Have you noticed that the butcher counterĢżat your local grocery store has been taken over by something called ā€œAmerican wagyu?ā€ Mine certainly has. So, I set out to find out what exactly it is, how to best cook it, and whether or not American wagyu is worth the higher priceĢżover plain old prime-grade beef.

Wagyu beef is known globally for its soft texture and rich, fatty taste, and restaurants and butcher shops often charge much higher prices for steaks compared to beef from other types of cattle.

America wagyu is kind of a confusing name to start with, since wagyu translates to English as ā€œJapanese cattle.ā€ Are producers trying to sell us American-Japanese cattle?

Erik Sun, one of the chefs involved with the award-winning restaurants Bestia and Bavel in Los Angeles, and the soon-to-open Oxblood in San Francisco, says thatā€™s exactly the case. Sun also imports rare Japanese meats and raises American wagyu

ā€œMost American wagyu is 50-50,ā€ he explains. ā€œA wagyu bull bred with an Angus cow produces a calf that is still able to be called wagyu.ā€

What Makes Wagyu Different?

Importing Japanese beef products was banned by the United States in the 2000s after an outbreak of highly infectious foot and mouth disease in that country. Around the same time, interest in supposed ā€œKobe beef,ā€ began to boom, perhaps due to its unobtainable nature.

Ģżat the time in Forbes, Kobe is the capital of the Hyogo prefecture in Japan. Just like only sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France can be called champagne, only beef from Hyogo can be called Kobe.

But, those naming restrictions only apply in France or Japan, respectively. Thereā€™s no law preventing a restaurant or other business in America from selling you a bottle of Korbel and calling it champagne, or a piece of select-grade chuck and calling it Kobe. Only consumer awareness can achieve that here.

Olmstedā€™s advocacy for accurate food labeling seems to have stuck with consumers of high-end beef products. Thereā€™s now much more awareness of the full breadth of varieties beyond that initial demand for supposed Kobe, which was only ever a variety of wagyu in the first place.

Import restrictions began to ease in the 2010s, and all varieties of the stuff found its way into high-end restaurants and specialty food retailers. But high pricesā€”Sun sells authentic Kobe striploins for $375-a-pound from his online retailer, ā€”and the incredibly rich, fatty nature of high-grade Japanese beef »å“Ē²Ōā€™t necessarily translate to American palettes.

ā€œIn America we eat big steaksā€”big center-of-the-plate optionsā€”and we prize beefy flavor or beefiness as one of our top criteria for good beef,ā€ explains Sun. ā€œBut wagyu, true Japanese wagyu is just as much about the fat quality and soft texture as it is about the meat. It’s a much more delicate thing often eaten with an Asian barbecue sauce filled with sake, mirin and soy. Itā€™s sliced thin, cooked over high heat, not rested, and eaten with the fat dripping on top of warm rice.ā€

Beef Grades, Explained

Beef is graded on the amount of useable meat a carcass will yield, and on the amount of marbling present in that meat. Here in America, the Department of Agriculture ranks cuts of beef sold in grocery stores for human consumption as select, choice, or prime.

Select grade beef, according to the USDA, ā€œis fairly tender, but because it has less marbling, it may not have as much juiciness or flavor.ā€ Choice, ā€œwill be very juicy and tender.ā€ And prime, ā€œhas slightly abundant to abundant marbling and is generally sold in hotels and restaurants.ā€

Japanese beef grades go much further. The Japanese Meat Grading Association scores yields as A, B or C (A yielding the most meat), then ranks marbling on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest.

Thereā€™s also the international Beef Marbling Score, which grades marbling on a scale of one to 12. And while BMS is not a government certification, it does provide us with the ability to compare American and Japanese or other international grades on a single scale. USDA Prime cuts max out with a BMS score of five, while wagyu can go all the way up to 12.

Marbling is what we call the intramuscular fat spread throughout a cut of beef. The more marbling, the juicier and richer that cut of meat will be.

Why Wagyu Tastes Different

There are two further factors in that fat content: melting point and flavor. Sun says that the fat in Japanese wagyu cows begins to liquify at much lower temperatures than that of breeds weā€™ve historically raised in America, but that animals producing fat with lower melting points take longer to grow.

The American beef industry typically slaughters cows when theyā€™re 18 to 24 months old. In Japan, the cows with that tender fat take 30 to 36 months to mature.

Diet is another major factor in flavor, as is the care and health of the animal being consumed. The extra time, feed, and care it takes to bring a cow to maturity in Japan accounts for Wagyuā€™s high prices, along with its scarcity.

That explains the widely-held mystique around Kobe. Americans tend to associate the Kobe label with the finest quality beef, but in reality, itā€™s just a breed of Japanese cow (the Japanese black cow, which is actually the most common breed of wagyu) that is fed a carefully cultivated diet unique to Hyogo Prefecture, and allowed to mature a little longer than is typical in this country.

Other, lesser known varieties of wagyu may offer different taste profiles. Sun imports steaks from cows raised exclusively on olives, for instance, or the elusive ā€œsnow beefā€ from wagyu raised in the colder climate of Hokkaido.

What Makes American Wagyu Unique

Alright, weā€™ve got our American-Japanese cattle, cuts from which can land anywhere on the USDA or BMS scales. Is this just a shortcut to con you and me into paying more for our steaks?

