INDOOR GRILL MASTER
Summer can be a depressing time for food-loving apartment dwellers like me. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, cooking magazines arrive offering “Juicy Grilling Secrets” and “55 Ways To Spice Up Your Grill,” while most Food Network programming feels like an anthropological documentary about suburban charcoal-worshipping rituals. My heart sinks a little when an otherwise appealing recipe from the newspaper contains some combination of the words build, fire, ash, and coals. To be clear, I enjoy a flamekissed hunk of protein as much as the next meat eater, but due to the nature of city living, I have very few options when it comes to grilling outdoors. Before you suggest a portable Weber on the fire escape, know that the Fire Department once gave my
building a citation for the three small herb plants that were cheerfully growing out there. But as these last weeks of summer fade into autumn, I’m determined to do what some have called pointless or even impossible: to translate the rugged mystique of grilling for the climate-controlled certainty of the indoors. And I’m here to report that it can be done. First, you need the right equipment and the best (and most common) type of indoor grill is the hearty, old-fashioned grill pan. This dependable castiron skillet (or griddle) is ridged to mimic the grill-marking power of its outdoor cousins. The most noticeable characteristic distinguishing grilled meats and vegetables from foods cooked differently is the crispy crust that forms
due to the “Maillard reaction,” a process in which amino acids react with sugars to produce browning and a bevy of wonderful and not entirely understood flavor compounds. Grill pans are very good at producing this reaction whereas contact grills and similarly enclosed contraptions often end up steaming the food in its own juices rather than grilling it. However, having the right equipment is only half the battle; indoor grilling presents a host of other potential pitfalls that I have selflessly tumbled into for your benefit. For starters, because you’re not working in the great outdoors, smoke loses much of the romance it is normally afforded in grilling circles. This is where protein prep comes in. By all means marinate, but be sure your meat has been patted very dry with paper towels before putting it on the grill pan. As for oil, do not glug it directly into your pan. Instead, take grilling guru Steven Raichlen’s advice and use a paper towel to lubricate only the ridges to prevent sticking, as pooled oil in the valleys interferes with the dry part of dry heat and is, in any case, very likely to burn. This is no place for olive oil; canola or grapeseed oil, with their higher smoking points,
are better suited to the task. Apart from smoke, indoor grilling’s main drawback is splatter. As meat releases its fat and water content on a regular grill, these liquids fall into the heat source and are instantly resurrected as flavor-imparting vapors. On a grill pan, they rudely explode all over your stovetop, counters, cookbooks, pants . . . anything within a 1- to 2-foot radius, really. There’s no way to avoid this. As for approximating those flavor-giving vapors: Grilling purists will argue that indoor grilling simply cannot compete with the smoky deliciousness that charcoal or wood impart, and they’re right to some extent. But that doesn’t mean you can’t cheat with a little bit of creative spice hacking. Consider adding a pinch or three of smoked paprika (known in Spanish as pimentòn), chipotle powder, or smoked salt to your rubs or a few drops of natural liquid smoke to your barbecue sauces. And if anyone does give you flack, inform them that they are welcome to go parry with strangers over that rusted public grill in the park. You will be waiting back in the air conditioning with your crisp drink; and perfectly seared steak for when they return with their sweat, warm drinks and precious authenticity. WASHINGTON POST