Ready, Set, Grill! Answering Your Grilling Questions

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, is upon us. For many, that means it's time to fire up those grills. And even though the weather is going to feel more like early spring than summer, this is also the weekend Massachusetts will lift all COVID-19 restrictions, which means you might even find yourself celebrating like we used to. We take listener calls and talk about favorite recipes, marinades, and grilling tips with local chef and culinary instructor Joe Gatto, host of "From Scratch" on Pluto TV, and Cheryl Straughter, chef and owner of Soleil in Nubian Square.

Gatto: "The big thing for me when I'm on the grill is you want to get those coals super hot, you want to make sure they're white and really, really hot where you can't really hold your hand too long over those coals. Because you're really looking for that heat for caramelization, which is the key to everything. So we can't get that beautiful sear if we're cooking too early. We don't want that to happen because we're not going to get that browning happening, and that caramelization and that yumminess. So definitely get your grill hot. That's a big, big thing."

Gatto: "You want to get a little char on that corn. So, what I do to cut down time when we're cooking for the family or having a big epic barbecue, doing something like that, I boil it beforehand just to cook it and then I finish it on the grill. And you want that char on there, you want to get that beautiful char to get those flavors. So it's getting nice and complex because the sugars in the corn are going to just slightly char and burn and brown and it's going to be all different flavors and textures through the whole corn, on the whole cob. ... And then you could make a nice little garlic butter or something that like that for the table, which people will slather all over it and shove in their pie hole."

Straughter: "If you cut the vegetables lengthwise, let's say, for example, zucchini or yellow squash that grows nicely, you could always do the circular cut for eggplant. But I also like sweet potatoes on a grill as well. So anything veggie and firm works for me on a grill."

"I start out with some water to get it a little tender. You don't want it too soft, you want it a little firm so it will stand up on the grill. But I do put it in the water, [add] some seasoning, and then put it on the grill with some cinnamon and brown sugar."

Straughter: "There are some patterns that are perforated and you get those ridges that will give that grill look. So let's say, for example, I want to have some salmon. A neat way to do salmon is to marinate in a marinade. A real quick one is an acid, an oil and an herb. So, for example, you could mix lemon, lemon juice, lemon rind with an oil and some fresh herbs. Let your salmon sit in that for a little while and put it on a hot perforated pan and it will look like it was grilled. ... It will still taste as if it were kept inside. It will look and give the appearance of being grilled. You can make a smoker in your house. I don't know how much people want to get into foil and wood chips and things like that in their home, but you can actually make a small version of a smoker on your stove."

Gatto: "I'm a big believer in a dry rub and then hitting it with the sauce after. And for that, I'm using some cayenne, I'm using some chipotle so I can get a little smoke and heat, some chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then I'm rubbing those wings down and I'm baking those off, and then I'm finishing them on the grill when I'm hitting them with a nice barbecue sauce that I've made — because you want to let those wings cook first and then hit him with the sauce at the very end. You're not burning your sauce, but you're getting that nice char on there and it's all sticky and it makes that gooey mess that you can just, you know, you should be using at least 10 napkins."

Straughter: "I'm pretty consistent with the rub and the ingredients that we shared is what I use across the board. I mean, it's important to have that cayenne, that cumin. Those are good combinations. I like onion powder. There are pre-made rubs that you can get in the store if you don't want to follow a recipe. But it is important to rub and then cook because you want to season your food at each level. I know some people will just take chicken, put it in a marinade and then put it on the grill. I season my chicken, let it sit for a few hours and then I'll put it in a marinade – like I want that intense flavor at every level that I am handling the food."

Gatto: "You can do it directly on the grates if you pre-bake your crust a bit. But, you know, for us, we use a product called the Steel, the baking steel, which goes right on our grill. We can get that up to 500-600 degrees and really get that super hot. Because for me, that's the key to a good pizza. When you're sliding on your pizza dough, you want that "leoparding" on the bottom, you want that beautiful (leopard-like spotting) across on the bottom, and you don't want to cook too long. You just want it to rise and you want the cheese to melt on top. So we were really looking for a lot of heat. I love using the steel. You can use a stone as well. I find the steel is much more effective than a stone because the stones crack very easily if you're doing it directly on the grate... If you want to make it really easy, do it partly in your oven, then finish your whole pizza on the grill and get some lump charcoal on there. So you get the smoke, you get the fire and you'll get that beautiful effect — it will be delicious."

Gatto: "I take the turkey meat and then I have like an Italian turkey sausage and I grind that up and mix it in with the turkey meat, and you get this amazing flavor and it holds together. People just can't figure out why it's so tasty. It'll just hit and it's really easy and you can change the flavors up. Really, really, really simple."

Straughter:" [The] Impossible Burger is a good replication of a beef burger. The thing with Impossible burgers is you have to infuse it with a lot of seasoning. So I like Montreal steak seasoning, rub it on the Impossible burger. That's the best that I've tasted so far when it comes to a non-traditional burger."

How much does the quality of meat matter when you're grilling?

Gatto: "That's everything. I mean, quality is what counts. The best way for me...is very few ingredients, but quality ingredients. And for me, I'm not big on big, huge burgers. I like sliders. That's my jam. But doing a grind yourself, we use a little brisket and Chuck; we grind that and get just top-notch beef. You want to taste the beef and that's what the whole burger is about. So spend your money there, and make some rolls yourself. They're super easy to make and that's a really tasty treat."