Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [11]
The Power of Alcohol
The flavorful parts of herbs and spices are fat soluble, but most food is full of water. Since fat and water don’t mix, in order to transfer the flavor from seasonings into the fibers of meat or vegetables, it is necessary to include an ingredient that helps bind the two immiscible substances together, and alcohol does just that in many preparations.
One end of an alcohol molecule combines well with fats and oils, while the other end bonds easily with water, making alcohol extremely useful for infusing food with flavor. Its fat-bonding end helps it carry oily aromatic molecules through cell membranes easily, and its water-loving side makes it especially effective at helping those aromatics stick to the cells.
When uncooked, low concentrations of alcohol, 1 percent or less, increase the release of aromatic molecules into the air. So adding a very small amount of alcohol to a glaze or dipping sauce can enhance flavor and aroma perception. At higher levels, above 5 percent, the effect is diminished by the aroma of the alcohol itself.
Alcohol vaporizes more easily than water, and has a lower boiling point (172°F), so much of the alcohol in a mop or basting sauce evaporates during grilling. Tough cuts of meat that are grilled for several hours and basted with an alcohol-based mop absorb much more flavor than those basted with a water-based mop. And by the time they are done grilling, only 5 percent of their initial alcohol content will remain.
Alcohol may also improve the healthfulness of grilled food. According to research conducted at the University of Porto in Portugal in 2008, steak marinated in alcohol and then grilled had reduced levels of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are potentially carcinogenic compounds created when meat is cooked over high heat. Researchers found that alcohol-marinated meat produced up to 90 percent fewer HCAs than untreated meat. They hypothesized that the alcohol prevents certain water-soluble molecules from moving to the surface of the steak, where they would be turned into HCAs at high temperatures.
Seasonings
Although there are thousands of seasonings and seasoning blends (see the more than 160 mini-recipes in this chapter for examples), there are only five basic vehicles for delivering these seasonings to grilled food: spice rubs and pastes, brines, marinades, mops, and, finally, glazes and sauces.
Spice Rubs
Spice rubs are the quickest way to flavor a grilled ingredient. When exposed to fire, rubs form an intensely flavored crispy crust on the surface of grilled food. They are the first thing to hit the palate, and they create a dynamic interplay between the relatively untouched moist meaty interior of a chop, steak, or roast and the slightly charred, somewhat salty, wonderfully spicy surface. Rubs are predominantly salt and sugar, as much as 25 percent. The salt affects the surface protein of a piece of meat, causing it to absorb flavors in the rub to about inch. The sugar mixes with the protein and forms a weak chemical structure, which quickly breaks down into hundreds of flavorful compounds when it comes in contact with fire. This series of reactions, known as Maillard reactions, produce the brown grill marks and intense flavor that are the hallmarks of grilled food. For the best results, apply the spice rub, then let the food sit for 10 minutes or so while the grill is heating. The salt and sugar will sink deeper into the food and help to develop a more pronounced crust. Sometimes we let rubbed food refrigerate for more than 24 hours to create the best crust possible.
Rubs made from all dry ingredients, called dry rubs, can be stored in a tightly closed plastic bag or jar in a cabinet for up to a month. Rubs that contain moist or fresh ingredients