ā€œA lot of the difference has to do with the American palette, and the style of cooking larger steaks where we don’t want a ball of fat, but we want texture and chew while still benefiting from the increased marbling that comes with wagyu,ā€ says Sun.

He goes on to say that quality breeders have been able to take things much further than the simple Angus-wagyu cross breeds, and are producing results that, while different from those achieved by Japanese farmers, should be considered as their own unique breeds, rather than simply an imitation.

Sun says that by starting with one of the four breeds of Japanese cow that are considered wagyu, crossing them with one of the heartier, faster-growing American breeds, then ā€œbreeding backā€ to a high percentage of wagyu, American farmers are creating animals that demonstrate the ā€œtrue beauty of wagyu,ā€ along with the meatier textures and flavors preferred by American consumers.

Another advantage of breeding wagyu crosses in the United States? Importing bone-in cuts of Japanese beef is still banned. So, if you want a bone-in wagyu steak , buying American is your only option.

But, without laws mandating clear labeling, finding a product thatā€™s going to match your expectations can be a challenge. You need to find a supplier that provides as much transparency and information as possible about what youā€™re actually buying.

USDA Prime Versus American Wagyu Versus Japanese A5

To determine whether or not American Wagyu can be worth a premium over a regular old steak, and if it can hold its own against the finest quality meat produced in Japan, I set up a simple taste test.

For the American wagyu, . They provide good information about the breed, along with a digital analysis of the percent of marbling present in the specific cut. This ribeye came from an F1, or 50-50 Angus-Japanese Black wagyu cross, and contains 30 to 39 percent marbling. Booth Creek feeds its American wagyu a grass-fed, grain-finished diet and slaughters them between 28 and 36 months. To my admittedly untrained eye, that sits somewhere between a BMS score of seven or eight, well beyond anything youā€™d find behind glass at a local grocery store.

As a control, I visited my local food co-op here in Bozeman, Montana, and picked up a grass-fed, grain-finished prime-grade ribeye from a local ranch. Still an indulgence at $27-a-pound, but hopefully representative of the best a traditional American steak is able to offer.

And, to compare American wagyu to the finest possible Japanese beef, I also scrounged around my deep freeze and found an that Sun sent me as part of care package a year or two ago. A zabuton is a cut from the neck or shoulder of a cow, and is typically considered chuck-grade when sourced from an American cow, but which is tender and densely marbled when pulled from a well-raised wagyu. This steak probably weighs only four ounces or so, but is sold at prices exceeding $200-a-pound.

How to Grill American Wagyu

One of the unique selling points of American wagyu is that it can be cooked using conventional grilling methods that will be familiar to most Americans.

My go-to method for grilling streaks is to first sear the meat at as high a temperature as possible, for 30 to 60 seconds on each side, rest it for 20 minutes, then cook it through in a 200 to 250-degree oven or closed grill until it reaches your desired temperature. The sear delivers a satisfying crust through on the outside of the steak, while melted fat has time to distribute through the inside as the muscle relaxes from the intense heat. Employing a pellet grill or smoker for the cook-through also delivers the flavor of wood smoke to the meat.

This is also one reason why I grabbed the little zabuton. Sun recommends cooking Japanese A5 quickly on high heat, to medium rather than medium rare for an enhanced texture. I was worried employing my generalist steak method might not make the most of A5, and didnā€™t want to waste a multi-hundred-dollar ribeye.

I cooked all three steaks using this method on the same grill, using the same wood pellets, at the same time. I pulled each when they reached an individually monitored 130 degrees internal, then rested them for 10 minutes before slicing.

What Does American Wagyu Taste Like?

The first piece of steak I cut into was the A5. It melted on my tongue like butter, and I tastedĢżthe overwhelming richness for which it’s famous. And while not as quite as crispy around the edges of the melted fat as searing it to 145 degrees internal would have delivered, it still had exceptional flavor. The fat tasted sweet, almost like meat candy, as it dissolved in my mouth. Incredibly rich, this zabuton could easily have been an entire, very filling meal all on its own.

Next, I tried the plain-old ribeye. While it required actual chewing rather than just melting on my tongue, it was still extremely tender, and delivered all that meaty taste you want in a steak, complete with a welcome touch of smokiness thanks to the hickory pellets burning so cleanly in the Yoderā€™s fire pot. I serve steaks just like this at dinner parties all the time, and they never fail to please.

Then thereā€™s the American wagyu ribeye from Booth Creek. Iā€™ve purchased American wagyu from my local meat counter before, with mixed, mostly disappointing results. So I was coming into this with low expectations. And man, I was wrong to do that. With a mouth feel and chew similar to that of the Prime-grade ribeye, the fat in the Booth Creek steak was much more present, and delivered a totally unique taste. Versus the sweetness of the Japanese A5, this stuff tasted nutty, with layers of complexity not found in the other two cuts. It wasnā€™t overwhelming either. Had it been dinner time instead of late morning, I could happily have finished the entire 16 ounce steak myself, maybe alongside some sweet potatoes and asparagus. But, instead, Iā€™m saving it to turn into an epic sandwich Iā€™ll carry up a mountain this weekend.

