I’ve been pretty into cooking my own food ever since my junior year of college. The first staple meal I ever attempted was a breakfast burrito that, despite its name, I consumed for every single meal of the day. The burrito consisted of 3–4 frozen sausage patties that I’d cook in a pan until they were done to my liking—or, more commonly, until I thought they wouldn’t kill me. These were paired with roughly scrambled eggs seasoned with salt, pepper, and Old Bay. The final touch was Frank’s Hot Sauce (my all-time favorite), and then the whole thing was consumed as quickly as humanly possible.
Fast forward to my first apartment after college, where I stepped up my game and was making seared chicken breast that I’d finish off in the oven, then combine with rice, broccoli, and salsa for the ultimate homemade slop bowl. A little over a year and a half later, I still eat that same meal almost every day. You may ask, “How?” To which I reply: that I am just a freak of nature who strictly thinks of food as fuel. Only this is not true and there actually are plenty of tricks I use to never get bored of the same dish(I swear this is about grilling).
One of these tricks is cooking the chicken in different ways. A buddy taught me a technique where you season the chicken as soon as you bring it home from the store (I use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and whatever else works with my marinade) and then put them individually in freezer bags with some kind of wet marinade. I’ve used pickle juice, lemon juice, Frank’s, store-bought Lawry’s, and even a yogurt-based curry marinade for butter chicken. I put two breasts in the fridge for immediate use and the rest in the freezer. Pre-seasoning like this saves a lot of prep time later.
Next comes the cooking vessel.
I started grilling recently after I won a little charcoal grill at my grillfriend’s church picnic this 4th of July. It was a raffle, so I was pretty stoked to take home my $35 non-brand grill and get to burning my house down. Initially, I thought back to how my parents grilled when I was growing up and how there was always a white bottle with a red cap that housed our lighter fluid somewhere around the grill. I figured that’s what I needed, so I did some research… only to be promptly met with some distaste from the grilling community at even the thought of bringing lighter fluid near food. Apparently, when you use lighter fluid, it evaporates during the burn and gets partially absorbed into whatever you’re cooking, leaving a nasty chemical taste on the outside. That was all I needed to hear before turning my sights toward alternatives.
To start grilling the proper way, even with a free grill, some investments will need to be made. Such investments include the charcoal, cooking utensils (spatulas and what have you), grill brush, meat thermometer, and most importantly a charcoal chimney. The charcoal chimney is most important as it will allow you to light a full grill’s worth of charcoal with just a piece of paper, some cooking oil, and a match. Not a white-and-red bottle in sight, meaning no chemically taste on your food. Letting your charcoal sit in the chimney while it is heating up also allows you to ensure that every piece of charcoal catches fire for an even cook. It is crucial to put your chimney on the lower rack, the charcoal rack, as opposed to the food rack as this will prevent ash and nastiness to get on your food. I usually sprinkle in some wood chips (I have only used hickory but will definitely experiment with others). Once the charcoal is all hot and bothered (the white smoke it gives off becomes clear), you can dump that sucker in the grill. I recommend opening all the vents, putting the food grate back in, and letting it burn for a good 5-10 minutes to ensure the food rack is hot and you can get a good sear on your food.
The food can then be gently guided to the rack where it will find its final resting place. I put mine on with my Bluetooth meat thermometer (I have the Meater Pro) which allows me to keep an eye on the internal food temperature as well as the grill temperature. I then adjust my vents according to my target temperature. Something that definitely takes trial and error but when I cook my chicken I aim for 400°F which I achieve by opening the bottom vents all the way and the top vent 2/3 open.
Then comes the best part. You just sit there and relax. I have put some effort into turning my porch into the ultimate outdoor oasis complete with a pad of turf and a zero-gravity chair for this exact purpose. You absolutely, positively cannot be bothered as the grill can only be tended to by a trained professional, which you now are, and leaving your post is equivalent to setting your house on fire and taking a nap. Take this time to relax and enjoy being outside and maybe crack a cold one with some tunes on. After a comfortable wait, I typically pull my meat 1-2°F early and allow it to finish cooking on the plate. It is important to make sure you still meet the target temperature so you don’t put your significant other into an Iron Lung or something.
The most important part of making the same food not get old is how you serve it. If I serve my chicken over rice and broccoli I typically put some pickled jalepeños or kimchi on it with whatever extra marinade I have left over. The ultimate way to eat your freshly grilled chicken is most certainly on a sandwich. Mine typically contain mayo, pepperjack, crispy chili flakes, spinach(or lettuce), and pickles although the best thing about a sandwich is the combinations are infinite. My combo is clearly superior and you will struggle to find a comparable combination of flavors but should you achieve such a feat, please contact me at your earliest convenience so I may taste-test this act of God.
The best part about cooking is the creativity it allows in all the different ways you can prepare and serve your food. I can eat chicken every single day for every single meal because I constantly switch up my methods of cooking and serving. Charcoal grilling is just my most recent favorite as it provides some incredible flavor and a relaxing escape you cannot find in your kitchen. I haven’t even touched on grilling fresh veggies. Sounds like a game changer if I have ever heard of one. Anyway I forgot to take my meat for tonight out of the freezer so I best attend to that matter.
Happy Trails -GAS
P.S. You’re on your own for clean-up