Charcoalmanship

Any amateur chef worthy of his salt and other spices should be aware of the advantages inherent in outdoor barbecuing. A situation is created in which the male assumes complete control, while delighted damsels sit admiringly on the sidelines. The elemental environment of nature, in which cocktails combine with the atmosphere to enhance appetite, builds maximum anticipation for eating a memorable meal. And, most important of all, cooking al fresco is easy.

The fundamentals remain simple to master, even though there's been a definite trend toward bigger and better broilings. For a while it seemed that nothing could possibly surpass the flavor of a well-aged club steak browned over red-hot coals in the open. Then someone discovered that a two-inch steak spurted considerably more juice per pound than a one-inch steak from the very same short loin. Today, along with the humble hamburger and other staples, it is not uncommon to find a fresh-air fire under a revolving spit, on which a haunch is being done to a turn.

But this expansion of the firebrand's menu should cause no consternation among devotees of the grate outdoors. Memorize the few following pointers, and your efforts as an outdoor chef will all be chefs-d'oeuvre.

The easiest way to start a fire is to use a box of self-starting charcoal briquets. They require only a lighted match to get going. When the box burns away, the briquets are smoldering with white ash. Ten or 15 minutes later they're ready for you to start things broiling. The self-starting box is comparatively expensive, but you can always use a single box for the initial operation and then add briquets from a bag.

Taming a fire, after it's under way, is a breeze once you know how. If you want a fire that quickly sears, the kind of heat that you need, for example, in broiling minute steaks or shish kebab, your coals should be piled about two or three inches high. But if you need a lazy radiant fire for a whole pork loin or a large Muscovy duck, the briquets should be spread out in a single layer and separated from each other. To take advantage of all the heat, line your outdoor brazier with aluminum foil; it not only reflects the heat, but is also handy for cleaning the rig later: you simply fold up the foil and remove it. Of course, some outdoor chefs never clean the grate, preferring to leave the ashes as support for the next cook-out.

To stoke the fire easily, keep a circle of fresh briquets at the outer edge and move them toward the center as needed. Don't dump them on top of the lighted coals, or they'll send up an avenging smoke screen.

Keep handy a bottle of cold water fitted with a spray top (the homely laundry bottle works fine), or a large brush dipped in cold water, with which to drizzle the flames, should the fire rage out of control when dripping fat falls into it. Some fire fighters find a water pistol very useful in this common emergency. Don't drown your fire, of course; simply restrain it until it glows cheerfully again. When all of your coals show white and you want a stronger fire, tap them gently to remove the outer ash. The red-hot centers will then spring to life.

Almost all modern barbecue equipment is fitted with the kind of grill that can be raised or lowered as needed. For fast searing, have the grill close to the fire. Raise it when you want the heat to be less consuming. A tip on cleaning your grill: use a wire brush. Don't use steel wool; small particles may lodge in the food. Before you put anything on the broiler, wipe it with a cloth or brush dipped in salad oil. This small step keeps the food from "freezing" to the searing metal.

The electrically driven spit has so much to recommend it that every chef should employ this modern version of a traditional method of cooking. Its obvious advantage in grilling large cuts of meat is that it's automatic. You can circulate among your guests while the meat slowly turns. You can pass out schooners of beer or sip tall juleps without being on a constant fire watch. But the prime attraction of rotisserieing over charcoal is the delicious outdoor flavor of the meat itself. A leg of lamb, for instance, roasted on a spit over charcoal, is not only different from the same meat cooked in an indoor oven but infinitely more toothsome. One reason for this is that meat cooked on the revolving spit is self-basting. The juices don't just run off the meat, but slowly wash around the flesh, clinging to it and keeping it juicy at all times. This couldn't possibly be done as well with the usual basting brush or syringe. And the turning meat on a spit is cooked more evenly. A rib roast is not overdone at the edges and raw in the center, but pink and succulent throughout.

When you build a fire for outdoor rotisserie cooking, arrange the coals, at the beginning, directly under the meat. If the meat has a substantial layer of fat, the coals will flare from the drippings. This may be permitted for a short while until the meat is light brown. Then the coals should be spread in a circle, with none directly below the meat. If the fire continues to roar excessively, place a drip pan under the meat. Fill this pan with about 1/2 in. of water. Don't attempt to use the drippings in the pan for basting the meat; as we've explained, the meat will be sufficiently basted in its own juice. The meat will cook sufficiently even though there's no fire directly beneath it; the heat radiating from the sides, front and back, as well as the smoke and heat trapped in the metal hood above the meat, will do a thorough job. If, after the meat is done, you want still more browning, simply remove the drip pan for a few minutes, and the live coals will char it as deep brown as you wish.

