why not present those at home?
posted by Chris at 7:17 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home