American wagyu may not be the same thing as Japanese wagyu. But even in Japan, thereā€™s a huge variety of flavors, textures and qualities across the high-end beef market, influenced by variables like breed, weather, diet, and care. Those same variables are at play in America, additionally influenced by our own preferences. Take the time to source your American wagyu from a quality source that gives you transparency around what youā€™re actually buying, becauseĢżfancy domestic beef absolutely deserves to stand alongside the imported original.

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Everyone loves a backyard barbecue, but what if you »å“Ē²Ōā€™t have a backyard? Not long ago, I ditched my house for a second-floor apartment. While I »å“Ē²Ōā€™t miss mowing the lawn, the absence of convenient outdoor cooking hurts, as smoking and grilling have been huge fixtures of my year-round lifestyle, especially since beginning three book collaborations with barbecue master Aaron Franklin. Franklin Smoke,Ģżour third book, explored the intersection of grilling and smokingā€”my favorite way to cook. Once I lost my backyard, I had to find a grill that I could store in a closet and easily take outside when needed.

The portable grill market offers a wide range of models, but most of them excel at only one of two things: being easily transportable or grilling food well. The ($695)Ģżappears to be an exception, as it combines true portability and high-level grilling performance with versatility as a smoker. I discovered the Nomad last year via a hypnotic and mouth-watering from my friend, the great live-fire chef Adam Perry Lang, who was using it to sear piles of tomahawk ribeyes. The unique design caught my eye, and I spent the summer testing a loaner model of the grillā€™s latest iteration, which comes with twice as much ventilation as the first-generation model. With minimal setup and easy breakdown, I happily found that I could be up and cooking in minutes whether at my apartmentā€™s green space, a park picnic table, a truckā€™s tailgate, or a walk-in campsite.

The Nomad Grill and Smokerā€™s Brilliant Design

The Nomad may be the sleekest-looking piece of barbecue equipment ever created. It looks like something Q Division might have designed for James Bond, but every detail has a function, and no aspect is gratuitous. The more you use it, the deeper your appreciation gets.

The Nomad is shaped like a large briefcase or what used to be called a valise (before humanity woke up and put rollers on luggage). Its oversized plastic handle provides a comfortable and spacious grip. At 28 pounds, the Nomad is not something youā€™d want to schlep on a long trail, but for a short trip from hatchback to campsite, itā€™s compact and ideal.

The caseā€™s exterior is made of perforated anodized aluminum, which gives it a polished industrial look but also provides toughness and airflow, as the exterior is really a shell for the grill inside. Two durable plastic briefcase-like clasps (that stay cool during use) unsnap to open the unit. When opened and laid flat, each half of the shell houses a heavy, die-cast aluminum box that will contain the fiery hot charcoal.

Together, the thick aluminum interior and shell allow for enough heat dissipation that the Nomadā€™s outer surface stays cool during useā€”enough so that you can set it on surfaces like picnic tables without fear of setting them ablaze.

Classic Charcoal Grilling

It takes two seconds to open the Nomad, and then itā€™s ready to go. The manufacturer sells proprietary high-quality charcoal made from Thai fruitwood and some fire-starter tumbleweeds, but any type of charcoal works. Whatever charcoal you use, I recommend starting it in a chimney, which is faster and easier than any other method.

The Nomad comes with a grill grate that covers one of the two sides when the box is open. Ordering another separately will let you double the area of grill surface (and add an extra threeĢżpounds to the total package). The grate itself is unique and speaks to the quality of the manufacturerā€™s workmanship and design. Made from rigid, cast stainless steel, its slightly convex shape (for structural integrity and coal clearance) features a honeycomb pattern that successfully prevents almost anything from falling through. For ingredients with a propensity to rollā€”sausages, asparagusā€”just turn the grate over and let it be a shallow basket. Cleverly, the grate is also magnetized, snapping satisfyingly into place and remaining there without rattling even when the Nomad is collapsed and on the move.

Once you dump the hot coals and set the grate on top, it takes five to ten minutes for the grill surface to get hot enough to cook on. Manual vents on the ends of each side allow for control over airflow. Open them to whip up the flames, close them partially to dampen heat, and shut them fully to extinguish the coals when the Nomad is folded and locked.

As a grill alone, the Nomad excels. The short distance between coal bed and cooking surface maximizes the heat intensity, making it perfect for searing. Every time, achieving a deep, flavorful crust on steaks was a breeze. For thicker cuts, I constructed a two-zone fire, mounding the coals on one half of the grill while spreading them out loosely on the other for a more mellow roast. Of course, you can also close the Nomadā€™s top to create an interior cooking chamber, which allows another set of possibilities.

Able and Creative Smoking

The ability to instantly shut the suitcase lid and turn the Nomad into an oven or smoker is one of its best features. When closed, the Nomadā€™s built-in analog thermometer conveys the internal temperature, and the side vents to control airflow become ever more important. If you plan to close the lid to create oven-like conditions, definitely organize your grill in two zones to make room off the coals for your food to roast. The thermometer told me that after ten minutes I was hitting temperatures over 400 Fahrenheit when using a fair bit of charcoal, though it was easier to maintain temperatures in the 350-degree range.

