consciouseating
Serve Up a Sustainable-Style Feast
GRILL ANYTHING! READY, SET,
by Contributing Writers at Sustainable Table
G
ood backyard chefs know the distinction between barbecue and grilling and revel in trying new tricks with their favorite tools while they cook up a fun feast for family and friends. Few, however, may know that the original barbecue, or barbacoa, was the term that Spanish explorers used to describe the meat smoking and drying methods introduced to them by native peoples in the Americas.
Smoke originally was used to drive away bugs while lending a tasty flavor to their meat-preparing process. This slow, low temperature method of outdoor cooking still employs an indirect heat source, like hot coals, and cooking times of between two and 12 hours. In some recipes, burning Forest Stew- ardship Council (FSC)-certified mesquite or wood chips adds a smoky flavor to the food; in others, it tenderizes it. Grilling, by contrast, uses higher temperatures and direct heat from flames. Cook- ing times range between three and 30 minutes and grilled meats rarely have a smoky taste.
Charcoal Choices
Lump Charcoal ~ A favorite choice of “green” grillers, lump charcoal is made of
either natural wood (from trees or sawmills) or processed wood (from building material scraps, furniture remnants, pallets, flooring scraps, etc.). FSC-certified charcoal and coco- nut shell charcoal are good bets. Lump charcoal will burn hot and fast if unlimited oxygen is available, so it is best suited for grills that allow the user to control the airflow.
Charcoal Briquettes ~ Briquettes
are useful when cooking on an open grill or whenever airflow can’t be controlled. But avoid self-starting instant-light briquettes and lighter fluid, which contain several harmful additives. Note that most commercial briquettes consist of crushed charcoal mixed with some additives that improve combustibility and bind the charcoal to- gether. The mixture is compressed into uniform, pillow-shaped chunks that generally burn slowly at a constant temperature, regardless of airflow. Be aware that additives in briquettes can leave a bad taste in food and even be harmful if not fully burned off; always burn charcoal for the time recommended by the manufacturer before putting food on the grill.
A good lighting method begins with an electric charcoal starter or a metal charcoal chimney starter. Other igniting
24 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
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