How do you improvise a slow cook on different kinds of grills that only do direct grilling? Without any of your equipment from home?
It's warming up and that means cookout season. At this time last year I was the only westerner I knew with an outdoor terrace and a grill. Since then several of my friends have moved out of apartments and into houses and now they all have outdoor areas and grills of one kind or another. In the middle of Wenzhou is a large river, the Ou, and in the middle of this river is an island, Qidu. Qidu has long been a backwater, but recently it's experiencing a surge of growth as it becomes "the next cool place". We just had Chinese new year last week, and the island was packed. I'm thinking of moving out there myself. I guess it's got another 2-3 years before it gets overrun and sanitized, but right now it's in the cool phase with coffee shops, residences that are still rural, and a general undeveloped feel.
Of course, all these people have different kinds of grills. Some are an open bonfire with a grill laid over it. Some are the crappy offset smokers similar to the Brinkmann Smoke-N-Pit. Some are gas grills that do nothing but hot and fast. Some are a rectangular box on legs. Some are fueled by wood, some by fast-and-hot burning charcoal, some by gas. None of these even resemble my trusty Weber kettle that I work my magic on.
My question: How do I make barbecue magic on these various grills, without my home equipment?
I suppose a differently phrased question would be: how do you improvise a slow cook on a grill that only does direct grilling?
A quick discussion of each type of grill may be informative. The open bonfire:
This is a wood-fired pit with a grill laid across it. This particular model at one time had a cover, but when my friend got it as a gift, it was long gone. There are other kinds that are vaguely like this design: a big bowl with a place to cook over top. Sometimes it's a metal griddle, sometimes it's a thick grill on a pole that can rotate until it's holding the food over the fire.
The crappy offset smoker. I assume everyone is familiar with this one.
The box grill:
This one has short legs. Typically they're waist level. It's also a bit thinner than usual, usually they're about twice this wide. But you get the idea. A shallow, rectangular box on stilts with a wire crosshatch grill. Suited for Chinese "shaokao" style, which is direct, hot and fast grilling of skewers with various foods on them (see my avatar photo). Most typically lamb but can be anything: cauliflower, squid, tofu, string beans, scallions, you name it. Foods are brushed with oil the entire time (note the brush in the cup of oil on the side) and seasoned with cumin or five spice. This is the most common grill and the most challenging for me to cook anything other than burgers on. Here is another, the commercial version:
It's an electric model, on high heat to cook as many skewers as possible in the shortest time. It also has a fan to pull the smoke in and vent it elsewhere. You'll also notice the lack of bark, they just heat them up and rarely do you get that crusty deliciousness. Sometimes if I cook shaokao people are reluctant to eat it because it's "burned".
Then there are gas grills. These are more common these days. The gas grills are bought by well-off people who want to spend money on something. Or they are bought by bars or restaurants when the owner wants a new toy. Then I get called to break it in and have a cookout for customers. Please read this account of me trying to prepare my style of slow cook barbecue on one. It's got photos and a description of what's wrong with Chinese gas grills. Spoiler alert: it was a cooking disaster story.
So, now that everyone's been brought up to speed on what kind of grills I have to deal with, let's revisit the question: How do I make barbecue magic on these various grills, without my home equipment? Or to rephrase, how do I MacGyver my way into delicious slow-cooked meat using only a paper clip, a pair of jumper cables, and chewing gum?
Equipment likely to be at anyone's house: cleaver (probably dull), cutting board, aluminum foil, metal or bamboo skewers, salt, Chinese spices (black pepper may or may not be one of them, and if it is it's fine powder instead of coarse ground), tongs, brush, oil, disposable aluminum pans, tea, vinegar, soy sauce. I wouldn't count on red wine, sometimes we're drinking it but more often than not it's beer.
If I know ahead of time I'll bring my equipment like thermometers, knives, spices, extra long tongs, etc. I've learned the hard way that if I need it, bring it. Even easy stuff like paper towels or plastic utensils. Hey, you try eating a chicken breast with disposable chopsticks and a roll of toilet tissue as napkin. But, I'm often called at the last minute to attend, or I'm somewhere and someone starts a fire and says, "Hey, barbecue man, do the cooking for us!" Of course it looks super lame when I try to duck out and say I don't have my thermometer, their charcoal is all wrong, that kind of grill is impossible to cook on, etc. But...it's true. I don't have my thermometer so it's just a guess if the food is done, their charcoal burns hot and fast and turns to dust in 30 minutes and I know no way of slow cooking on that kind of grill.
Let me give an example from last week's new year's eve party. My friend on the island has a double sided gas/charcoal grill. I brought some chicken breasts, a slice of apple wood log, and all my thermometers, knives and other equipment I'd need. I was notified beforehand, you see. But, the grill was new to me, and what do you know it took forever to heat up. You can't cook chicken at less than 350, and this thing wouldn't go above 300. I ended up putting the food on anyway just to get the smoke and heat up the internal. Well after a while the meat's temperature stopped rising because the breasts were sweating and evaporative cooling was happening. Hey, I learned that from this website! So I pulled them and did my best to finish them on the side burner. They were meh - kinda dry. Not nearly as good as I can do at home. And I even had my equipment!
