Grilling, Barbecuing and Smoking Techniques

Kalamazoo 450 Series and 900 Series Grills are capable of any outdoor cooking technique — searing, roasting, smoking, rotisserie, wok cooking, direct or indirect grilling and more — so our goal is to make sure you have the knowledge to enjoy them all.

Indirect Grilling

Indirect grilling is a critical technique for outdoor chefs, especially used in combination with other techniques such as searing. Simply stated, the fire should be in one part of the grill, and the food should be on another part of the grill. Indirect grilling can be done at any temperature, but is always done with the hood closed. The deep hopper design of a Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet grill offers superior heat dynamics and circulation for indirect grilling.

With your grill prepared and preheated for indirect grilling, the area of the grilling surface directly over the flame will be hotter than the indirect cooking zone. At higher temperatures you can use the direct grilling zone to sear meats for a couple of minutes on each side, followed by the remaining cooking on the indirect zone.

When using indirect heat for grilling thick cuts of meat (a 2-inch thick, bone-in pork chop requires about 30 to 35 minutes when grilling at 500 degrees with indirect heat), flip the meat over every five minutes.

Indirect heat can also be used for rotisserie cooking.

Direct Grilling

Direct grilling is the standard grilling technique, with the food directly over the flame. Direct grilling at high temperatures (over 800 degrees) will sear food. Lower temperatures (400 to 500 degrees) can be ideal for cooking meats and fish if you like a bit of char to the outside.

Direct grilling can be used with indirect grilling techniques for longer cooking times in order to avoid burnt or dried out foods.

Searing

Searing meats with intense heat will help lock in juices and flavor, and is a recommended technique in combination with lower temperature techniques. Searing should always be done at the very beginning of the cooking cycle.

Searing temperatures should exceed 800 degrees. There are four ways to achieve these temperatures:

• Use your main burners on high, and preheat for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
• Use the infrared searing burner, available on some models, to reach temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees. The searing burner creates a blanket of flame just 3" below the grilling surface.
• With a dual-fuel grill, use the main burner on high with charcoal and/or hardwood loaded into the "charcoal" drawer. When the fire is at full force, searing temperatures should exceed 1,000 degrees.
• Build a charcoal or hardwood fire in a charcoal grill, such as the Sculpture Charcoal, and sear over the most intense part of the fire.

As a general rule, searing techniques should be done with the hood open.

Barbecuing

Barbecuing is cooking with smoke at temperatures between 200 and 250 degrees. Cooking meats for hours in this manner leads to very tender and flavorful menu items.

Barbecuing must be done with indirect heat, and is usually done with wet smoke. The food is not placed over the fire. You can barbecue with gas grills, or using charcoal or hardwood. If you have a smoker or a Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet model with a side-mounted smoker box, you should experience great results. Barbecue purists almost exclusively use southern hardwoods as the heat source.

When using barbecue sauces and rubs, the dry rub can be used throughout the cooking time, but sauce should only be added towards the end. Remember, barbecue sauce is not a marinade. Add the barbecue sauce at the end of cooking, and use higher heat to just begin to caramelize the sauce.

See also Smoke.

Smoke

Smoke can be used to add flavor to grilled foods or for slow cooking. Different woods can be used for different flavors. The traditional favorites are mesquite, hickory and oak. Orchard woods such as cherry and apple are also popular. Other gourmet options include wood chips from old wine barrels or even grape vines. Regardless of the wood you choose, there are a number of ways you can use smoke techniques:

Smoking tray: A combination of wet and dry wood chips in your grill's smoking tray is great for adding flavor. The burner under the smoking tray needs to be used as the heat source. Wait for the chips to start smoking before adding food to the grill.

Smoking envelopes: If your grill is not equipped with a smoking tray, you can make smoking envelopes from tinfoil. Thoroughly soak half of the wood chips. Place a layer of dry wood chips on a sheet of tinfoil and layer the wet wood chips on top. Wrap and seal the wood chips into the tinfoil, and then pierce all over (on both sides) with a fork. Put the smoking envelope directly on your cooking surface over the fire. Smoking envelopes are great for longer smoking sessions, even if you have a smoking tray. Make several envelopes, and add a new one when the smoke from the previous pouch begins to diminish.

Hybrid Dual-Fuel grills: Soaked wood chips can be placed directly on the charcoal or hardwood fire to add smoke.

Traditional, side-mounted smoker box: The baffles on a smoker box control the flow of oxygen and the venting of smoke into the grill chamber. Build a fire of either charcoal or hardwood in the smoker box. Once the fire is strong, add a lot of soaked wood chips on top of the fire, then close the door and the baffles to snuff the fire. Once snuffed, there will be a large amount of smoke coming out of every opening possible on the smoker box. Open the baffle leading to the grill chamber to begin venting the smoke to the food. The rear exhaust baffle can be opened to vent some or all of the smoke away from the grill chamber. It may be necessary to re-snuff the fire in the smoker box periodically. The water tray can be used in the smoker box for wet smoking.

Rotisserie

Rotisserie roasting is great for roasts and whole birds. The rotisserie system rotates the food for even cooking, and bastes meat in its own juices.

