Grist for the grill

Barbecue mavens will tell you the urge to cook over an open fire dates to prehistoric times. Although these days, cooking outside probably has as much to do with the urge to get out of the kitchen as it does with any remnants of ancient hunt-it-down-and-cook-it habits.
Outdoor cooking, which has enjoyed growing popularity in recent years, has gone experimental. Move over burgers and brats, folks are firing up the barbie and slapping on pizza and pound cake, quesadillas and prime rib.
The sky ? or at least the grocery store and garden ? is the limit when it comes to what can be cooked on a grill.
?If you know what you?re doing, there?s absolutely nothing you can?t cook on the grill,? says John Head, senior vice president of operations for the Denver-based Culinary Institute of Smoke Cooking.
Head ought to know. He?s one of 19 certified master barbecue cooks in the world.
Ribs, vegetables, fruits, rack of lamb … name it, Head has likely cooked it on a barbecue grill.
?If you?ve got a pretty good grill you can roast, you can rotisserie, you can do all kinds of stuff,? Head explained. ?You can make it into an oven.?
Prime rib is a favorite grill-cooked dish for Head. ?On a two-burner grill I cook an eight-pound boneless prime rib at 350 degrees for three hours and 15 minutes,? Head says, rattling off preparation directions. The meat is cooked with indirect heat. Only one burner is on, the grill lid is closed with the meat on the grill over the burner that is off.
Before cooking, rub the meat with garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. ?The trick with good meat is you need to spice it to your own taste.?
Prime rib on the grill is virtually mainstream when it comes to some of the other dishes that Head makes over outdoor flames.
Head prepares bananas foster a la grill using aluminum foil. Place the foil on the grill, top with caramel sauce and bananas. Crimp the foil closed and cook for five minutes; use available barbecue tools to hold off salivating guests until done.
Cook whole apples and pears on the grill as well for a sweet and simple dessert. ?You can roast them,? Head says. ?You can core them and fill them with cinnamon sugar and butter. Set on a 325-degree grill and cook for about 15 minutes. ?It?s amazingly fast. The beauty of grilling is it?s quick.?
Eileen Heusinkveld, owner of A Taste of Class, a kitchen-supply shop in Loveland, said that the growing market for grilling gewgaws offers evidence of the cooking technique?s popularity. ?I just placed a big order for different types of utensils and baskets. It?s gotten to be a huge market.
?A lot of the items we?ve been bringing in are new food products, marinades, grilling sauces and finishing sauces.?
Heusinkveld speculates that grilling interest has continued to grow as men have taken on more of interest in cooking. ?Where men might not feel as comfortable in the kitchen,? (and of course many do feel comfortable in the kitchen, she notes) ? the grill is kind of a manly thing to do.?
Matches and combustibles? Go get ?em guys.
Heusinkveld said the proliferation of grilling-related cookbooks offers further evidence of grilling?s popularity. ?People are putting everything on the grill. There are even some desserts and things you can put on a grill. It?s a big deal.?
Chef, caterer and cooking instructor James Buehler, owner of Catering to You by James in Loveland, likes the flavor that grilling imparts. And Buehler is no stranger to experimenting with foods and food preparation.
?That?s one of the things I love about cooking ? there are not many rules involved.?
Buehler says grilling fruits and vegetables is easy. Make sure the grill is clean, first. Splash veggies with a bit of virgin olive oil, fruits with just a bit of water and slap ?em on.
?Pineapple can be very tasty grilled for a garnish? over chicken, sausages or pork, he suggested. Try grilled papaya as well.
Buehler also likes to cook tomatoes and onions on the grill. With any of these foods he advises selecting types that are firm and will hold together.
Breads, too, are fine cooked on the grill. Croutons, bruschetta and pizza all can be prepared over open flame. For a quick and tasty pizza, Buehler tops pita rounds with sauce, toppings and cheese and throws those on the grill. ?Shut the lid so that the toppings melt. Those are pretty yummy and fun at tailgate parties on little grills.?
Whether the menu calls for hot dogs or eggplant, the trick is to know how to control the heat, when grilling. ?I think every cook knows the axiom of good cooking is a function of time and temperature,? Head said
Heat, by the way, is heat, says this barbecue expert. For those grappling with the question of charcoal or gas, Head has an answer. ?It doesn?t matter ? Electric, gas, charcoal, wood. It just doesn?t matter.?

rendezvous

? For information on the Culinary Institute of Smoke Cooking, visit www.bbqcookingschool.com.
? For hints on safe cooking with the grill, visit www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Barbecue_Food_Safety.
? Catering to You by James, 302 S.E. 3rd St., Loveland; (970) 430-0452, www.cateringtoyoubyjames.com
? A Taste of Class, 1159 Eagle Drive, Loveland, (970) 669-5653, www.tasteofclass.com

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