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Code puts damper on thrill of the grill
Once or twice a week, Steve Hogan steps onto his condominium balcony and fires up his propane barbecue to cook burgers, chicken or his special salmon recipe with capers, lemon and butter. But Hogan, who is a city councilman, violates Aurora's fire code whenever he barbecues on his wooden balcony.
Perfect burgers: Grill or cook flavorful, juicy patties
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to pat a ball of ground meat to make a burger. But you do have to use some care to get a cooked burger that is flavorful and juicy - not overdone and dry.
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For more great grilling recipes, see .com/food/.
Grilled Marinated Meat
PREP AND COOK TIME: Varies; at least 1 hour, including 30 minutes to marinate.
NOTES: Marinating the meat in a heavy zip-lock bag is efficient, but you can also use a large bowl or baking dish; turn pieces in marinade to coat, then cover and chill, turning pieces occasionally. If the marinade includes a little oil, sticking during grilling is not usually a problem. However, if the meat is very lean or has no marinade, or if your marinade contains a lot of sugar, brush the food or grill lightly with oil to prevent sticking. If you use cuts of meat that are slightly thinner than 1 inch, check for doneness sooner; if meat is thicker--1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches--use medium-hot coals (see our heat guide on page 142) and allow a few more minutes for cooking.
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
1 to 1 1/2 pounds tender beef steak;
pork or lamb chops; boned,
skinned chicken pieces; or fish
fillets or steaks (for specific cuts,
see page 342), about 1 inch thick
1/2 to 3/4 cup marinade (choices follow)
1. Trim and discard excess fat from meat (dripping fat can cause flare-ups). Rinse pieces and pat dry; if necessary, cut into serving-size pieces.
2. Place meat in a heavy zip-lock bag (1-gal. size; see notes). Seal bag and turn to coat pieces in marinade. Chill, turning occasionally, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day for meats and poultry, 20 to 30 minutes for fish.
3. With tongs, lift pieces from bag and lay on a barbecue grill 4 to 6 inches above a single, solid layer of hot coals or high heat on a heated gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds; see notes); close lid on gas barbecue. Discard marinade.
4. With a wide spatula or tongs, turn pieces over halfway through cooking. (For fish fillets with skin, grill skin side down first; to turn, slip spatula under flesh and flip onto another place on grill. Remove and discard skin.) Cook beef or lamb until done to your liking (cut to test), 8 to 10 minutes total for medium-rare; pork and chicken until no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 9 to 12 minutes total; or fish until barely opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 9 to 12 minutes total. Transfer meat to a board or platter and let rest 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
Spiced Cider and Maple Marinade
PREP TIME: About 5 minutes
NOTES: This slightly sweet, aromatic marinade is delicious on all kinds of fish and meats, especially pork and chicken. Multiply the recipe for larger batches; cover and chill up to 2 weeks.
MAKES: About 2/3 cup, enough for 1 to 1 1/2 pounds meat, poultry, or fish
In a blender, whirl 1/3 cup cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon salad oil, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice until ginger is finely ground.
Lemon-Pepper Marinade
PREP TIME: About 10 minutes
NOTES: This zesty, versatile marinade works well on all kinds of meats but is especially good on fish and poultry. The recipe can be multiplied for larger batches; cover and chill up to 1 week.
MAKES: About 1/2 cup, enough for 1 to 1 1/2 pounds meat, poultry, or fish
In a small container, mix 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nuocmain or nam pla) or soy sauce, 2 tablespoons minced green onion, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse-ground pepper.
Soy-Balsamic Marinade
PREP TIME: About 5 minutes
NOTES: This marinade imparts a rich mahogany sheen and spicy bite to red meats and salmon. The recipe can be multiplied for larger batches; cover and chill up to 2 weeks.
MAKES: bout 1/2 cup, enough for 1 to 11/2 pounds meat, poultry, or fish
In a small container, mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes, and 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced.
