This is the season to consider that old and likely neglected gas grill you have been using. Take a few minutes to inspect it, making sure it remains sturdy, not wobbly and in danger of falling over when it’s operating. Also be sure your burners are clean, and the flame is blue and not bright orange and sooty, which will mean your air jets are clogged. Take a closer look at the burners and clean them. Now the grates, or grill surfaces, will need attention. The best are ceramic coated and just need a good scouring or brushing. Do it once at the start of your season and you’ll be rewarded by trouble free grill cooking.
I love my gas grill; it’s a modest two burner, and heats up quickly. It’s convenient, clean and trouble free, but for truly great flavor, I also have a Weber that I use for charcoal. Thank God I live in The Pines, and haven’t burned anyone’s house down yet. I keep a bag of mesquite chips handy that I soak in water and sprinkle over the coals. Come to think of it, I also like to lay a few mesquite chips atop the coals on the gas burner too. The taste is incredible. I’ve seen monster limousine style grills made of stainless steel, but to me they’re awkward, slow to work with and not all that good for sauces. Unless I’m cooking for a mob, which I rarely ever do, the small one suits.
A few more grilling tips: always oil your grill grates. Spraying Pam will sometimes cause a flashback, so be careful to do it before you light the fire. I like to wipe oil in the grates just prior to placing the food on, and also make sure there is some oil on the food to keep it from sticking. None of it stays on the food by the time you eat it. Know the fast spots on your own grill which are hottest and which tend to take longer to cook. Most grills vary, so knowing your own grill’s peculiarities will be useful to you. Learn to judge the heat of your grill. It’s hot enough if you can just barely hold your hand over it to the slow count of four.
I try to not move my food around a lot, since that tends to break it up, especially fish, or burgers. I do break this rule when I need to rotate food from hot to less hot areas to ensure that everything gets cooked at the same time. Use a spatula and back up the food to be sure you get the tool underneath the food.
I like to turn my food only once, the less handling it has to endure the better it will look, and taste. Some people feel the need to play with the food, turning it, moving it around, in the belief they are really cooking, and that’s what cooking is, but it ain’t. It’s normal, lots of people do that, and well, if that’s you then go for it, but real cooking is about being patient, trusting the fire and love.
Determining the degree of doneness is a trick anyone can master after a few tries. I poke meat, and depending on its firmness, I pretty much know where it is. It’s easy. If I can do it, you can. Try poking the meat when it’s raw. See how firm it is, and how it yields to pressure. Now as it cooks, you’ll start to see it firming up. In time you will learn which degree of firmness corresponds to your desired degree of done. That’s all there is to it!
One subject you can write a book about is rubs for BBQ’s. These are seasonings you rub all over your meats, leaving them for a while, letting the flavors permeate, and also forming an exterior crust while they are being grilled. In honor of your freedom, Saltarians, I’m going to give you my secret dry rub for barbecues that works perfectly on chicken, pork and beef. Don’t be leery about pulling off chicken skin, either, it’s healthier.

MY VERY OWN DRY RUB:
4 TB BROWN SUGAR
2 TB COARSE SALT
2 TB GARLIC POWDER
2 TB ONION POWDER
1/2 TSP CAYENNE
2 TB GROUND PEPPER
3 TB GROUND CUMIN
2 TB OREGANO
2 TB THYME
2 TB HICKORY SEASONING
2 TB WHITE SUGAR
1 TB GROUND CORRIANDER
1 TB GROUND GINGER
1/2 TB GROUND CLOVE
1/2 TB GROUND CINNAMON
1/2 TB GROUND NUTMEG
1 TB GROUND CARDAMOM
MIX WELL STORE IN A SEALED JAR, KEEP IN A COOL DRY PLACE

RUB WELL INTO THE MEAT. ALLOW TO STAND AT LEAST AN HOUR
GRILL AT LOW HEAT. THE SUGAR WILL BURN OTHERWISE.

SAUCE: MASTERPIECE BBQ SAUCE WITH SOY SAUCE AND SESAME OIL.

Dry marinade for tuna. Crush whole cumin, corriander, fennel seeds. Add some ground black pepper, salt and sprinkle generously over oiled fish. Generouosy add some orange zest, and lemon zest. Allow to sit ten minutes and grill on oiled grill. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fish.
The key to very good grilling is a low fire so the juices stay and caramelize on the meat, and the outside doesn’t burn.
Now I have to tell you about a dish I rediscovered recently called Bracciole (say “brajool” if you’re southern Italian). It’s a packet of beef or pork, enclosing some kind of delicious filling which changes depending on the region, the cook and the occasion. Festive times demand more elaborate fillings. The packages are tied up, browned and then cooked in a bath of red sauce ‘till meltingly tender, and the kitchen smells like heaven. It wasn’t really all that difficult to make, but I rarely did it, and then when I was in the Marina Meat Market last week, I saw some in the meat case. Sal, the resident Italian (cook-like-your-Italian mama), had made up a few. He’s an old world style butcher, doing preparations you can take home and easily finish off yourself. His were filled with fennel sausage, parsley and cheese, and maybe a few secrets, generously seasoned on the outside with more parsley, salt and pepper.
I bought two of the pork ones and placed them in the pan with plenty of olive oil, and browned them on all sides, gently, not over a high fire. Italian food deserves patience. In went plenty of chopped garlic, a few anchovies, some red pepper flakes, red wine to clean the bottom of the pan, then cooked away the wine, a few herbs, a can of crushed tomatoes, some water to thin out the sauce, and an hour of gentle simmering. The beauty of Italian cooking is its simplicity.
I cut up some zucchini which I sautéed with a dangerous amount of garlic, and served it alongside. A few Italian rolls from the Pantry finished the meal. You really need bread to mop up the sauce. Don’t waste a drop of it.