8 Things a Man Should Know About Grilling
Perfect for Father's Day, Esquire magazine's new cookbook Eat Like a Man is about the skills and the confidence to delight and satisfy yourself and the people you care about, says David Granger, editor-in-chief of Esquire. We thought that sounded like our kind of cookbook, so we gave it a spin-through.
From the masterpieces ( Coca-Cola-Brined Fried Chicken) to the quick and simple ( Bread 'n' Butter Pickles) this cookbook covers all a man's cooking needs. Like grilling. If you're firing up the grill this weekend in honor of Dad, check out these eight tips from the cookbook to get you started.
- A good way to oil your grill's grid before using: Chop an onion in half, dip the cut side in vegetable oil, and rub it all over the grid.
- To test food for doneness, a cake tester or metal skewer can make you look like a genius. Stick it into the middle of whatever meat you're grilling, then hold it to your chin. If it's cool, keep cooking . If it's warm, you're at medium-rare. If it's pretty hot, yank the food off the grill.
- You can put barbecue sauce on just about anything. But only do so in the last ten or fifteen minutes of cooking -- the sugar in the sauce can char.
- Always salt beef a good half-hour before grilling. You're not flavoring. You're tenderizing, and tenderizing takes time.
- A kebab secret: If you want your meat medium-rare, pack it tight on the skewer. For medium-well, space the pieces out.
- Don't forget that skewers get hot.
- Don't forget about vegetables. Toss some thin asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, throw it on -- it'll be done before you can go grab another beer. Delicious.
- There is no fruit you can't grill (I don't think). Pineapples, bananas, cantaloupe, oranges, peaches -- slice or cut in half, brush with melted butter and, if you want, brown sugar, and grill. There are few tastier desserts than grilled fruit, and somehow, it always surprises people.
For more tips on grilling -- and just about anything else a man should know about cooking -- pick up a copy of Esquire's Eat Like a Man. But be sure to give these recipes from the cookbook a test run.