In this mode, adding wood chunks or wood chips directly to the coals or on the grate above them will provide smoke. Then you can configure the vents to create draft: open the vent next to the coals while keeping the one above it closed and do the opposite on the other end. This pushes air directly to coals, which smolders the wood, while the open vent next to food pulls the smoke across and out.

Smoking any slow-cooking cut (think brisket, ribs, or pork shoulder) takes hours, and this is not where the Nomad shines. Its heat retention is good, but not in the same league as something like the Big Green Egg, thus youā€™ll need to replenish its coals fairly regularly, which is a bit of a pain considering you have to open it, set the meat aside, remove the hot grill, and add more hot charcoal thatā€™s been prepped in a chimney.

My best results came from deploying the Nomad as the hybrid it is: smoking for short durations to add a savory-smoky layer of flavor on top of the juicy tang of charcoal grilling. In practice, that meant smoking marinated chicken parts with the Nomad closed for 20 to 30 minutes, then opening it, ditching the wood chunk, and cooking directly over the coals to get that pungent char. It worked just as well in reverseā€”searing thick-cut pork chops over high-heat coals, then moving them to the unheated end of the grill, adding a wood chunk over the coals, and smoking them for 15 to 20 minutes until done.

The results were spectacular, everything youā€™d want from a hybrid smoker-grill: professional quality cooking dynamics, achieved with great ease and efficiency, and a level of portability never before seen in a product like this.

When youā€™re done cooking, simply fold up the Nomad, snap the latches shut, close the vents, and your coals will be extinguished in no time. Cleaning up after any grill is never funā€“no other word than filthy to describe ashes, grease, and char. The Nomad acquits itself well here too, though it is a bit unwieldy to turn over and dump. Nomadā€™s suggestion of using a shop vac to clean out the ashes is a good one. The rest cleans up well with a high-powered spray nozzle and maybe a little scrubbing if you want it to shine.

The only real downside of the Nomad is its price, listed on the website as $695. However, fans of both design and quality gear will recognize quality when they see it. And the Nomad is so brilliantly conceived, simple to use, and well-constructed, that it should not only function well for decades but also never go out of style.

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Whatā€™s the best way to grill a steak? Thereā€™s no one answer, but to me, thereā€™s always been a wrong one. Iā€™ve long considered grilling with gas to be heresy, but it occurred to me that Iā€™d never actually done a back-to-back taste test between gas and charcoal. Earlier this week, with very excited dogs, I fired up my grills and got down to work.

What’s the difference? Temperature, smoke, and convenience. While natural lump charcoal is able to get much hotter than natural gas or propane, and produces delicious wood smoke, it also takes time to light and bring up to temperature, is messy to use, and can be challenging for beginners to precisely control. In comparison, on a gas grill you simply turn dials and push a button to ignite the flame.

The Experiment: How to Grill a Steak

To control for variables as much as possible, I bought four identical choice-grade New York strip steaks. Not the expensive ribeyes I normally cook, they were maybe half-an-inch thick, and not terribly well marbled. Then, I set out to conduct two tests. First, a cook using the most basic methods possible. I wanted to eliminate any flavor difference created by ultra-hot sears, and just experience the difference in flavor, if any, between fuels. Then, I wanted to take advantage of charcoal’s high temperatures to see if the end result really is superior.

Pulling two steaks out of the butcher paper, I liberally coated each in kosher salt, then set them aside to come up to room temperature. According to Bon AppĆ©tit, before cooking results in a more even temperatureĢżand juicier results.

Grilling Steak: Gas Versus Charcoal

I fired up both burners on my patioā€™s built-in Viking grill (it came with the house), and let it heat up on full blast for 15 minutes. 550 degrees was the highest achievable temperature, so I inserted my Meater+ wireless thermometer in the steak, and threw it on the grill, being careful to leave the hood open. The wired probe on my Dot thermometer was throwing error codes and needs to be replaced, and the hottest ambient temperature the Meater+ can withstand is 500 degrees. Leaving the hood open may have allowed some heat to escape, but it also allowed me to monitor the steakā€™s internal temperature precisely.

When the steak reached 110-degrees internal, I flipped it over, then pulled it off at 125, setting it aside to rest while I heated up my Big Green Egg (BGE). To make things fair, I also set it to 550 degrees, and left the lid open while I followed the same method.

And the Winner Is…

I actually think I overcooked the BGEā€™s steak slightly. While resting, the gas steak reached a high temperature of 132. The BGEā€™s reached 136. And you can see that in the side-by-side shots, where the gas steak looks a little more evenly pink throughout.

The difference was stark upon tasting. While an unpleasantly sour taste pervaded every bite of the steak grilled on the Viking, the one grilled on natural lump charcoal just tasted like salt, fat, and heat. Iā€™d have needed dollops of sauce to finish the gas steak, but could have eaten the charcoal one on its own with a reasonable level of enjoyment.

While that natural gas or propane grills burn their fuels without odor, Iā€™ve never found the taste they produce in steaks palatable. I »å“Ē²Ōā€™t know if thatā€™s simply because I prefer the taste of wood-smoke in steak to steak without the smoke, but I do know I can taste a difference.

