Press

Some like it smoked

Though for a while it seemed that summer had been ambushed, tied up and locked in a closet, it looks like (and I'm crossing my fingers here) it has finally arrived. Which means that all those friends you promised to have over when the weather improved are waiting for their computers to chime, "You've got dinner."

If you're like me, you want to work your way down your guest list as quickly as possible. One solution that won't require turning on the oven -- and that keeps everyone out in the glorious summer air -- is to grill a large hunk of meat that feeds six to eight. Cooking an expensive roast on the grill might be a bit more intimidating than cooking chops or burgers, but it's easy and definitely feels festive for company.

I asked Jennifer Buehler, chef de cuisine at Lauro Kitchen, whether she had some suggestions for this challenge. An old hand at the grill, she grew up in Independence, Mo., with a father who religiously "grilled steaks on Friday nights with french fries and A-1 Sauce," she said.

Her dad (a chemical engineer) worked days, and her mother (a nurse) worked nights, so Buehler often made dinner for her parents and younger brother. "Summertime would come, and I'd have my Weber and my charcoal and I'd grill up kebabs or steaks," she said. Buehler still grills almost every night when she's not at the restaurant.

For the challenge of feeding a crowd, Buehler prefers a kettle grill and charcoal to get that crusty exterior, smoky taste and meltingly tender interior, but you can achieve delicious results with a gas grill, too. The biggest decision, she said, is whether to simply grill the meat or to smoke-roast it. You can make the decision depending on how much time you have and what cut you plan to cook.

With grilling, the meat is cooked over a bed of hot coals or a gas burner set fairly high (this is called direct heat), and it's a relatively quick method. The "grill" flavor comes mostly from the slight char that you'll get on the meat, rather than from a true smokiness, though you can toss some wood chips into the mix for a hint of smoke, if you like.

Smoke-roasting involves setting up the grill so the meat isn't directly over the heat source but, rather, the heat surrounds the food -- more like in an oven. You're cooking the meat indirectly at a low temperature for up to several hours, and in the process, the food picks up the flavors of either hardwood fuel or smoking chips.

Thick cuts such as pork loin, fatty ones like brisket and pork shoulder, and other large but relatively tender roasts are perfect for smoke-roasting, while thinner pieces such as butterflied leg of lamb are great grilled directly over coals.

Fire isn't the only flavor-booster in this method. It's important to add flavor to the meat early, with a brine, dry rub or marinade. Generally speaking, brine (a salt-and-sugar solution, usually flavored with herbs and spices) works well on lighter, drier meats such as pork and chicken because the brine is absorbed by the meat. It not only flavors it but also "moisturizes," which prevents it from drying out during cooking. Dry rubs don't penetrate the meat, but they add a delicious crust that becomes more savory as it interacts with the heat.

Marinades, contrary to popular belief, don't actually tenderize meat unless they contain a dairy product, like Buehler's Greek-inspired yogurt marinade for her butterflied leg of lamb. According to food scientist Shirley Corriher, marinades with a high proportion of acidic ingredients, such as lemon juice or vinegar, can toughen the meat because the acid "cooks" the protein; think ceviche. Enzymatic marinades -- those containing papaya or pineapple juice -- tend to soften rather than tenderize, meaning the meat gets mushy. It's not quite clear why dairy works, though it seems the calcium has an effect on the meat's own enzymes, but yogurt and buttermilk are good bets for tenderizing and adding their own tangy flavor.

If you are going to smoke-roast, you need some smoke, of course. Buehler's last piece of advice was on using chips, and if you think of the last time you went camping and tried to build a fire with wet wood, you'll know why this is important. On the lamb and pork she used apple chips that had been soaked for 24 hours, and the smoke that came from them when they were sprinkled on top of the red-hot coals gave the meat that lovely smoky taste and smell that you remember from your camping trips. In other words, the fragrance of summer in Oregon.

Kathleen Bauer is a Portland food writer and graphic designer. She writes FOODday's Market Watch column as well as a blog, goodstuffnw.blogspot.com.