Grilled Veal Chops with Grill Master Ben Jacobson
There is something nostalgic about the process of cooking on the open grill that makes you feel good and brings back memories with friends and family. Maybe your memory is having Mom ask you to help her make that summer salad with the abundance of new and fresh produce available during the summer months. Maybe your memory is with your father asking you for the first time to fire up the grill. Either way, the grill brings families and friends together for wonderful summer dinners that always seemed to last forever. So, light up your state of the art gas grill or your simple “my buddy” charcoal set the size of a 9” pie pan and take note of my grilling tips below to try and relive memories of old while creating new ones as well…
Grilling tips you may find useful:
- Heat up the gas grill with the lid on for a good 10-15 minutes before cleaning as this helps heat the grill grates making it easier to scrub off the grime before grilling
- Let the meat come to room temperature before placing on grill at least for 30-60 minutes
- Don’t get lost in marinades and rubs – a good piece of meat or a fresh vegetable is good enough with simply salt, pepper, and maybe a touch of lemon juice or good extra virgin olive oil – why douse a $30 piece of meat with a cheap marinade?
- Never leave a hot grill unattended – a simple flare up unattended could leave your food black as charcoal and ruined
- Use proper long-handled tools like brushes to clean and tongs to turn food and remove from the grill
- Use Direct and Indirect cooking techniques: For example, if you are grilling a nice pork tenderloin, turn one burner high for searing the meat and one burner low for cooking it all the way through. This method can also be done with charcoal – simply put the coals all on one side of the grill and none on the other creating different heating areas
- If you feel you are a seasoned griller, go ahead and check the doneness of the meat with your hands, but if you are not that confident keep the guess work out of it and simply check with a instant-read thermometer you can buy at the store
- Once cooked let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting int it. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and thus produce a juicier flavor
I hope you find the tips above useful during your next grilling session. Whether you are a bachelor looking to grill with the boys or a Mother preparing to grill for your family, remember to appreciate what the grilling season has to offer in produce and ultimately what the process of grilling can provide – those unforgettable memories.
