Courtesy of Miller Lite, through the month of November, we’ll be showing you how to lifehack your way into better football. Today, we’ll be looking at the ancient art of applying fire to various delicious foods.
For many people, football at home with their friends is synonymous with rolling out the grill and getting a nice sear on some meat. But there’s grilling, and then there’s grilling. Here are some lifehacks to get more out of your time outside.
Use Chemistry For A Better Steak
Getting that pretty steakhouse sear on your beef is, as any grill expert can tell you, much, much harder than it looks. But it’s easy if you know your chemistry. Simply make a mixture of half salt and half cornstarch, rub it on your steaks as a light coating, and freeze them for about half an hour.
Why? Getting a good crust means the surface of the steak has to be completely dry. The salt and cornstarch suck all the moisture off the surface of the steak, and then just cook off when you grill it. You’ll get the perfect sear, every time.
Smoking Your Beef
[protected-iframe id=”93816238c173b831ac98afb2b5f1be0c-60970621-60059703″ info=”https://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=94cnkwYzpZYVq3ULbRrBBJ2oLLMKia17&pbid=464f719a18194b6a837cec58873eb216″ width=”650px” height=”400px”]
Ever priced a smoker? Ever thought “$600 is a lot for something I’ll use a few times a year?” You’re right, it is. Do this instead.
Get a big stock pot and line it with aluminum foil. Put in the wood chips for your smoke, and top them with more foil, poking a few holes in the top. Put a steaming rack into the pot, put the meat on the rack, put the lid on the pot, seal it with more foil, and turn the heat up to high on your stove. If your grill’s hot enough, you can put it there, too. Either smoke the meat all the way through, or smoke enough to get some flavor in before it hits the grill.
Marinate It In Beer And Nuke It
Grilling, while delicious, has a potential to create carcinogens, which are bad for you and, worse, taste terrible. It’s been scientifically shown that soaking your meat in beer reduces both those problems. Popping it in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds also helps it get a better sear and more flavor. Oh, and beer makes the meat tender and juicy, which is really the main reason we bring it up.
Start Your Charcoal The Easy Way
One of the problems of a grill, especially a charcoal grill, is getting it lit. So, save yourself a little aggravation, with a cardboard egg carton. Slot the briquettes into the spaces on the carton, with a firestarter such as newspaper under the briquette, light the carton, and leave it on the coals. By the time the cardboard’s burned off, the charcoal will be lit.
Grill The Perfect Chicken, Every Time
Grilled chicken can be delicious. It can also be a dry disappointment. How do you solve this? With a brick!
Wrap a brick in two layers of foil and rest that on top of your bone-in chicken. It’ll flatten the chicken out, ensuring it grills more evenly. This prevents dry chicken, and has the added bonus of making you look cool.
Next week, we’ll show you how to overhaul your beer and serve a better snack. See you then!