Wine and Herb Marinade
NOTES: If marinating fish, poultry, or pork, use white wine and white wine vinegar; for beef or lamb, use red. The recipe can be multiplied for larger batches; cover and chill up to 1 week.
PREP TIME: About 5 minutes
MAKES: About 2/3 cup, enough for 1 to 11/2 pounds meat, poultry; or fish
In a small container, mix 1/2 cup dry white or red wine (see notes), 3 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
RELATED ARTICLE: The best cuts
Grilling over direct heat works best with tender cuts up to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess surface fat or very fatty skin. These are our favorites.
* Beef. Bone-in or boned steaks from the loin (top loin, tenderloin, T-bone, porterhouse), rib (rib eye, rib), flank and short plate (skirt, flank), and sirloin.
* Pork. Bone-in or boned chops or steaks from the loin (blade, rib, loin, top loin, sirloin, sirloin cutlet, tenderloin fillet) and shoulder (blade).
* Lamb. Bone-in or boned chops from the loin (top loin, loin), rib, shoulder (blade, arm), and leg (center slice, sirloin, top steak).
* Chicken. Boned and skinned or bone-in and skin-on chicken breast halves and thighs.
* Fish. Boned fillets, skinned or with skin on, of moderately firm- to firm-fleshed fish (salmon, Pacific halibut, mahimahi).
Charcoal 101
Timing is everything when you work with charcoal. It takes 20 to 30 minutes after the briquets are ignited to reach the hot coals stage. Make sure your food is ready to grill when the coals are. If you wait too long and the coals have cooled, fuel the fire by adding more briquets.
* To grill by direct heat with charcoal. Clean out any accumulated ash under the firegrate. Open the bottom dampers if your barbecue has them. On the grate, spread briquets in a single layer at least 2 inches wider than the grill area required for the food; the edges of the briquets should touch to form a solid layer. You'll need 65 to 75 briquets (4 1/2 lb.) to cover a 1 g-inch firegrate. Mound the briquets in the center and ignite (see below).
When all the briquets are dotted with ash, in 15 to 25 minutes, spread into a single solid layer. Set the grill in place. Let the briquets burn down to desired temperature (see How hot is hot?").
Light your fire
Compressed charcoal briquets, with rounded rectangular edges, don't catch on fire easily. But tools or starters help ignite briquets quickly. Don't expect flames, though--they'll just be dotted or coated with gray ash. These are our favorite ways to get the coals lit.
* Fire chimney. Set this metal cylinder with a handle on the firegrate of the barbecue. Stuff a few wadded sheets of newspaper in the base under the chimney (directly on the firegrate), then fill the chimney with briquets. Light the newspaper with a match. The draft of the chimney draws the flames up to the briquets long enough to get them started. When the briquets are spotted with gray ash, in 15 to 25 minutes, lift the chimney off or tip it and pour the hot coals onto the firegrate.
* Electric starter. You'll need an electric outlet near your grill or an extension cord to reach the nearest outlet. Set the heating element of an electric starter on a few briquets on the firegrate, then mound remaining briquets on top. Plug in the starter and wait until about half of the briquets are dotted with gray, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove starter and mound unlit briquets on those with gray spots.
* Solid fire starters. Made from environmentally friendly compounds such as sawdust, wood chips, newsprint, and paraffin, solid fire starters are safe, portable, and easy to ignite. They come in different shapes; one is even designed to light like a match when struck. Follow directions on package.
How hot is hot?
To determine the temperature of your barbecue--for both charcoal and gas--place your hand, palm down, at grill level, and time how long you can hold it there comfortably. No second hand on your watch? Just count: one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three....
* Hot. You can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds; the charcoal is barely covered with gray ash and may have some low flames.
* Medium-hot. You can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds.
* Medium. You can hold your hand at grill level only 4 to 5 seconds; the charcoal is ash-covered and may have a red glow.
* Medium-low. You can hold your hand at grill level only 5 to 6 seconds.
* Low. You can hold your hand at grill level only 6 to 7 seconds; the charcoal is covered with a thick layer of gray ash.
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