With the aid of a leaf blower, Iā€™m able to take my BGE above 1,500 degrees (this is also very dangerous and is best left to experienced grillers). Of course, thatā€™s only with natural lump charcoal, which contains nothing but carbonized wood, rather than the compacted sawdust briquettes that are filled with chemical additives. You »å“Ē²Ōā€™t necessarily need a multi-hundred-dollar Egg to achieve a perfect steak; just burning natural lump in a standard kettle grill will elevate your flavors, while also facilitating higher temperatures.

Would results differ if I used a more elaborate method, and is it possible to hide the flavor of gas? My go-to grilling method for steakĢżis to do the hottest-possible sear on the front end, rest the steaks for at least 20 minutes, then put them back on at a low temperature to cook through. At home, I use that Big Green Egg for the sear, then rely on the more consistent temperatures of a pellet grill for the slow cook through. But that method often works just as well on lesser equipment.

Don’t Have a Charcoal Grill? Fear Not.

Because butter withstands higher temperatures than olive oil, and also because I was hoping its sweet flavor could mask the sour aftertaste created on the gas grill, I first salted then seared one of the steaks on my 24,000 BTU Viking range burner, using a Staub enameled cast iron pan. With that pre-heated as hot as possible, I melted some butter, then cooked the steak for a minute on each side, before moving it to a cool cutting board to rest.

To sear on the Big Green Egg, I simply point a leaf blower at the intake from a few feet away, then watch the thermometer dial spin around as a wall of flame emerges from the top. 30 seconds on each side produced a very crispy sear on this strip. I also rubbed the steak with a good quality olive oilĢżfirst, to seal in moisture.

After allowing both steaks to rest for 20 minutes, I threw them back on their respective grills, with both of those set at 250 degrees, to cook through to 125. Then rested each again for 10 minutes to come up to something north of 130 before slicing. I again think I slightly overdid the steak on the Egg, simply because Iā€™m not used to cooking such thin pieces of beef.

The Bottom Line: Just Avoid Gas

With this method, the gas grill produced a more predictable result, but the sear was lackluster and the flavor of the gas was not dissipated at all, even with all that butter. The charcoal steak was a little overdone, but a lot more palatable anyways.

Iā€™ll go back to reserving my gas grill for occasional vegetable-only duty during big dinner parties, and keep my meats as far away from gas-fired grills as possible. Still, the dogs didnā€™t seem to care which steak they were given. All four disappeared in only a few quick chomps.

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Foil-pack meals are essentially a cheat code to grilling or cooking hearty campfire meals. For the unacquainted, making a foil-pack meal involves piling either protein or vegetables on to a piece of aluminum foil, wrapping it up, and tossing it on the grill or grate to cook. The ease of the process and the flavorful results have made this method of cooking perfect for outdoor grilling and camping.Ģż

According to legendary cookbook author and American food authority, James Beard, the foil-wrap method was developed way before campers started using it.ĢżĢż

In 1955 he wrote, “Cooking with aluminum foil is the latest thing in outdoor cookery and yet it is but an adaptation of a very old method-that of wrapping food in wet leaves, husks, seaweed, or even wet clay before cooking,ā€ in , co-authored by Helen Evans Brown. ā€œThis method keeps the juices in but allows the food to cook evenly. It must be remembered, however, that just as it keeps the juices in, so does it keep the charcoal flavor out.ā€

Cooking vegetables in a foil is great for camping because of the individual portions you can dole out, as well as the little clean-up and hassle involved in the process. There are a few things to keep in mind when foil-pack cooking: always, and I mean always,Ģż use heavy-duty foil. The thicker material will withstand high temperatures, especially if youā€™re cooking on a grate over a campfire. Additionally, heavy-duty foil holds its pinch better when you seal the packet, eliminating air leaks. The foil wonā€™t tear while folding the ends over the vegetables into tight seams, nor will it break open if it catches on the grate. And when you play with fire, you »å“Ē²Ōā€™t have to get burned! Always remember to poke a small hole inĢż the foil when the vegetables are done cooking. This will release a burst of steam so when you unwrap the packet, you »å“Ē²Ōā€™t get a face-full of heat.Ģż

Most importantly, »å“Ē²Ōā€™t forget to brush your vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper! We »å“Ē²Ōā€™t want bland vegetables. You may be cooking outdoors, that doesnā€™t mean you have to eat like an animal.

If you want a recipe to make your own foil-pack veggies,

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Over the last couple of months, weā€™ve talked to a collection of chefs and cookbook authors about grilling tips and barbecuing. Each conversation has yielded several nuggets of advice, and rather than gatekeeping them (and only upping our own game), weā€™re spreading the word. Behold, the prosā€™ insights when they fire up the grill or build a cooking fire.

As Aaron Franklinā€™s cowriter on the three , Jordan Mackay has become a barbecue expert in his own right. Along the way, from becoming a wine writer to Franklinā€™s wordsmith, heā€™s encourages everyone to pick up the following habits:

1. Salt and dry-cure your proteins at least a day before cooking. [At this point] I almost feel terrible if I get caught cooking a chicken without brining for a day.Ģż
2. Iā€™ve been gravitating toward slower and steadier cooking, even for steaks. Itā€™s a huge thing that you should put steaks in a hot pan to sear, but I like to start with them cold and cook them longer. I think [the meat] gets more exposure to the cooking surface.
3. Iā€™ve fallen in love with practicing the most primitive style of cooking: using a fireā€™s passive coals and ashes. Itā€™s really cool that you can create a side [dish] by wrapping them in foil (unless they have a tough skin) and putting stuff in the coals. They »å“Ē²Ōā€™t tend to get smoky and they cook in their own water, itā€™s such a cool way to cook and you »å“Ē²Ōā€™t have to run back and forth from the kitchen to the grill.

