By John Selick
I noticed two things not so long ago, while I was working outside getting my yard ready for winter. First, all my neighbors had the same leaf blower. Did I buy the wrong one? Was there a Groupon I missed? The other thing I noticed is they were all putting their grills away, and that’s when I stopped feeling crazy for having the wrong leaf blower and started thinking they were crazy for not wanting to do some wintertime grilling.
Burgers and dogs off the grill comprise the quintessential summer fare; just thinking about the aroma and flavor brings back memories of backyard parties with friends and family. But you also can grill delicious food in the winter.
We’ve had to transition from making handheld foods like burgers and hot dogs to things like steak and chops that need to be served on a platter since we’re eating indoors instead of on the deck. Please realize I’m not outside cooking during s a blizzard, but the past few years have been rather mild and standing in front of a hot grill gives you a chance to get some much-needed fresh air.
Low and slow barbecuing is also perfect for wintertime cooking, especially if you cook with charcoal or wood instead of a gas grill. When you do traditional barbecue or smoking, maintaining low temperatures is the key. You generally want to keep the grill temperature around 225 degrees, and the cold weather can help keep the temperature low. This is the ideal temperature for smoking a pork shoulder, but whole chickens and turkey work really well with this method, as well.
Even with the low temperatures, you will want to cook over indirect heat, which means the food is off to the side of the fire. Otherwise, it will burn if it’s directly over the flame. If you’re using a gas grill, the same method applies. Just leave a row or two of burners off and place your food there.
Autumn vegetables are also great to cook over a winter fire. My favorite is butternut squash; I cook it whole right next to the fire. You don’t even have to peel it, maybe a little spritz of olive oil but even that’s not necessary. It does take about an hour or more, but let it burn away. When it’s tender and cool enough to handle, just scrape away the burnt skin and the resulting product can be dressed up with a wide assortment of ingredients from maple syrup, vinaigrettes, fresh herbs or even Greek yogurt. Eggplant is treated this way for baba ganoush, if you have experience with that; you will love preparing butternut squash in this fashion.
Get a good grill cover, one that fits well and won’t blow away, and maybe some warm boots. Now you’re ready to make delicious meals on the grill this winter.
