Grill Roasting

As much as it costs to run the air conditioner these days, why turn on the kitchen oven? We cook tender cuts of meat on the grill using it as a broiler, so why not use the backyard grill as an oven?

When cooking less tender cuts such as roasts or poultry, try using indirect heat. By using one burner, left or right, and placing the food on the other side of the grill we turn the grill into an oven. If using a charcoal grill, we place the coals to one side and place the food on the opposite side. The food cooks evenly and produces a flavorful crust that people enjoy without the need for a sauce.

Before we can use the grill as an oven, we need to get to know our grill a little better. Hopefully your grill has a thermometer on the cover, but how accurate is it, and does it measure the temperature where the food is? The difference between where the food is and where the thermometer probe is can be up to 100 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, get one! It doesn’t take much effort to drill a small hole in the cover and use a clothespin to hold a thermometer in place and you will save ten times the amount you paid by not overcooking your food.

To get an accurate reading of the temperature where the food will be, pre heat your grill to high heat, place an inexpensive oven thermometer on the grid near the center and close the cover. Wait about ten minutes and record the temperature on the cover thermometer; this is your grills air temperature. Open the cover and record the temperature of the grid thermometer; this is your grills “grid” temperature. The grid temperature is important because that is where your food will be cooked. Noting the difference in temperatures between the air temp and grid temp allows you to keep the cover closed while checking the grid temperature. For example, the grills air temp reads 300 therefore the grid temp is 400 (roasting temperature). Just like an oven, when the grill cover is opened the heat escapes and it takes 5-10 minutes to recover the heat lost.

Grill Roasted Chicken Thighs

Season to taste one hour before cooking. Prepare grill for indirect heat, 350-400 degrees. Place thighs, skin side down on cool side of grill. Cover and maintain temperature for twenty minutes. Turn skin side up and cover for 20 minutes. Turn skin side down for twenty more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Don’t forget that side dishes can also be prepared on the grill, too! I use the upper rack of my grill to hold a baking sheet full of frozen French fries during the last 20 or so minutes of cooking time. When dinner is served, try baking some cookies for dessert on the upper rack of your grill!