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- Grilling Season is Here
With Memorial Day behind us, it’s time to get our summer activities into high gear—both work and pleasure.
The week I’m focusing on backyard grilling. And, of course the King of the Grill is beef. There’s no better way to kick off a summer series of posts than with a look at getting the most out of the food you buy—while supporting our local agricultural producers.
Happy grilling!!!
Charley
The summer grilling season is here! And few Americans, certainly Montanans, live the summer without firing up the backyard grill.
Grilling comes from a “Stone Age” instinct to hunt for food, light a fire and feed the family. Ancient clans often got together to celebrate pagan holidays and familial rituals. Anthropologists believe feasting rituals were the foundation of community creation.
Not much has changed since humans first controlled fire for cooking 780,000 years ago.
These days grilling can be as much a show of the various cooking machines a guy can collect as it is the art of landing that perfect steak on a plate. Outdoor kitchens are a First-World rage.
Most other cultures still make do with what their ancestors passed down—and never know the difference.
For every every American backyard, deck, or patio there’s a different grilling apparatus, set of recipes and style. But for Charley Pike, simple and minimal still works just fine.
Two backyard grills are enough—propane for quick and easy; charcoal for slow and artisan.
Equipment aside, there are people out there who are true masters at all kinds of smokes, marinates, and flavorings. But at least for beef, a little Kosher salt and cracked black pepper are usually enough! If you do it right, leave the A1 in the fridge!
Pork, fish and chicken usually demand more attention and creativity. This is where other added ingredients really payoff in adding taste and visual appeal.
Lamb is a little tougher to cook and definitely needs to be “low and slow.” Try not to let the lamb fat drip into the fire—or risk getting that acrid sensation on the palate.
When it comes to the backyard grill, Beef is King.
Charley likes to bring his beef to room temperature before going to the grill. This is contrary to beef industry advice which is sensitive to overdoing it from a food safety standpoint. Just use your noggin…
Remember keeping your workplaces clean is essential—and wash your hands frequently when handling any food.
As our buddy Bruce would say, “A clean grill is a happy grill!”
A trick to serving guests their preferred “doneness” is to put the cuts destined to be “well done” on the grill first. Follow with the cuts to be cooked medium, medium-rare, and rare. Keep them identified and pull everything off at the same time.
Charley eschews mixing a bunch of stuff into his ground beef for burgers. It’s a hamburger—not meatloaf!
By the way, expect grass-fed beef to have a different taste profile than grain-fed beef.
Grilling other cuts of beef like tri-tip, skirt steak, flank steak or Asian-style, “Flanken” or cross-cut short ribs require a little more attention and creativity. The payoff though can be huge as the variety can spice up any cookout experience.
Finally, buy the beef you can afford. Anything USDA Choice is always a good bet! Your local supermarket as well as Costco and Walmart sell great beef—consistent, wholesome and safe. With our USDA and State of Montana meat inspection systems you can have confidence in what you buy.
Over the past several years dozens of ranch-based beef companies and meat shops have sprouted up across Montana.
In nearly every quarter of the state you can source locally-raised and processed beef. You can gain the added benefit of knowing the “story” of the producers and the source of what you’re putting on the grill.
By purchasing “local” you can roll your food dollars through our state and rural communities—and help sustain a way of life that very much defines Montana.
Go to the Montana Beef Directory to find the beef producers who live nearest you! Give one of them a shot.
Charley Pike’s 10 Basic Beef Grilling Tips
Select the best cuts of beef that fit your budget.
Lightly salt and pepper both sides of the steak or hamburger.
Let your beef come to room temperature before grilling.*
Clean and oil the grates on the grill before building the fire.
Allow briquette coals to burn down to mostly gray.
Try and not allow flames to touch the beef.
Turn the meat only once—resist fidgeting with it.
It’s easy to over-cook beef. Be strategic in laying out your grill.
Let the beef '“rest” 3-5 minutes before serving.
Remember practice makes perfect.
*A great resource for grilling is the Montana Beef Council website.