The problem was the crappy grill. I deduced later that it was leaky as hell, which was why the temperature refused to rise. The South Africans at the party were like "you've not got enough coal there mate," because they have no idea what indirect cooking is. They just put their food on and scorch it - I've watched them "braai" and they suck. I digress...this grill isn't a problem for shaokao, because the Chinese only know hot and fast cooking. Who cares if it leaks? I would classify this grill in the "crappy offset smoker" category because it did have a separate firebox. I didn't use it, I put the charcoal on the grate since I have zero experience with offset cookers and I didn't want to start with hungry people waiting.
So, hopefully after this long-winded explanation people understand my problem. What can be done?
Of course, all these people have different kinds of grills. Some are an open bonfire with a grill laid over it. Some are the crappy offset smokers similar to the Brinkmann Smoke-N-Pit. Some are gas grills that do nothing but hot and fast. Some are a rectangular box on legs. Some are fueled by wood, some by fast-and-hot burning charcoal, some by gas. None of these even resemble my trusty Weber kettle that I work my magic on.
My question: How do I make barbecue magic on these various grills, without my home equipment?
I suppose a differently phrased question would be: how do you improvise a slow cook on a grill that only does direct grilling?
A quick discussion of each type of grill may be informative. The open bonfire:
This is a wood-fired pit with a grill laid across it. This particular model at one time had a cover, but when my friend got it as a gift, it was long gone. There are other kinds that are vaguely like this design: a big bowl with a place to cook over top. Sometimes it's a metal griddle, sometimes it's a thick grill on a pole that can rotate until it's holding the food over the fire.
The crappy offset smoker. I assume everyone is familiar with this one.
The box grill:
This one has short legs. Typically they're waist level. It's also a bit thinner than usual, usually they're about twice this wide. But you get the idea. A shallow, rectangular box on stilts with a wire crosshatch grill. Suited for Chinese "shaokao" style, which is direct, hot and fast grilling of skewers with various foods on them (see my avatar photo). Most typically lamb but can be anything: cauliflower, squid, tofu, string beans, scallions, you name it. Foods are brushed with oil the entire time (note the brush in the cup of oil on the side) and seasoned with cumin or five spice. This is the most common grill and the most challenging for me to cook anything other than burgers on. Here is another, the commercial version:
It's an electric model, on high heat to cook as many skewers as possible in the shortest time. It also has a fan to pull the smoke in and vent it elsewhere. You'll also notice the lack of bark, they just heat them up and rarely do you get that crusty deliciousness. Sometimes if I cook shaokao people are reluctant to eat it because it's "burned".
Then there are gas grills. These are more common these days. The gas grills are bought by well-off people who want to spend money on something. Or they are bought by bars or restaurants when the owner wants a new toy. Then I get called to break it in and have a cookout for customers. Please read this account of me trying to prepare my style of slow cook barbecue on one. It's got photos and a description of what's wrong with Chinese gas grills. Spoiler alert: it was a cooking disaster story.
So, now that everyone's been brought up to speed on what kind of grills I have to deal with, let's revisit the question: How do I make barbecue magic on these various grills, without my home equipment? Or to rephrase, how do I MacGyver my way into delicious slow-cooked meat using only a paper clip, a pair of jumper cables, and chewing gum?
Equipment likely to be at anyone's house: cleaver (probably dull), cutting board, aluminum foil, metal or bamboo skewers, salt, Chinese spices (black pepper may or may not be one of them, and if it is it's fine powder instead of coarse ground), tongs, brush, oil, disposable aluminum pans, tea, vinegar, soy sauce. I wouldn't count on red wine, sometimes we're drinking it but more often than not it's beer.
If I know ahead of time I'll bring my equipment like thermometers, knives, spices, extra long tongs, etc. I've learned the hard way that if I need it, bring it. Even easy stuff like paper towels or plastic utensils. Hey, you try eating a chicken breast with disposable chopsticks and a roll of toilet tissue as napkin. But, I'm often called at the last minute to attend, or I'm somewhere and someone starts a fire and says, "Hey, barbecue man, do the cooking for us!" Of course it looks super lame when I try to duck out and say I don't have my thermometer, their charcoal is all wrong, that kind of grill is impossible to cook on, etc. But...it's true. I don't have my thermometer so it's just a guess if the food is done, their charcoal burns hot and fast and turns to dust in 30 minutes and I know no way of slow cooking on that kind of grill.
Let me give an example from last week's new year's eve party. My friend on the island has a double sided gas/charcoal grill. I brought some chicken breasts, a slice of apple wood log, and all my thermometers, knives and other equipment I'd need. I was notified beforehand, you see. But, the grill was new to me, and what do you know it took forever to heat up. You can't cook chicken at less than 350, and this thing wouldn't go above 300. I ended up putting the food on anyway just to get the smoke and heat up the internal. Well after a while the meat's temperature stopped rising because the breasts were sweating and evaporative cooling was happening. Hey, I learned that from this website! So I pulled them and did my best to finish them on the side burner. They were meh - kinda dry. Not nearly as good as I can do at home. And I even had my equipment!
The problem was the crappy grill. I deduced later that it was leaky as hell, which was why the temperature refused to rise. The South Africans at the party were like "you've not got enough coal there mate," because they have no idea what indirect cooking is. They just put their food on and scorch it - I've watched them "braai" and they suck. I digress...this grill isn't a problem for shaokao, because the Chinese only know hot and fast cooking. Who cares if it leaks? I would classify this grill in the "crappy offset smoker" category because it did have a separate firebox. I didn't use it, I put the charcoal on the grate since I have zero experience with offset cookers and I didn't want to start with hungry people waiting.
So, hopefully after this long-winded explanation people understand my problem. What can be done?
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