Matt Kelly - Perfect grilled vegetables

by Matt Kelly

Barbequing seems to have been adopted as the national cooking method as American as apple pie. The charcoal cooker on the patio or in the backyard became so ubiquitous in the 1950s and 1960s it almost seemed like a post-war invention of the American culture.

But barbequing is an ancient form of cooking, invented shortly after man discovered fire. Early humans discovered that meat broiled over open flames was more appetizing and healthier than raw meat. They also found that cooked meat lasted longer than its raw counterpart.

While the beginnings of grilling food were simple, the traditions that developed and were passed down through the generations have varied greatly. Cooks refined their grilling techniques, developing better ways of using the open flame. They realized that other flavors could be imparted on foods by using marinades and sauces. As humans expanded their culinary lexicon, herbs and spices were used both as part of marinades and also in dry rubs.

Early humans grilled meat and ate vegetables raw. But, being ever inquisitive and inventive, they soon discovered that like meat, vegetables developed special flavors when grilled. And like meat, vegetables could be marinaded in a variety of sauces to impart special flavors.

Different cultures developed not only new ways of preparing food but also of preparing the fire, from little charcoal braziers to big wood-fired pits.

The Asians, who have been barbequing for centuries, have a variety of methods, including cooking directly over an open fire, spit turning meat, and barbequing in an oven. Since many ingredients are already cut to bite-sized pieces, much Asian barbequing is done with skewers.

Indian Tandoori cooking calls for food to be placed in a large clay oven that has been heated through by charcoal. The foods are generally marinated before being lowered into the oven. In a well-made tandoori oven, the food will come out crisp on the outside, but moist and tender on the inside. Indian cooks also prepare a special bread, nan, in their tandoori ovens, by pressing the flattened dough on the sides of the cooking chamber.

In America, barbequing is done over a charcoal or wood fire in the backyard or on the patio. It is as much a social occasion as a method of cooking. As modern life has driven people more and more indoors, grilling provides a connection with a more basic and simple life, interacting with the elements, bringing about that perfect marriage of food and flame.

There are a variety of barbeque cookers, from large open pits to small, balcony-sized kettle cookers and hibachis. My personal favorite is a medium-sized kettle cooker, about 18 inches in diameter. Its large enough to cook food for a medium-sized home-entertainment crowd, but small and light enough to be readily portable.

A kettle cooker has a tight fitting lid with air vents on the top and underneath the fire to assure good burning. Kettle cookers are excellent for imparting a smoked flavor to foods. Closing the top traps the smoke, and the venting causes the smoke to swirl around the food being cooked. The recipes in this book are specifically for kettle cookers, but they can be used for other kinds of charcoal and wood cookers.

A hibachi is a small, Japanese-style brazier with an insulated base, a space to hold charcoal, and an adjustable grill. Popular for its size, it is easily portable and can be placed on the end of a picnic table. Hibachis are a direct heat cooking method, with the smoke dissipating into the air.

Braziers are also popular charcoal cookers with round, shallow fire bowls. Most have adjustable-height grills and are usually inexpensive. Collapsible legs make them very portable and many have a draft door in the fire bowl for air circulation. Like hibachis, they cook with direct heat.

Stationary barbeques are permanent fixtures of brick, block, stone, or tile. Its best for yourself and your neighbors to experiment with portable fires to find where they work best on your property before building a permanent one.

Gas grills heat up faster than charcoal and have become more popular with todays busy lifestyles. Gas grills use gas-fed flames to heat lava rocks so the combination of heat from the flames and the rocks cooks the food.

All of these cookers use charcoal and/or wood for fuel, with the exception of the gas grill. I prefer charcoal and wood fires because they add a nice flavor to food and are much more rooted in the traditions of this type of cooking.

Charcoal is available in most, if not all, groceries, is easy to store and transport, and produces a good bed of bright coals reliably and quickly. The briquettes are usually made from a combination of combustibles, from hard and soft woods, mesquite, olive wood, or old whiskey barrels. Higher quality briquettes are made from wood products, while cheaper ones can be composed of petroleum products and floor sweepings.

Wood is also popular, and the outdoor cook should use hardwoods, such as oak, ash, maple, and fruit and nut trees, which produce hot, long-burning coals and an even heat. Soft woods, such as pine, burn away quickly and should be used only for kindling. Woods that produce resins, such as pine, cedar, and spruce, should not be used for grilling because their smoke will add an unpleasant taste to the food.

Charcoal and wood are not mutually exclusive fuels. I have found that combining them produces excellent results in grilling food. My personal preference is fruitwood, such as apple and cherry, cut into thin wooden disks, about an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick, added to a charcoal fire once it is hot. They will burn quickly but add a nice smoked flavor. I also save the sawdust when cutting the wooden disks and sprinkle that around the edges of the fire before closing the lid to generate more smoke to flavor the food.

Finding the wood. It is usually better to work with cured wood, limbs that have dried for a year or so after being cut, athough green wood can create a nice smoke when burned.

Woods such as apple, cherry, hickory, oak, maple, mesquite, and ash, burn well and each imparts its own individual flavoring. Experiment with various hardwoods and combinations of woods, to see which produces the best results for you.

Many of these woods are readily available in wood lots and hedge rows or may be available from firewood dealers. When buying cooking wood from dealers, you will probably pay more than for firewood, because you will be buying a smaller quantity.

If you are using only wood for your fire, you will need to determine how much wood you use in an average fire and how frequently you grill. If you are adding wood chips and sawdust to a charcoal fire, then you will need less wood to get through a barbequing season. I use about two 4- to 6-foot branches, 3 to 4 inches in diameter, for chips and sawdust in a grilling season.

Apple is a popular cooking wood because of its hot burning qualities and its aromatic smoke. Local orchards may allow you to take the trimmings when they prune their apple trees. They also take down old trees to replace with younger ones. You may be able to take or purchase this wood as well.

If you get wood yourself from another persons property, make sure you have permission to be on the land and be sure to clean up after yourself.

If the wood you want is in standing trees, get someone who is experienced to drop them for you. Felling trees is very dangerous without the proper equipment and expertise.

Cutting the wood.