Rotisserie heat can be from a side-mounted smoke box, a direct flame underneath the food, indirectly from heat away from the food, or from the infrared rotisserie burners. When using any of the indirect heat sources, it is a good idea to place a drip pan beneath the food. You may need to remove the cooking surface to do so, or to create clearance for the rotisserie. The juices in the drip pan can be used for basting. When you are not basting or checking the internal meat temperature, the grill hood should be kept closed.

The infrared rotisserie burner(s) as the heat source, or an indirect heat source from below can do the roasting. A wood fire in the Kalamazoo Hybrid Grilling Drawers is perfect for rotisserie roasting. Do not use the infrared rotisserie burner in conjunction with a heat source underneath.

Using Sauces

Grilling and barbecue sauces with high sugar content will burn quickly. Do not use these sauces as a marinade. Instead, grill the food with dry seasoning for most of the cooking time. Use a silicon basting brush to apply the sauce during the last few minutes of grilling (how long depends on the sauce you're using and the food you're putting it on). Sauces with high sugar content should be grilled just long enough over just enough heat so that they just begin to caramelize.

Grill Marks

Grilling meat without leaving grill marks is unheard of, but there is a simple technique for perfect grill marks. First, don't over-handle the meat. Most cuts should only be flipped once. Perfect grill marks can be created by turning the meat ¼ turn halfway through grilling each side. This leaves perfect, crisscross grill marks.

Plank Grilling

Plank Types & Sizes

Planks are available in many different types of wood. The most popular varieties include alder, cedar, hickory, white oak, and cherry. Each species imparts unique flavors into the food placed on top of it. Alder, hickory and white oak offer the strongest, smokiest flavors. Hickory also infuses food with tastes akin to bacon.

Cedar lends sweet, spicy and smoky flavors, while maple and cherry woods provide the highest degree of sweetness. As one would expect, plank grilling with cherry wood also adds identifiable fruit accents to food. In this way, the type of plank you choose really can be as important as the ingredients you use in a marinade or rub to flavor your meat or vegetables.

Grillers who want to cook a larger meal all at once would select a larger plank. Those who prefer to create single servings will usually use a smaller plank -- one that can be easily transferred to add drama and panache to a guest's place setting.

Plank thickness is another variable to consider. Most chefs say that the ideal plank thickness is around 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch. Planks that are thicker can restrict the transfer of heat and don't work as well. Conversely, planks that are only 1/4 of an inch thick are considered more disposable and can usually be used only once. Planks of the recommended thickness, in a variety of wood “flavors,” can be found at www.kalamazoogourmet.com, but as this cooking technique gains popularity, planks are becoming easier to find at a variety of retail sources.

Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet sells grilling planks in a variety of species.

Soaking
Prior to grilling, it's important that planks be soaked in water for 4-6 hours. The moisture prevents the wood from burning too extensively and protects the food from overcooking. As noted above, the flavor notes of the wood are transmitted via heat and steam to the food as it is prepared.

One way that culinary enthusiasts have literally added more “punch” to plank cooking is by soaking the planks in fruit juice or tea. Apple juice is most common, as the essence of apples is ideal in many recipes, plus there is no pulp in contrast with many citrus fruits. Soaking wood using tea is a great way to add flavor to light fish or poultry. Many black teas are aromatic; some chefs have been known to rub tea leaves directly onto what is being cooked to accentuate the tea's flavors.

Plank Arrangement
Once the plank is soaked, place it on the grill—cooking side down—at medium heat for 3-5 minutes and allow it to dry out slightly. Why soak a plank and then heat it immediately? This process will eliminate any bacteria from the plank and allow for safe cooking as you place your food directly on the plank.

CAUTION: It's important to make sure that the plank does not catch fire; we advise having a water-filled spray bottle filled nearby to extinguish any flame on the plank.

Brush a light coating of olive oil onto the cooking side of the board. To further enhance a meal's flavor, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet offers a line of signature grilling rubs. Another popular technique is to rub a clove of garlic on the plank, or lay a bed of fresh herbs on the cooking side of the plank before placing your main course on top of it.

Feeling even more adventurous? Drill some holes into your plank, and stuff garlic, basil, thyme or other seasonings into each hole.

Cooking Options

Direct Heat
This method promotes a heavy smoke flavor. Use the lowest setting on your Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet gas grill. Place the plank with food directly over the heat source. Cook with the lid closed, so that smoke surrounds the food and infuses it with flavor. The plank should reach heavy smoke within 20 minutes. When the plank begins to smoke, it's important that you check it often (and use that water spray bottle to extinguish any flame on the plank).

Indirect Heat
While the cooking time increases due to the lower temperature, this method promotes a light smoke flavor. Using a medium setting on your grill, place the plank opposite the heat source. Cook with the lid closed so smoke surrounds your food. The plank should begin to smoke after 15-20 minutes. The plank should not catch fire using this method.

When done cooking on the plank, immediately douse the plank with water. This can extend the plank's life, and prevents the possibility of fire dangers should the plank be haphazardly set aside.