Grills

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Outdoor charcoal grill with a heavy grate
• •Large chimney starter
• •Long grill tongs
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the meat

   Trim any heavy exterior fat to about ¼ inch (6 mm), leaving enough to baste the meat without feeding constant flare-ups. Pat every surface thoroughly dry and set the meat on a tray while you prepare the fire. Moisture turns to vapour against the grate and delays browning; a dry surface begins forming its crust at once.

   Choose steaks and chops of even thickness. Price matters less than geometry here, because pieces of the same thickness reach their centres at roughly the same pace.
2. 2

   Build the coal bed

   Light enough charcoal to fill a large chimney starter and use the grill outdoors in open air. Wait until the pieces glow beneath a light coat of ash and any first smoke has cleared. Pour the coals into a bed two pieces deep beneath the centre, thinning to one layer around the edge and leaving one quarter of the grill empty. If wind enters strongly from one side, raise the bed slightly there so the whole cooking area radiates more evenly.

3. 3

   Heat the bars fiercely

   Set the grate over the coals, open the lower vents, and heat it for 8 to 10 minutes before cooking. Scrape the bars clean. Blot the meat once more, brush it with the thinnest film of oil, and season all sides evenly with the salt. Oil the meat, not the fire; excess fat dripping onto the coals gives the grillades an acrid taste.

4. 4

   Grill without crowding

   Lay the beef over the thick central bed and leave at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) between the pieces. After 2 minutes, arrange the lamb chops around the slightly gentler shoulder of the fire, pointing their bare bones toward the cooler rim. Don't press the meat and don't shuffle it about. If dripping fat raises flames, move the offending piece to the empty zone immediately; once the flame subsides, return it to clean heat. Never spray the coals with water, which scatters ash onto dinner.

5. 5

   Turn when released

   Turn the beef after 4 to 5 minutes and the lamb after 2 to 3 minutes, once their undersides are deeply bronzed. If a piece clings, don't tear it loose. Ça se rattrape: leave it undisturbed for another 30 to 60 seconds while the crust finishes forming, then lift it cleanly with tongs. Cook the second sides for roughly the same time, shifting any rapidly browning piece toward the edge.

6. 6

   Check and rest

   Check through the side of each piece with an instant-read thermometer. For medium-rare, remove the beef at 130 to 135°F (54 to 57°C) and the lamb at 135 to 140°F (57 to 60°C). For medium, or when following the standard whole-cut safety target, cook to 145°F (63°C) and rest for at least 3 minutes. Rest the steaks for 8 minutes and the chops for 5 minutes, loosely sheltered rather than tightly wrapped. If a cut proves too rare when checked, return it to the gentler edge for 30 seconds per side; underdone meat can be rescued, overdone meat cannot.

7. 7

   Carve and serve

   Crack the pepper over the rested meat, keeping it off the fierce fire where it would scorch. Slice the beef across the grain and leave the lamb chops whole, then arrange both on a warm platter and spoon over every resting juice from the tray. Taste one cut edge and add a final pinch of salt if needed. One cook, one grill, one evening. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Natural lump charcoal gives fierce heat, while good plain briquettes make the most even bed. Either works once fully lit and clean-burning. Avoid self-lighting fuel and never add lighter fluid after ignition.
• •The empty quarter of the grill is not wasted space. It is where you save meat from a flare-up, hold a thinner chop, or finish a thick steak without blackening its crust.
• •Trim thick fat but don't remove it all. A narrow rim bastes the meat as it cooks; a great dangling flap merely feeds the fire and covers the grillades with soot.
• •Serve with pommes sautées, a sharp mustard-dressed salad, or bread for the resting juices. A peppery young red from the Rhône suits both meats without bullying either.

Advance Preparation

• •For deeper seasoning, salt the meat up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerate it uncovered on a rack. Pat it dry before oiling; don't add the pepper until after grilling.
• •The steaks and chops can be trimmed and arranged on their tray earlier in the day. Grill them only when everyone is ready to eat, because resting helps these cuts but reheating merely overcooks them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 215g)