Barbeque Time Or, Bar-Beck-Q
Warmer weather. Longer days. Afternoon thunderstorm cool-downs. The roar of daytime crickets and cicadas. Kids doing Slip ‘N Slide hijinks. The family dog barking its fool head off. Ah, summertime in the tri-state area. There’s nothing like it. We tapped Chef Becky’s decades of professional experience and expertise for advice on America’s culinary summer pastime.
Don’t Overthink It
Barbequing meat is so hardwired into us as a species that all you have to do is close your eyes and let your instincts guide you. (Just don’t close your eyes while grilling.) “I’ve said this so many times it could lead to burnout,” Chef Becky laughs, “but when grilling don’t play with your meat. It’s especially true of men. Maybe it’s nervousness or excess energy, but pushing down on cooking meat lets the good juices out, and not letting the meat simply do its thing leads to overcooking. You’re not a Benihana chef doing all kinds of gimmicks and frippery – guide the meat to your preferred level of doneness gently and with minimal intervention. In this case, if you’re a dude grilling, be a distant dad to your meat, don’t over-interact with it.”
Inspiration
Just listen to some of these grilling ideas: Blowtorch Prime Rib. Garlic-Stuffed Lamb Leg. Brined Pork Loin. Soft-Shell Crab with Cherry Gastrique. For the non-omnivores, you can simply marinate ears of corn in olive oil and Old Bay and grill it briefly, which will impart a roasted nuttiness, or do the same for asparagus or eggplant.
Some Final Advice
In a world of wrestling with signing into websites, analyzing metrics and analytics, and staring into a digital screen, summertime grilling is the ultimate in simple contentment. Grill your food and watch the branches sway, and the clouds creep across the sky. “Remember when young children took daytime naps?” Chef Becky asks. “Do that for letting your meat rest, because it’s still cooking even after you take it off the grill and cut the heat. Let it be. You can always cook it a bit more, but you can’t go in the opposite direction– as per the law of entropy.”
Entropy? Don’t play with your meat? That’s why we call the Chef the Master of Meats!
Happy summer grilling. We’ll see you at Bex!