Meat for a spit should always be trimmed of excess fat. Be sure the butcher ties the meat or poultry so it's symmetrical in shape and as compact as possible. All meat should be balanced properly on the rod; that is, the spit should go through the center of gravity. Failure to find this may cause the motor to get out of whack. If you're cooking a number of pieces, like three or four broilers at one time, be sure that each piece is properly secured to the spit rod. You may buy extra fasteners for this purpose.

Because some roasts are long and narrow, like a filet of beef, rather than thick and chunky like a rib roast, a meat thermometer is quite useful. Buy the metal type of thermometer for outdoor cooking. Be sure that the tip of the thermometer rests in the thickest part of the meat and doesn't touch the spit rod. Its face will indicate whether the meat is rare, medium or well done.

For broiling medium-size cuts like an English mutton chop or spring chicken, nothing is more useful than a roll of wide aluminum foil. You keep the fowl over the coals only until it is "colored," that is, lightly charred, showing a mite of burnt skin here and there but not browned until it's unrecognizable. Then you wrap the bird in the foil and return it to the fire to finish cooking. Old kitchen curmudgeons will wag their forks and warn you that this is completely wrong. Something that's broiled, they'll pontificate, should never be covered lest it acquire a steamy flavor. In this instance the experts have the charcoal under the wrong chicken. The foil acts as a small individual oven. Some of the steam escapes. And once the woodsy flavor of the live charcoal has crept into your chops or chicken, it doesn't leave it. Of course you remove the food from the foil as soon as it's ready for the knife.

[recipe_title]Hamburgers[/recipe_title]

Don't buy the chopped beef in the butcher display case. It may be half fat and may include veal or pork besides beef. Buy a piece of inexpensive beef like chuck and ask the butcher to grind it to order. A pound of chopped beef will yield four moderately large patties or six to eight sandwiches.

The meat should be put through the coarse blade of a grinder only once. If it is ground twice, as some butchers insist on doing, it will be pasty and mushy. Hamburgers will be tough and dry if the meat is handled too much before cooking or if the meat is overcooked. To each pound of chopped beef add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 cup milk or light cream. The liquid ensures that the burgers will be moist after cooking. You can grate a very small onion into the meat if you like. But if you want to preserve the natural (concluded on page 54)Charcoalmanship(continued from page 40) beef flavor, add as few extras as possible.

Shape the hamburgers into uniform portions. Separate them with wax paper. Chill them well before broiling. Cold chopped meat will not tend to break apart during cooking.

Brush the hamburgers with butter after they are browned. Serve them on freshly toasted split buns. Within arm's reach keep your arsenal of catsup, onion rings and hot pepper relish.

[recipe_title]Steaks[/recipe_title]

At least half the success in broiling steaks is in buying the right meat in the first place. There are tender, semi-tender and tough cuts of beef. Tender steaks, following the nomenclature used in retail butcher shops, are porterhouse, club, rib, delmonico or filet mignon. Filet mignon is the tenderest of all beef cuts. It lacks, however, the flavor of porterhouse. Semi-tender beefsteaks are the sirloin or hip steaks and the T-bone. Chuck steaks or round steaks are tough and should not generally be used for outdoor broiling. Buy, if possible, beef which is stamped U.S. Prime or U.S. Choice. You should allow from 1/2 to 1 lb. of meat per person. The steaks should be at least 3/4-in. thick to permit thorough browning on the outside without over-cooking inside. The best beef has a good layer of outer fat. But you should cut away the outside fat in excess of 1/4 in. before broiling. Gash the fat in two or three places to prevent curling when the meat is grilled. Turn the steaks only once when broiling.

As soon as the steaks are done, brush them with butter or softened butter mixed with a few drops of lemon juice. Or place a lump of butter on the serving plate and put the steak on top of the butter to make a natural gravy.

[recipe_title]Charcoal Roasted Leg of Lamb[/recipe_title]

Buy a light leg of lamb weighing from 6 to 7 lbs. This will provide six to eight portions. A lightweight leg usually indicates that the meat is spring lamb, young lamb free from the fatty taste one detects in yearling lamb or mutton. Have the butcher bone the leg. Tell him to trim it of excess fat. Have it tied for roasting. In a large bowl, casserole or pan in which the leg can rest comfortably, make a marinade by combining 2 sliced onions, 1 sliced green pepper, 1 sliced piece celery, 2 smashed cloves garlic, 8 sprigs parsley, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 cup salad oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the lamb in the mixture. Marinate it overnight, or at least 12 hours, turning several times to coat it uniformly.

