Direct Heat Grilling
Tools, Fire & Mastering Whole Grilled Fish at Home
Greetings Friends, š„
While we have a lot to dive into regarding Cooking with Fire š„ today we are going to go over some basic tools and a brief intro to two types of grilling fires. Then Iām going to drop an insanely delicious recipe and break down a grilling technique for you to start feeling uber-confidant with cooking over fire.
Note: Due to the length, detail, and pictures of this Substack Drop, the entire article will need to be opened on the website, simply click the Title Link on the Email! Enjoyā¦ this one is Super Tasty! š¤š¤š¤
Tools of the Trade š„
Grilling and BBQ is a world where you can go absolutely nuts and geek out with every type of gadget and tool imaginable. Sure, if you get really into one style of fire cookery then it might make sense to add some one-function tools to your collection but in most casesā¦ less is more.
You really need very few tools to cook successfully with a broad range of fire types and so thatās what we are going to hit up now and make sure youāve got the essentials.
Tongs
While most āGrillingā Sets come with tongs, forks, etc most of these are flimsy, not durable or practical. Tongs for instance, are typically way too long for what you need. The extra length will make flipping and grabbing ingredients seem much heavier and require extra effort; totally unnecessary.
Look for a sturdy set of stainless steel tongs, approx 12 -16inches in length. As for the utility end (the part that comes in contact with the food), best to go with scalloped, rounded edges that are not sharp. The tongs that have sharp angle utility ends can lead to easily ripping and shredding your food while you are trying to grill itā¦ not cool. (pun intended)
Pro-Tip: You can find these easily and cheaper at restaurant supply stores (brick and mortar, or online)
Spatula
A spatula essential for flipping foods that you donāt want to tug or pull on, which is the force and motion you get when using tongs. Where tongs are great for turning bone-in chicken legs, drumsticks, wings, onions, etcā¦ spatulas are more gentle for flipping burgers, patty meats of all kindsā¦ and fish!
Most āGrilling Setsā have a spatula/flipper that is super thick. In my experience you want a thinner spatula that will easily glide under patties, fish skin, tuna steaks etc so that tearing/sticking to the grates is much less likely.
Some fish spatulas are completely flat, which is fine, but most have a slight angle at the far end which allows you to easily glide under your protein/vegetable with some helpful leverage
Grate Cleaner š§½
Keeping your grill grates clean is essential. Most sticking that occurs on grill grates starts because the surface isnāt cleaned and debris-free to begin with. As a good practice, you should always clean your grate after grilling while the the fire is still warm. Debris and ash will clean off much easier when the grill grate is still warm.
Everyone is familiar with the wire brush type of grill cleanersā¦ these arenāt very effective though and the steel bristles are known to frequently fall out. If you want the ultimate cheap-hack, crumpled foil works really well š . If you donāt have heat-calloused hands this might be an issue and there is also a type of grate cleaner that I find works really wellā¦ ā¬ļø
The Steel-Wool BBQ Brushes are very effective at cleaning grill grates. Most models you can replace the steel wool when it wears down, so itās a win-win, and far more effective than the classic bristle brushes.
Thermometer š”
Two types that will be of use, for now.
Probe Thermometer:
For measuring internal temperatures of protein cuts. Thereās (2) options you can go with depending on price.
Thermoworks āThermopenā or āThermoPopā are high quality, well regarded, I used for years in my own kitchens and are highly accurate. These will cost you a premium of $100+ usually. (You can usually get on their email list and theyāll send you discount codes/coupons as well).
InkBird is available on Amazon. These thermometers are also very accurate, quite responsive and a fraction of the price from the Thermoworks products. If cost is a big issue for you, Iād recommend this brand as a bargain option as Iāve used these extensively over the past 2 years in many kitchen settings.
Oven Thermometer
For indirect grilling, youāll want an accurate oven thermometer to have an idea what the chamber temperature in the grill is. Taylor is a legit well known brand and you can get one <$10 online.
*Note: Yes, many BBQ grills/pits come with thermometers. Many of these arenāt very accurate at all, hence my recommendation for a oven thermometer. As for smoker thermometers that will covered in the Smoking Substack series, so not addressing here.
**Note 2: I rarely use a thermometer these days and much prefer a cake tester. The thin metal heats quickly, put just under your lower lip and you will be able to feel instantly if your protein is cold-warm-hot in the center. Youāll see this in the pics below for the recipe today
Chimney Starter
This does not apply if you are cooking with gas. However, since charcoal is my preffered method I hope youāll try this at some point. Chimney starters are gamechangers for lighting your charcoal.
No lighter fluid or additives necessary. Simply add charcoal to the chimney starter, crumple some newspaper and place under the chimney, light andā¦ voila! In approx 30 mins youāll have glowing coals that are just starting to ash over on the top.
The Weber stainless steel is the best IMO. It has a funnel structure in the bottom that allows the starter fire to light the coals with no issues (other brands with a flat bottom arenāt as effective but still work; Iām OCD).
Prep Platters
Youāll want to have a few pans that you can use for taking your raw meat items out to the grill. Sheet pans, cookie sheets, etc all work fine. Just remember you will need something like this. Heck, even plates work fineā¦ most people just forget about that part when they start grilling.
Ok this would get you set and ready for grilling success! Letās talk a brief intro to fire thermodynamics.
Direct vs Indirect Heat
When we are talking about grilling, we are applying live fire to heat and cook ingredients.
This can be done in two main ways. Direct or Indirect heat. When using direct heat we are placing ingredients directly over the fire source (coals). The coals are radiating heat not only into the ingredients above, but also the grill grate that is in contact with the ingredients.
When using Indirect heat, the ingredients are not placed directly over the coals. They are still in contact with some radiant heat from the grill grate, but now we have convection air currents that are carrying heat over all sides of the ingredients which enables a gentler cooking method.
More on Indirect next week, but for today, understanding Radiant vs Convection is important moving forward.
Ok so now letās Cook! š„
Iām dropping a stunning showpiece that will make you look like a grill master, but is also foolproof because Iām giving you all the tips and tricks for success!
We are conquering Whole Grilled Fish š todayā¦ with an awesome non-stick trick youāll want to use forever š plus I walk you through how I grade Fish for quality so you can get the best selection at the grocery store.
