Playing With Fire
My old gas grill died this spring. Don’t worry--it lived a long, full life and, trust me, it did not go gently.
For the last decade or so, its care had become a springtime ritual. The first weekend of warm weather, I’d take it apart and, piece by piece, work it over with a hard steel brush. Then I’d give it a good spraying with heat-proof paint. Then I’d put it back together.
In the meantime, I’d make an inventory of what needed replacing. Propane tank, feeder hose from the propane tank, gas burners, grill grates, electrical ignition system. . . . Virtually every part of that old thing had been transplanted at least once.
This spring, I simply couldn’t face doing it again. Finally heeding my wife’s seasonal cry (and encouraged by a set of singed knuckles from trying to light it manually), I went out and bought a new one.
It’s not so simple as that, though. This time, I went charcoal. It’s been a bit of a learning experience. Playing with real fire takes some getting used to.
I entered my charcoal era with eyes wide open. I long ago gave up on the idea of quick weekday gas grill dinners--a nice idea, maybe, but I never got around to it. Still, waiting 45 minutes for the fire to be ready was something I hadn’t expected. The experts claim 20. I say no way.
On the other hand, all of those old lighting-of-the-bonfire memories (“Are you sure only one can of lighter fluid is enough?”) turned out to be grossly overdrawn. With a stovepipe chimney and a sheet of crumpled-up newspaper, the coals have caught on the first try every time.
The biggest adjustment has been learning to judge the curve of the fire. With a gas grill, you turn it on, heat the grid about 10 minutes, cook, then turn it off. Unless you fiddle with the knobs, you get a pretty consistent heat.
As more experienced grillers know, a charcoal fire goes through several stages in the course of an evening. Right out of the can (er, chimney), when the coals are just barely covered with ash, it’s medium to medium-hot. As the coals settle in and really begin to glow, the heat builds to high. Finally, after half an hour or so, the fire begins to soften back to medium-hot, then it gradually lowers.
Out of a solid three-hour fire, you end up cooking for about 20 minutes. The rest of the time you’re either waiting for it to get ready or watching it die down while you’re eating. (This usually seems to be when it’s burning best.)
My solution is to cook a couple of meals at once. While waiting for the fire to get to the perfect temperature, for example, I’ll grill a London broil to use for sandwiches later in the week. It’s cheap, it’s available and there’s not a better-flavored piece of meat. Generously season it with salt and coarse pepper and then grill it for about 7 or 8 minutes per side. It’s tougher than most steaks, so slice it thinly and on the bias--hold your knife at about a 45-degree angle--to shorten the meat fibers.
After I’ve cooked dinner, I often grill some corn. Pull back the husks far enough to remove the silk (you need to pull them back only about halfway), trim the tip if it looks a little wormy or underdeveloped and then pull the husks back to cover the cob. Some people advise soaking the corn before grilling, but I like it better without. The husks will get a bit blackened and wispy, but the corn tastes smokier that way.
Of course, you can eat grilled corn just as it is, with a little butter and salt, but I like to make enough that I have leftovers to use later in the week too. The kernels are good tossed in salads or salsas and, if you have enough, it’s great cooked into this lightly creamy soup. A chipotle chile added to the pot emphasizes the corn’s smokiness and rounds out the sweetness.
SMOKY CREAM OF CORN SOUP
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced ham
1 dried (not canned) chipotle chile, split and seeded
1/2 cup chopped green onions, white parts only
6 ears grilled corn
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup minced green onions, green parts only
Heat butter, ham, chile and white parts of green onions in 3-quart soup pot over medium heat. Cook until ham renders its fat and softens, about 5 minutes.
Slice kernels from corn into large work bowl. Using back of heavy knife, scrape milk and any leftover corn from cob into bowl. Add corn to soup pot and stir, cooking until corn begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in flour. Cook, stirring, until flour is absorbed into vegetables. Add milk and raise heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until soup thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until kernels are soft and corn flavor is well distributed. Stir from time to time and skim off any “scum” that floats to top.
Before serving, add salt and stir. Remove chile, taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into large bowls and garnish each with about 2 tablespoons minced green onions.
6 servings. Each serving:
246 calories; 630 mg sodium; 35 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 0.88 gram fiber.
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Cook’s Tip
To grill corn, pull back husks, leaving them attached at base. Remove corn silk and trim ends if necessary. Pull husks back over corn and grill over fire until kernels have darkened, about 4 minutes per side.
