Summertime Grilling

Written By

Murray Schulman

Executive Chef. Director of Food Service Operations, Retired. NRFSP Manager & Instructor. Food Columnist, Delaware Valley Italian American Herald, twelve years. Fifty four years of culinary experience.

Here we are in mid-summer, and it is the weekend. I am preparing to spend time in one of my favorite places. Right behind my grill.

You will notice that I said preparing. Before I place any food on the fire, there are preparations to be made. Grilling is a culinary art. I start the process on Friday, planning the menu.

The Ritual Begins on Friday

The plan requires a trip to my favorite old-school butcher shop, Lapp’s Dutch Market in Penns Grove, New Jersey, where the meats are cut fresh daily. I knew that I wanted to grill up some sausage for a tasting experience. The shop carries what I consider to be the best handmade sausage available anywhere. The Sausage Boss brand was started by the butcher’s son, Joseph, to carry in the shop. The business became so popular that The Sausage Boss is now shipped all over the country. To add variety, I opted for country pork ribs and the large boneless chicken thighs that caught my eye in the case.

Chapter I · The Butcher Run

I headed home with my purchases and set the sausages aside. We will come back to them. First, I wanted to marinate the pork and the chicken. The idea struck me that I could marinate both in the same marinade. A citrus-herb blend would carry two very different proteins toward two very different results.

Photograph by Murray Schulman

A Citrus-Herb Marinade

Saturday, the Garden Contribution

The next day, I decided we needed vegetables to complement the meats. From the garden came zucchini, yellow squash, large red bell peppers, and Vidalia onions. I cut them into chunks for the best grill results, seasoned lightly, and spritzed with good olive oil.

You will notice I have said nothing about preparing the sausage. That is because all the flavor is already inside. The only addition is a touch of cherry smoke, produced from cherry-wood chips I have been soaking in water. Right before the meat goes on, I drain the chips, pat them dry, and set them in a smoke box at the back corner of the grill. A torch lights them. The smoke that follows is fragrant, gentle, and unmistakable.

The smoke emits a sweet fragrance that spreads through the neighborhood. I have not received any complaints.

A Word to the Wise

Do not do what I did. I headed out to light the grill and discovered the propane tank was empty. Everything came to a screeching halt while I removed the old tank, drove up the road, purchased a full one, drove home, and hooked it up. Check the tank before you begin.

Photograph by Murray Schulman

On the Grates

My grill is set up with a cast-iron griddle plate for the peppers and onions, and open grates for everything else. The vegetables cook separately, because I do not want to add the smoke to them. I take them off just before they are fully done and let them rest to the perfect texture.

Then the wood chips are lit. The meat goes on by section. First the chicken, then the country pork ribs (yes, they will come out tender), and finally the sausage, by type. This particular Saturday, that meant Sweet Italian, the Texas Twinkie, Jalapeño Cheddar, Philly Cheese Steak, and Blueberry Maple.

• Jalapeño Cheddar. It bites back. It is also smoked, which means it does not want to be overcooked. A quick pass on the open grate to pick up the flavor is enough.
• The Texas Twinkie. A fascinating blend of smoked brisket, jalapeños, Oaxaca cheese, and bacon.
• Blueberry Maple. Needs more care. The sugar content is high, so I keep it on a cooler zone to avoid a burnt glaze.

The Glaze

The pork and chicken take on a beautiful color and are ready for a very light glaze made with a sauce I discovered at a local pop-up farm market called Magic Man’s Gimme Some Suga’. Six peppers, seven natural sweeteners, and a discreet handful of spices. I use it sparingly so it complements what the marinade has already built, rather than overpowering it.

The chicken and pork take on a golden shine, aromatic and delicious. The sausage plumps, the grill marks come up, and the cherry smoke complements each individual recipe. At this exact point, it is speed and coordination that really count. Everything must come off the heat at the precise moment of doneness.

Chapter IV · The Plate

The Plate, and the People Around It

Once everything is off the grill, it is ready to be plated. I am equally passionate about how the food looks. The aromas from what I have been preparing tend to draw out the neighbors to see what I am up to. A garnish should complement the flavor or the style of the dish, no more, no less.

The best part of the process is the look on a guest’s face at the first taste. The smile tells the whole story. There is nothing that gives me greater pleasure than getting together for a summer weekend cookout with family and friends. Planning, great ingredients, bold experimentation, precise execution, and the happy expressions of your guests. That is the whole of it. I hope you will do the same.

Happy grilling.