On the Coals

Is grilling a gender-specific skill? I've always suspected so, but Marne Duke, director of marketing for Let's Cook, has confirmed it, with an explanation that would impress Dr. Phil. "Grilling is a single-task job," she says. "Each step of it, from lighting the charcoal to cooking the food, requires single-minded attention and focus on that one thing. Men have no problem staring at a pile of charcoal for 30 minutes, waiting for them to be just right. Then they put on the food and stare at that for awhile, tongs in hand, until they think it's done. Women, on the other hand, are multitaskers, so it's impossible for them to do one thing that basically requires doing nothing. When I grill, I'm also doing a half-dozen other things, which is why everything I grill gets burned."

Duke was offering this analysis standing in Kathy and Brian Tyler's Sylvan Park backyard on a sweltering Saturday night. The couple had signed up for "Let's Grill," an at-home class that's part of the extensive curriculum of Let's Cook classes offered by Chef Steve Mydelski in a partnership with Wild Oats Natural Marketplace in Cool Springs. Most of the dozens of classes offered, from "Artisan Breads" to "The Thai Pantry," are conducted in the store's Discovery Kitchen. The "Let's Grill" classes, however, offer not only a demonstration of grilling tips, techniques and recipes from Chef Steve, but also a hassle-free party for the hosts and their guests; eight in total were seated at two tables in the yard.

Chef Steve was center-stage; rather than a blackboard and podium, he lectured in front of the large Cabana Kitchens gas grill he and Duke had brought with them, an impressive beauty that infected the men in the party with symptoms similar to those triggered by exposure to other Big Boy Toys like tricked-out cars, boats and motorcycles.

In his opening remarks, the chef pointed out the many features and components of the mobile unit: the large calibrated grill surface, two gas burners on the side, a small oven and storage space below. Though he acknowledged the perennial argument of charcoal grilling vs. gas, clearly a four-course dinner such as this required the latter. For charcoal devotees, he suggested the use of "flavor plates" under the grill surface to infuse more flavor into the food. Set up beside the grill was a small wheeled table that held all the food for the party and the tools and utensils Chef Steve would need throughout the evening.

After a brief introduction and an overview of the menu—bruschetta, grilled rosemary scallops, grilled fish and grilled watermelon with lime-mint syrup—the chef told his students, "The first rule of grilling is 'Leave it alone.' People can be very impatient cookers. Don't be one of those 'Are we there yet?' grillers. Trust your timing."

He began with the bruschetta, rubbing the large slices of crusty Tuscan bread with garlic, then placing them on the grill while he prepared the eggplant and radicchio that would serve as the topping. "When grilling vegetables, cut large pieces," he said in one of the many tips he offered throughout the evening. "You don't want to bother with a grill basket, and you don't want your vegetables slipping through the grates into the coals."

The Cabana Kitchen grill surface was calibrated to provide different temperatures in different areas. (The same heat variance can be achieved in charcoal grills—it just requires more labor and attention.) Chef Steve says that high heat is key for grilling vegetables and small pieces of meat; the larger the product, the lower the heat. "Putting chicken pieces over high heat is what causes a common backyard barbecue tragedy: charred on the outside, pink and bloody inside, a definite no-no when it comes to poultry."

Noting that the most common items found on home grills are burgers, hot dogs, steaks and chicken, Chef Steve had deliberately designed a menu that focused on seafood. "People are afraid of fish," he said. "There is no reason to be; it's fast and easy as long as you follow some basic rules." Foremost among those is making sure your grill surface is well lubricated before it gets hot. Fish stuck to a grate is extremely difficult to remove in one piece. He uses a pair of tongs to swipe a small kitchen towel soaked in a bowl of oil across the surface, noting that grapeseed oil, thanks to its high smoking point, is a good choice for tools and food.

Though the grilled rosemary scallops can be cooked on wooden skewers (which should be soaked in water for 30 minutes first to prevent burning), he suggests adding flavor by instead using rosemary stems stripped of their leaves, with one end sharpened to a point for piercing the scallops, which must be thoroughly dried before cooking to achieve a golden crust.

As each course is completed, Duke plates and serves it to the guests, who as the evening goes on seem less interested in the lesson than they are in the food before them. Anticipating that, Duke and Mydelski have already printed the recipes—complete with handy tips—as handouts for each guest. As everyone digs into the grilled watermelon and ice cream, the pair are cleaning and packing up, wheeling the grill back down the drive to its trailer.