Click here for Jordan Mackayā€™s barbecue know-how.

This Los Angeles-based chef and restaurateur is riding the wave of her new book , being on the cover of , and appearing on shows like the . Mexican barbecues might be Lopezā€™s love language, but her grilling tips are universal.Ģż

1. Make sure youā€™re grilling on high heat. Skirt, flat, and flanken steaks take high heatā€”about 6 minutes each side.
2. When marinating meat, »å“Ē²Ōā€™t be afraid of salt. I do 1 tablespoon per pound of meat. I like to use sea salt.
3. When doing wood pellets or wood chips, use mesquite, always mesquite.
4. Season your grill grates with a half an onion. It cleans it [onions are antimicrobial] and adds flavor.

Click here for Bricia Lopezā€™s ultimate asada recipe.

Rodney Scott literally grew up tending the smoker and stirring the sauce at his familyā€™s barbecue spot in Hemingway, South Carolina. To say he knows a thing or two about BBQ is an understatement. Here are his grilling tips:

1. Food safety first. Donā€™t leave anything out too long. Stay mindful of what youā€™re doing as you handle it. There are gauges and thermometers for a reason.
2. Donā€™t grill too close to the house and walk away. Things can happen [Scott can attest to this: His familyā€™s roadside barbecue spot burned to the ground in 2014 and his Charleston location had a pit fire in 2017.] I like to make sure the grill is away from the house. If it is close, get a grill mat to avoid sparks getting on the floor boards.
3. Have fun. Donā€™t let the pressure of that critical visitor steal the joy out of what youā€™re preparing. Youā€™ve got your music going, youā€™re outside grilling, youā€™re having fun. Even if youā€™re burning it, itā€™s funā€”just add extra sauce.

Click here for Rodney Scottā€™s barbecue-sauce gospel.

Top Chef alum, , and owner of and in New York City, Leah Cohen leans on her Filipino roots for grilling inspiration.

1. Add ! Allow enough time to marinate your meat and use ingredients that add deep, rich flavor that go beyond the traditional barbecue flavors like oyster sauce (my preferred brand is Lee Kum Kee) to add umami and sweetness.
2. Make sure youā€™re using the right temperature when grilling. Either low and slow or super high. If youā€™re choosing to go the super high route, close the lid so the heat doesnā€™t escape.
3. Oil, oil, oil! Make sure whatever youā€™re grilling is oiled so it doesnā€™t stick to the grill when youā€™re cooking it and use oils like pure sesame oil or chili crisp oil, to add bold flavor to grilled dishes!

Click hereĢżfor Leah Cohenā€™s grilled cabbage recipe.Ģż

Celeb chef, YouTube star, and expert outdoorsman Brad Leone is usually off-the-cuff and verbose. But when it comes to grilling tips and rules, heā€™s succinct. Short and sweet, just as we like it:Ģż

1. Get the best ingredients you can.Ģż
2. Donā€™t be scared to use steel or cast-Iron on fire or coals.Ģż
3. Get a flat top grill.

Click here for Brad Leoneā€™s tried-and-true grilling tools.

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For chef Leah Cohen, summer equals cooking outdoors. The Top Chef alumn, , and current judge on the PBS show has lived on the East Coast all her life, which means, she laughs, ā€œitā€™s definitely not grilling season year-round.ā€ Cohen, who owns the restaurants and in New York City, maximizes the time on her home grill when she can, not only because it takes her outside, but because the grill brings natural char and flavor to foods. ā€œI think grilling is a healthier cooking application than sautĆ©ing or frying, without compromising on flavor,ā€ she explains. ā€œTo me, thatā€™s really important because I try to eat healthy.ā€

Cohenā€™s cooking career began when she was a child and was tasked with helping her mother make chicken adobo and lumpia for the family table. Eventually she was entrusted to make rice. In her Filipino household (her mother is Filipino and her father is Romanian-Jewish), rice was a staple and was expected to be cooked perfectly. Cohen continues to draw inspiration from her heritage and extensive travels through Southeast Asia when cooking at her restaurants and at home. ā€œMy go-to Filipino marinade is made using a combination of soy sauce (my preferred brand is Lee Kum Kee), sesame oil, oyster sauce, brown sugar, banana ketchup, and vinegar.

What Does Leah Cohen Like to Grill?

On Cohenā€™s grill, itā€™s not unusual to find shishito peppers, a variety of mushrooms, ears of corn, heads of cauliflower, or halved cabbage.

What Is the Perfect Grilling Temperature?

To ensure perfection every time, she recommends grilling veggies over high heat, and lightly oiling and salting them for both flavor and to prevent sticking.

Does Size Matter When Grilling?

Pay close attention to the size of your vegetables. If an ingredient like, for example, mushrooms, are small enough to fall through the grates, use a grill basket.

Ready to put these grilling tips to use? Try following Cohen’s Grilled Cabbage with Yuzu Juice and Brown Butter.

