Kalamazoo K1000HB Use And Care Manual - page 47
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Barbecue
Barbecue sauce does not make barbecue. Low heat and long cooking times with the use of wood smoke
are the key characteristics. Temperatures as low as 200°F are used for as long as 24 hours. The food is kept away from
the fire by using the indirect grilling technique or even an offset fire box.
Barbecue techniques are best for meats that would otherwise be undesirable or a tough cut, such as beef brisket.
The longer cooking times and lower temperatures will render the fat into the muscle to deliver more tender results.
One hallmark of good barbecue is the “smoke ring,” an outer pink layer that penetrates the meat as a result of the
smoking process. Barbecued pork ribs should be penetrated all the way through. Pink ribs are not undercooked —
actually, they are perfectly smoked.
Spit Roasting or Rotisserie
Food roasted on a spit bastes in its own juices. The only difference between roasting
and rotisserie cooking is the use of the spinning spit. Rotisserie is generally done with indirect heat, next to the fire,
but can be done directly above the fire.
Most food that is typically cooked on a rotisserie, such as whole chickens or turkeys, can also be cooked with indirect
grilling techniques.
Smoking
The most effective traditional smoking is done on a dedicated smoker, which will normally have a fire box
offset from the smoking chamber where the food goes. However, wood smoke flavor can be added to food cooked
on a grill in a number of ways. When using smoke on a grill, keep the hood closed as much as possible and give the
smoke time to permeate the food.
Charcoal or Hybrid Fire Wet wood chips can be scattered over a charcoal fire once the coals are ashed over and
ready for cooking. Smoke can be produced in this manner for both direct and indirect grilling techniques.
Foil Smoking Envelopes A convenient way to produce smoke for indirect grilling or smoke roasting is through
the use of foil smoking envelopes. A layer of dry wood chips under a layer of wet wood chips is folded into a foil
envelope and sealed. Holes are pierced with a fork to allow smoke to escape without providing so much oxygen that
the wood bursts into flames.
Multiple smoking envelopes can be used for longer cooking sessions. Once an envelope is spent, simply replace it
with another. Smoking envelopes can be placed directly on the grill grate, in your Hybrid Fire Grilling Drawer, or on a
bed of ashed-over charcoal.
Cooking Pizzas
The best way to cook pizza is on a high-quality pizza stone. Of course, you can cook pizza in a pizza
oven, but you can also do it on the grill. Simply preheat the pizza stone in the indirect grilling zone of the grill for an
hour, usually at a temperature of 500°F. Bake the pizza with the crust directly on the stone, with the hood closed, until
done.
To cook a pizza directly on the grill grate, place the rolled-out or tossed dough over the fire for direct grilling. After a
minute or two, flip the crust with tongs and add the toppings on the grilled side, being sure not to overload the pizza.
Close the grill hood and continue cooking until the toppings are melted.
A great benefit of having a pizza oven in addition to the grill is that you
can use them at the same time. With a pizza stone on the grill, use of
the grill is limited. With both a pizza oven and a grill available, you
can prepare appetizer pizzas in the oven while roasting whole
chickens on the grill for the entree. Check out the Artisan Fire Pizza
Oven at KalamazooGourmet.com.
ARTISAN FIRE PIZZA OVEN