Remove the lamb from the marinade. Fasten it securely on the center of a spit rod. Insert meat thermometer in the lamb. Roast over charcoal until the thermometer shows that the meat is between rare and medium, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Serve it with a prepared ice-cold mint sauce, or a mixture of half mint sauce and half red currant jelly. Foil-roasted potatoes are delicious with lamb and quite easy. Slice Idaho or California baking potatoes crosswise into three sections. Wrap each potato individually in a double thickness of aluminum foil. Place the potatoes on the grill directly over the fire. Roast for about an hour, turning once. Test whether they're done by inserting the fork right through the foil into the potatoes.

[recipe_title]Barbecued Spareribs[/recipe_title]

Allow from 3/4 to 1 lb. spareribs per person. Buy meaty spareribs which are in long pieces rather than the odd-shaped end pieces that can't be fitted properly on the spit rod. For 2 lbs. spareribs make a marinade of 1/2-cup brown sugar, 1/2-cup vinegar, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 cloves garlic smashed. Marinate the spareribs in this mixture 2 to 3 hours. Turn the spareribs several times while they are being marinated, and brush them with the liquid to coat each side thoroughly. When using this marinade, the ribs should not be basted during broiling. Fasten the spareribs on the spit rod, weaving the rod in and out of the ribs to hold them securely. Cook on the rotisserie about 1 hour or until deeply brown. Previous boiling is not necessary for this dish. Use a drip pan, if necessary, to prevent excessive charring.

[recipe_title]Charcoal Roasted Ribs of Beef[/recipe_title]

Buy a 6-lb. Newport roast, that is, ribs of beef which do not include the bony short ribs; or buy the completely boneless cut of the same meat known as the Spencer roll. Each pound of meat will provide a handsome portion. Tell the butcher not to place the usual extra layer of fat on the meat. Trim the meat's own fat so it is not excessive. Have the roast securely tied. Take it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking. Fasten securely on the center of the spit rod. Insert meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast before turning on the motor. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until meat is done to degree desired, allowing 15 to 18 minutes per pound cooking time if you like your beef rare. Let the meat "set" at least 15 minutes before carving.

[recipe_title]Lamb Chop, Mixed Grill[/recipe_title]

This is a large charcoal broiled lamb chop festooned with a number of garnishes, the most popular of which are tomato, bacon, small link sausages and mushrooms. If the chops are of single thickness, that is, one rib, they may be broiled directly over the charcoal. Since lamb fat is notorious for causing charcoal to flare, the fire must be restrained from time to time. If double-thick lamb chops are used, they should be merely browned over the fire and then transferred to an aluminum foil wrapping to finish the cooking. A double-rib lamb chop should be at least 1-1/2 ins. thick. A double-thick loin lamb chop from which the center bone is removed and into which a lamb kidney is imbedded is known as the English lamb chop. Either type of chop should be sprinkled lightly with salt and pepper before broiling. When assembling your garnishes for the chops, follow this counsel implicitly: Whole or half tomatoes should be quite firm for broiling; brush them with salad oil, and sprinkle the cut sides lightly with salt, sugar and paprika before placing over charcoal. Mushrooms should be brushed generously with melted butter and fastened on a skewer before they are exposed to the coals. Bacon or sausage, because of their large fat content, are best if sautéed in a pan over the fire rather than directly over the open flames. Two other vegetables which fraternize agreeably with lamb are green peppers and eggplant. Cut firm bell peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds, brush with melted butter or oil and charcoal broil until tender. Eggplant takes somewhat offbeat treatment; cut each peeled slice 3/4-in. thick; brush very generously with olive oil (it will absorb the oil like a blotter); sprinkle with ground cumin; rub the cumin into the eggplant; broil on both sides until fork tender. Any of the aforementioned garnishes which are browned but need further cooking may be wrapped in the same foil with the chop and cooked until tender.

[recipe_title]Chicken Luau[/recipe_title]

For each two portions allow a single broiler weighing about 2 to 2-1/4 lbs. Have the broiler split in two. Brush with soy sauce. No salt is necessary when soy sauce is used. Place the broiler halves on the broiler rack as far from the fire as possible. Broil until medium brown on both sides. Place each broiler half on a large piece of greased aluminum foil. Brush the chicken generously with softened or melted butter. Alongside each piece of chicken place a banana sprinkled lightly with cinnamon and cut in half. Arrange 6 or 8 canned pineapple chunks and 1/2 cup sliced canned mangoes alongside or on top of the chicken. Wrap each portion securely in aluminum foil, folding in the edges. Return the chicken to the fire. Broil about 12-15 minutes longer on each side. Serve directly from the foil on dinner plates or platters. Your chicken-pickin' guests will call your luau a wuau.