The post How to Grill Veggies, According to Leah Cohen of ā€˜Top Chefā€™ appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Two words: grilled cabbage. Top Chef alum adds a soy brown butter hollandaise sauce that not only adds flavor, but also gives this hearty and humble vegetable the entrĆ©e treatment. This dish is a fan favorite at , Cohenā€™s restaurant in New York City.

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No matter the kind of proteinā€”steaks, chops, plant-based burgersā€”thereā€™s an art to the magic of creating the perfect, juicy, well-cooked (but not well-done!) piece of meat (or ā€œmeatā€). We asked two very different grill masters to break down the perfect technique.

Ethan Brown is the CEO and founder of Beyond Meat, the first plant-based meat company to Ģżas the poultry, beef, and pork at Whole Foods. Brownā€™s newest burger, The Beyond Burger, is being hailed as a holy grail for the plant-based industry.

Chef Tim Love is the highly acclaimed chef at the helm of Texas-based restaurants like Ģżand . He also hosts CNBCā€™s Restaurant Startup alongside Joe Bastianich.

Together, their intel will bring grill glory to meat lovers and vegans alike.

For Burgers,ĢżGo with Many Meats (or No Meat)

Some of the best burgers in the country use a custom blend often incorporating chuck, brisket, sirloin, or short rib. If you go custom, remember your fat content: You want 20 percentĢżfat. If you go plant-based, know youā€™re in good, next-level science hands. The folks at Beyond Meat just launched the Beyond Burger, which is similar to red meat down to the way it ā€œbleedsā€ (beet juice) and smells beefy when it hits the grill.

For Steaks,ĢżPick the Right Cut

Don’t buy a cut that you would usually stew or roast (like short ribs or brisket). Stick with the tenderloins, flatirons, rib eye steaks, and strip steaks. When picking the meat, look for as much marbling as possible and a nice, deep red color. If it’s a lighter color, then it’s been sitting out and has oxidized.

Take the Heat

Grillers often err on the side of caution and set their temperature too low. With red meat and plant-based products alike, you want high heat. But not too high! You want two temperature zones: one with a high heat to achieve that crispy sear and the other no-so-high to wrap up the cooking. On gas grills, this means one side is low and the otherā€™s high.

Take Your Time

Make sure the meat is very cold to form that great textural crust on the burger without overcooking it. And make this your mantra: Donā€™t pat the meat down, »å“Ē²Ōā€™t touch it before the flip, and flip the burger only once. The more you move the meat, the drier it becomes.

Follow the 2×2 Rule

If youā€™re cooking over charcoal and arenā€™t sure when itā€™s ready, hover your hand two inches above the coals. If you can handle the heat for two seconds (exactly two seconds!), then youā€™re ready.

Get Creative to Enhance Flavor

When cooking up steaks, Love uses peanut oil to really deepen the roasted flavor. It has a higher smoke point than other oils, so if you’re grilling at high temperatures (and you should be), the oil won’t burn and taste bitter. For an extra-smoky flavor on steaks, grill them directly on the coals. This is especially good for thinner steaks like skirt or flank steak where a great sear is all you need, or for steak fish like tuna. Also, if youā€™re using a gas grill, use real wood chips. Try soaking them in your favorite spirit or wine for extra flavor.

Donā€™t Underestimate the Cool Accoutrements of Summer

Fire-proof gloves are an often-overlooked tool, especially for those who work with open fires regularly. You can pick up hot coals and grill racks, or reach over the grill to turn the meat in the back. Plus, they last forever. Another worthwhile investment is a charcoal chimneyā€”ten times better than lighter fluid and you don’t get that gas flavor in your food.

Pack Extra Salt and Pepper

You want juicy meat? Salt is your friend. It helps cells retain water and produces a juicier, tastier meat. Generously salt your steaks once or twice before they hit the grill, then again as you slice it for extra flavor. Pepper will only expand on the spice elements of the steak or burger. Donā€™t be afraid to mash some peppercorns to create some texture.

Keep Your Toppings Simple

Youā€™ve already got a quality cut (or mash-up of plant proteins). You »å“Ē²Ōā€™t need to gussy it up with inch-wide heirloom tomato slices and over-the-top sauces. Maybe put some bacon on top for an extra crunch, but otherwise, keep it simple. On the sauces front, if you really crave that tangy pink-hued spice, get your own canned chipotle peppers to cut down to a paste and mix it with mayo.

The post How to Grill Anything From Veggie Burgers to Rib Eye Steaks appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

This article was originally published on .

Grilling is something of an art. Everyoneā€™s got their own favorite grilling tips, tricks and techniques. Yet some approaches are better than others ā€“ and it can take time to understand just how versatile your barbecue can be. Whether you already know how to master healthy grilling or need pointers on how to work with foods beyond meat alone, we can all benefit from fresh grilling tips.

And some of us are making more mistakes than we might realize. Here are seven common grilling mistakes youā€™ll want to avoid for better dishes and easier cooking.

1. Oiling Your Grill Grates Instead of Your Food

In order to prevent food from sticking to your grill grates, itā€™s imperative to add grease ā€“ and plenty of grill enthusiasts oil up those grates before they add any food. While this technique technically works, itā€™s a pretty big grilling mistake in the eyes of experts.

