By Steve Dresser | From BayLines Express, June, 2021
Now that the warm weather is here, it’s time to think about all the things that make summer so much fun—like the smell of a backyard cookout on a warm Sunday afternoon. I had always assumed that cooking on a grill required some sight, but after hearing that a totally blind friend of mine had successfully managed it, I decided to see what I could do. It turned out to be far easier than I thought, and I’d like to share the experience.
A word of warning before you don your chef’s outfit and rush off to the nearest store credit card in hand. If you’re going to use a grill of any kind, you’ll be working around an open flame; you have to expect a certain amount of heat. There are several easy ways to manage both, as you’ll soon see, but if you’re frightened by the prospect of having your hands near the fire, my advice is to sit back, enjoy the aroma, eat the food, and let someone else do the cooking.
The most essential item for outdoor cooking is of course, the grill. There are two types—those that burn charcoal briquettes and those that run on propane gas. I ruled out charcoal-burning grills because I didn’t want to mess with briquettes and lighter fluid. I also knew that when you cook with charcoal, you have to let the fire burn down to the point where the coals glow red hot before you can put anything on the grill. This requires more patience than I have. Furthermore, I’ve noticed that many sighted people have trouble mastering the fine art of controlling a charcoal flame. I prefer a gas grill for two reasons: there’s almost no mess involved, and the flame is controlled by simply turning a dial. You don’t even have to worry about matches since most gas grills have an electric igniter which lights the gas at the touch of a button.
Gas grills come in several shapes and sizes and cost anywhere from $100 to $5000. I chose one with two burners for $169, which looked reasonably well-built, but didn’t have lots of features that I thought I might never use. I may someday outgrow this grill, but for now it is quite adequate. Incidentally, the grill will have to be assembled. This takes about two hours and may require the aid of a sighted friend.
Before you can start using your new grill, make sure that the grill’s propane tank has been filled. This means a trip to a gas station, or some other place equipped to fill propane tanks. Remember that propane is a highly explosive fuel, so read and heed the accompanying instructions for its use and storage.
Before you start to dazzle your friends with culinary wonders, you need to assemble your arsenal of tools for handling the food. First on the list is a good pair of oven mitts. I prefer the kind that come up to the elbow. After all, summer is the time for short sleeved shirts, and you want to keep your arms away from the open flame. Next, you’ll need something to turn the food. Some people like to use a long-handled fork for this purpose, but I prefer either a double-sided spatula or a pair of tongs because I think these devices give me better control over the food. If you can’t find double-sided spatulas or tongs in your favorite cookware store, they are available from several places online.
While double-sided spatulas and tongs work well with steaks and other large pieces of meat, they’re practically useless for flipping hamburgers or some types of fish which tend to break and crumble. In these situations, a wire basket is the perfect solution. These baskets come in several shapes and sizes, depending on the type of food they’re designed to hold. I bought two of them; one designed to hold up to four hamburger patties, and the other (called a “barbecue basket”) intended for more general use. While the hamburger basket is smaller and more maneuverable, the barbecue basket will hold pieces of chicken, lamb chops, or even various types of fish.
Now that you’re equipped with all the necessary tools, it’s time to fire up the grill and begin cooking. Most smaller grills have two burners, each of which is controlled by a knob with a pointer. Fortunately for us, grills have not yet become as high tech as some other appliances — no digital displays or touch-sensitive keypads to confound us — just rotating knobs with pointers that we can feel! Each pointer swings in an arc running from about 12:30 (off) to 9:30 (highest intensity flame) to 5:30 (lowest intensity). I do most of my cooking with the pointer set somewhere between 6 and 7 o’clock. You’ll have to experiment a bit here, since the position of the control may vary from grill to grill. In general, however, you use the lower flame for chicken and other small pieces of meat which need to cook more slowly, while the higher settings are more suitable for steaks. Remember, though, that the higher the flame, the more you’ll have to pay close attention to what you’re doing. One momentary distraction, and you may end up with something more appropriate for a fire sale than a cookout.
Once you get the flame properly adjusted, you’ll find that your success as a backyard cook depends on timing. Here again, you’ll have to experiment, although there are a few simple principles to keep in mind. Thicker pieces of meat require more time to cook than thinner ones. Generally, I cook steaks anywhere from six to eight minutes per side. Pork chops and chicken take from 10 to 12 minutes per side and seem to come out best with a low flame (the pointer on the control between six and six-thirty). The optimum cooking time for swordfish is about eight minutes per side, again depending on the thickness of the cut. You may want to have a sighted friend inspect your handiwork the first few times, but once you draw up your own list of optimal cooking times and pointer positions, you’ll find that your results are consistent.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, you’re ready to venture into the wonderful world of backyard barbecuing. I hope that you too will discover how much fun it can be. Bon appetit!