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GRILLING
WITH BEER - START IT UP
"Fanatical"
isn't too strong a word to describe the almost 65 percent of Americans
who grill year round-even in cold weather.
I'm
not fazed - because I grill outdoors even in the snow. But as addictive
as grilling food can be, it's even more fun to use beer-based mop
sauces, marinades or barbecue sauces, to add flavor and keep foods
moist.
Sure,
you can jeer, "Grilling with beer? That's with a pint in one hand
and a pair of tongs in the other." But truth is that grilling demands
constant attention and quick reflexes to keep food from scorching.
That's because a grill cooks food over direct, high heat, usually
500 F or more, in a very short time-often 20 minutes or less. I save
beer for the sauce until after the food is cooked-and then a fresh
pint is my reward.
(Barbecue
chefs, who cook meats for a long time over low temperatures, have
greater leeway when it comes to sampling beer while tending the food.
I save real BBQ for warmer weather.)
So,
grilling a meal requires comfort with flames, smoke, and risk-in short,
the perfect cooking method for homebrewers. Nor does it take too much
time to add the flavor of beer to food.
Many
chefs recommend bringing meats to room temperature before grilling,
to ensure even cooking. I do so just by plunking the foodstuffs to
be grilled into a zip-close gallon-sized plastic bag or a deep stainless
steel dish, and covering it with my beer-based marinade. In an hour
(or less, for chicken, fish and vegetables), the flavor of the sauce
will set without making the main course ....
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More about grilling
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