Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [29]
The high heat of the grill rapidly vaporizes the moisture in flatbread dough, creating air bubbles that puff up the dough. Grilled flatbreads are done when puffed, lightly grill-marked, and matte rather than shiny on the surface. Untopped flatbreads such as naan will form several bubbles across the surface, while topped flatbreads like pizza will puff up where there are no toppings, such as at the edges.
Yeasted bread loaves can’t be baked on a grill, but slices can be toasted. Bread slices are often used to make grilled sandwiches such as panini. These breads are usually toasted over medium to medium-high heat and are done when lightly browned and crisp on the surface. The same goes for toasting cakes and pastries, although the higher sugar content can cause cakes and pastry to brown more quickly, so we usually toast these over medium to medium-low heat.
04. Resting
As foods cook on the grill, they lose moisture and become dry. This process begins on the surface of the food (which is closest to the heat) and gradually progresses toward the center. Moisture either evaporates or is driven toward the center of the food. So when any food is removed from the grill, it is less juicy on the surface than it is at the core. Letting the food rest before cutting allows moisture to redistribute from the center back toward the surface. If you cut into steak immediately after grilling, the moisture will be unevenly distributed: The surfaces will be drier than the center. Immediate cutting also drains excess juices at the center because the saturated muscle tissues cannot hold the extra juices that were driven there.
For the juiciest-tasting grilled food, allow it to rest after grilling and before cutting. The thicker the food, the longer it should rest. The juices in a 1-inch to 2-inch-thick steak will redistribute after 5 to 8 minutes. The juices of a thick roast or small whole bird will redistribute in 10 to 20 minutes. Large birds such as turkeys and whole animals like lambs and hogs should rest for 30 minutes after grilling.
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Chapter 3
Mastering Your Ingredients
A. MASTERING MEAT
01. PROTEIN
02. FAT
03. GRASS-FED, GRAIN-FED, AND ORGANIC
04. CUTS OF MEAT
05. GROUND MEAT
06. GRADING
07. BEEF
08. VEAL
09. PORK
10. LAMB
11. GAME MEATS
B. MASTERING POULTRY
01. POULTRY CUTS
02. FAT AND SKIN
C. MASTERING SEAFOOD
01. FISH
02. SHELLFISH
D. MASTERING PRODUCE
01. ROOTS
02. STEMS
03. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
04. LEAVES
05. FLOWERS
E. GRILLED CHEESE
F. GRILLED DOUGH
A. Mastering Meat
Meat is the edible part of an animal. Although countless factors (where an animal lived, what it ate, how it was slaughtered, its grade, and its cut) influence the characteristics of a piece of meat, at a structural level, the quality of any meat depends on the balance of three components: protein, water, and fat. The amount of each and its properties determine whether a meat is flavorful or bland, tender or tough, moist or dry.
01. Protein
Animals are built of protein. The protein can be either in muscle fibers, which are the red, bulky parts of meat, or in connective tissue, which is the transparent membrane that surrounds the fibers and the muscles themselves.
As a muscle is exercised, its fibers take on protein, making the muscle bigger, redder, and more flavorful. At the same time, its connective tissue—which is mostly collagen—thickens and becomes more elastic, which makes the muscle harder and tougher. So when meat is taken from an older animal or an exercised muscle group, it will have lots of flavor, a dark red color, and a tendency to be tough.
The first rule of choosing meat, then, is to look at the protein,