Oil is important, but you »å“Ē²Ōā€™t want to waste it on the grill grates. When you apply oil to your hot grates, it actually starts toĢżĢżalmost immediately. This can infuse your food with a weird, unpleasant taste. And sometimes, if your grates have a carbon outer layer, adding oil can actually make foodĢżmoreĢżlikely to stick.

Instead, you should put oil on your food. Cover meats and veggies with a light coating of oil. You can brush it on or toss it in an oil-based marinade; either will do the trick.

2. Over-Marinating Meat

Marinades infuse all kinds of meat with delicious flavors, and they also do the double-duty task of tenderizing tough meats. While marinades can range anywhere from just 30 minutes to a full day of soaking up juices, herbs and spices, hereā€™s something most people »å“Ē²Ōā€™t realize: you can over-marinade.

If you leave your food in a marinade for too long, you can actually achieve the opposite effect that you intended. AsĢżĢżexplains, letting food soak longer can over-tenderize meat and make it mushy. Extra-long marinades will break down the protein bonds closest to the surface of your food. In addition to mushiness, this can dry out meat.

Double-check your recipe before marinating to make sure you arenā€™t overdoing it. Make sure you arenā€™t leaving any kind of meat in its marinade for longer than one full day ā€“ even for the toughest cuts of red meat, 24 hours is usually the max recommended time.

3. Failing to Properly Preheat the Grill

You always preheat your oven before baking or roasting, and you always let your pans come up to temperature on the stove. But do you always take the time to preheat your grill?

If youā€™ve been turning up the flames and immediately putting food on the grill, youā€™re going to want to slow down and start preheating. Itā€™s important to let the grillā€™s grates warm up before you start cooking. Cold grates can cause food to stick more stubbornly, which is both frustrating and messy.

Preheat your grill like youā€™d preheat your oven and wait about 20 minutes before tossing anything on its cooking surface. The hotter the grates are, the better those seared grill marks will be ā€“ and the more perfectly your food will cook.

4. Frequently Opening Your Grillā€™s Lid

Have you heard that opening your oven or lifting the lid on your slow cooker increases your cooking time by as much as half an hour? Well, the same goes for your grill.

Itā€™s incredibly tempting to lift up the lid of your grill and check on whatā€™s cooking. But every time you fuss with that lid youā€™re exposing your hot grill to cooler temperatures. That, in turn, drops the temperature inside and slows down the cooking process. The more heat escapes, the more challenging itā€™ll be to achieve evenly, quickly grilled food.

Regardless of what youā€™re grilling, keep the lid shut as much as possible. If itā€™s too tempting to poke your head in, set a timer and walk away. To ensure you arenā€™t overcooking your food, check in at around 10 to 15 minutes for leaner meats and 20 to 30 minutes for thicker cuts. Veggies can take anywhere from 8 to 30 minutes, so you can pop in on these earlier.

5. ā€œGuesstimatingā€ When Meat is Cooked

There are countless tips out there that are meant to help you determine when your food is fully cooked: touch tests, tenderness tests, and visual cues have all been touted as easy methods. But you really canā€™t tell when meat is completely cooked unless you get inside it.

If you rely on how meat looks or feels, youā€™re running the risk of serving yourself ā€“ and anyone else whoā€™s dining with you ā€“ under- or overcooked meat. There are only two ways to get an accurate ā€œdonenessā€ assessment: by cutting into the meat or using a thermometer.

Avoid this grave grilling mistake by making sure you have a meat thermometer in your arsenal of tools. You can easily stick one into anything youā€™re cooking and get a quick temperature read. Many even offer guides or alerts to let you know ASAP when your proteins are cooked and ready. And youā€™ll know every time that your meat is at a safe-to-consume temperature.

6. Putting Fish Directly on the Grill Grates

There are plenty of sins you can commit when grilling, but one of the biggest is placing fish right on the grates.

Fish is incredibly delicate. With flaky meat and thin skin, any kind of fish can immediately adhere to your grillā€™s grates and leave you with a sticky mess. Even worse, making this grave mistake can lead fish to fall apart (and through your grates).

To keep your fish from sticking, put it on anything but the grates themselves. There are a few options you can try: cedar planks, foil packets or griddles. You can also cook fish in a cast iron skillet or grill pan.

7. Using Lighter Fluid

Have you been using lighter fluid to get tall flames roaring from your grill? While lighter fluid certainly gets a fire going and your grill hot, itā€™s a mistake that can leave your food smelling (and potentially tasting) like gas. Instead of a smoky, classic grill flavor, youā€™ll find that lighter fluid makes your food pretty unappealing.

If you need some help getting a fire started on your grill, there are other ways to do so without imparting a fuel- or gas-like scent and flavor. You can try a chimney starter, which lights a fire with old newspaper to get charcoal glowing with heat. That way, youā€™ll get the heat you need and keep your flavors in check.

Once youā€™ve made sure you arenā€™t making these critical grilling mistakes, take your expertise to the next level. Discover even more grilling tips and recipes:

Grilling Hacks: How Not to Overcook Shrimp

Brad Leoneā€™s Summer Grilling Advice

Grilling Rules, According to Barbecue Legend Rodney Scott

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