FollowAs the days get longer, the grill begins calling. The flavor-filled smoke rises up from backyards, near campsites and in parks making stomachs growl in anticipation of a juicy steak, savory pork chops or other meals. With a few tips, a person could turn a good outdoor meal into a mouthwatering masterpiece.
Sean Cummings, owner and operator of Land and Sea Gastropub in Oklahoma City, has a few tips to make outdoor cooking more successful. For example, he says that knowing when to begin cooking with charcoal plays a major role.
“Charcoal has one basic property to tell when it’s ready. It is when it’s gray and that’s the only time when charcoal is ready. It is really simple and people’s patience is the actual problem; it’s not the charcoal.”
Cummings says many people want to hurry the process of preparing the grill. After cooking more than 30 years with charcoal, he advises patience can lead to a great meal. He also suggests to avoid the use of charcoal starter fluid.
“There’s an item you can buy that you actually put the charcoal in and you can put it over a burner in your house if you have a gas burner. Throw that on your charcoal grill, and then it is already flaming rather than using a charcoal starter fluid, which does have a flavor. I don’t care what anybody tells you, charcoal starter fluid has a flavor.”
When preparing meat before putting it on the grill, adding a little flavor can go a long way. Cummings says a few simple ingredients can help.
“I take a half a cup of olive oil; one half teaspoon of fresh, ground pepper. Fresh ground meaning run it through a coffee grinder, grind it yourself, whatever you want to do. Add a little below a half teaspoon of kosher salt and then add a teaspoon or as much as a tablespoon of fresh crushed garlic. Mix those ingredients together, and I roll my steak, tenderloin or pork steak in it before I put it on the grill. It is absolutely dynamite.”
Marinades can help enhance the flavor. However, Cummings has a secret which can save money and give your meat an incredible taste.
“You don’t need to buy a brand name marinade or anything like that. Wishbone Italian dressing. I’m telling you there is no better marinade out there, and I really mean that. You know, Wishbone should be giving me money because I’ve been promoting them for so long. Their dressing, quintessentially for any meats is the best thing you can do. I don’t think you need to marinate it the night before. Do it an hour before you put it on the grill.”
When going for a smoky flavor, Cummings suggests being careful with your choices.
“Here’s the thing, if they want to do liquid smoke it is really tricky. You’re much better off doing a marinade that includes Worcestershire and other stuff. Liquid smoke, gosh, be careful with it. I mean unless you are a master barbeque guy, I would really and truly not use things like that. You can ruin really good meat.”
If you decide you want to put real smoke flavor into the meat using wood, there is a correct way to use wood chips or chunks according to Cummings.
“Soak them first. The big thing with the wood, if you are going to do that, soak them first. People don’t necessarily soak them. The reason you want to soak them is they will give off more smoke for an extended period of time.”
Cummings says if your oven has a full ventilation system, you could even add smoke in the oven if rain prevents you from grilling. He says that you can heat the soaked wood chips in a pan while cooking meat in the oven. However, the important part is to make sure proper ventilation is in place before doing so.
Selecting cuts of meat is another factor in getting great flavor from the grill. Cummings says getting to know your butcher is a great way to find the perfect cut of meat.
“This is somebody you need to know. They are going to do you favors or not do you favors depending on how nice you are to them. You remember the Brady Bunch? Old Alice was real good friends with the meat guy and she got the best cuts, she got the best advice, all that kind of stuff.”
He adds making friends with the “meat guy” can lead to great discoveries.
“It isn’t necessarily your best cuts. It is the best cuts that day.”
Cummings says many people make a big mistake when it comes to the finish. He suggests letting the meat rest for a few minutes before cutting into it.
“When you take it off the grill, don’t cut into the middle immediately. It will bleed out. You don’t want the meat to lose all of the moisture that’s on the inside. If you cut it immediately, you can lose a lot of the moisture.”
A couple of other tips from Cummings is to grill other stuff, besides your main entrée, for later. If you are grilling chicken for that night, putting on hamburgers or hot dogs for other meals is a great way to maximize the use of your grill. He also says to try other non-traditional items, like vegetables or even pineapple, that can make for easy side items and flavorful desserts.
Written by Jason Doyle Oden | Photography by Jason Doyle Oden
