NEWPORT FOOD SCENE: This Fourth of July, let's salute the Grill Masters in our restaurants
If you’ll be grilling this holiday weekend, you certainly won’t be alone. Over 60% of Americans will celebrate Independence Day by firing up their grills.
Collectively, we will cook more than 150 million hot dogs, 700 million pounds of chicken and 190 million pounds of beef and pork. Better have those buns prepped and make sure there’s enough potato salad.
It takes a whole crew to put a meal on the table. It’s not just the work of the person standing over the hot flames all day. But if you are the one named Grill Master for the day, wear your “Kiss the Cook” apron with pride. You are standing in the shoes of some true kitchen heroes.
Playing Grill Master can be fun. You can show off your new Weber Q-36 Plutonium Grill with rotisserie, side burner and cup holder. You can dazzle your family with diamond-shaped grill marks on your steaks and burgers. You can even display your skills by treating your vegetarian guests to grilled portobello mushrooms stuffed with gorgonzola cheese.
But at the end of the day, after the s’mores have been charred and squished and the grill has been scrubbed, the cover carefully placed back on, you’ll find yourself exhausted.
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You’re hot, tired and you smell like meat and smoke. But those around you are happy and well-fed and that’s what matters. You have won the day as Grill Master.
Now how would you feel if you then had to shower, sleep and get up to do the exact same thing tomorrow. That’s the life of true Grill Heroes. This holiday, let’s take a minute to appreciate those who work the grill for a living.
As any weekend warrior can tell you, working a grill is not easy. It’s harder in a restaurant setting. You have to flip things so they don’t char, but you can’t flip too much. You have to manage different temperatures because if someone wants a steak medium rare, a medium well won’t do.
Nailing proper cooking temperatures comes from practice. You have to know the correct placement on the grill. Where’s your hot spot? You have to know your meats, too. The thicker the steak the better for the person who wants theirs rare. Grab a thinner steak or butterfly a thicker cut for the person who wants it well-done. Now that you know all that, let’s step up your game.
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The kitchen printer starts ticking away (or the kitchen display screen starts lighting up) and you have to add more steaks to your grill. Then you throw on the chicken and some charred corn. Careful, the shrimp you put on the grill cooks a lot faster than the pork chops you have for the same order.
Now you’re playing Tetris to find the correct space on the grill. You are putting on orders as quickly as you’re pulling them off. Your coworkers are flying around carrying very hot and very sharp things. People are yelling. You have to concentrate on what’s being yelled to you.
The volume of the kitchen gets louder and louder while the heat of the kitchen gets louder and louder. You are in the middle of chaos, clenching your tongs and kitchen towel, hoping the steak you just sent out was the right one.
Did I mention the heat? Happy summer, everyone. Especially those holding the tongs. It’s hot on a cooking line, but it’s hottest over the grill (but also standing in front of a 900-degree pizza oven is no ocean breeze.)
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The grill has flames that flare up every once and while to make sure you are paying attention. If it’s 90 degrees outside, your grill station isn’t going to be much better. I hope you are drinking lots of water. A heatwave has been known to cause an overworked grill cook to keel over.
A kitchen towel that’s been soaked in water and frozen then wrapped around the back of the neck is a grill master’s dream. I offer a special shout out to those manning outside grill stations that provide al fresco diners an authentic atmosphere. Just what ever grill person wants — some direct sun overhead to keep them warm and toasty.
The work of a grill cook is no joke. They brave the heat and the madness so we can sit back and enjoy our burgers, steaks and chops. They’re battling flames so we can savor the thrill of the grill.
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The grilled meats. The grilled lobster tails. The grilled pizza. Even the grilled pineapple. This holiday weekend, while amateurs char their Saugy Doggies beyond recognition and let the frozen burger patties slip between the grill grates, let’s show our gratitude to the professionals who work the grill like Yo Yo Ma works a cello.
We salute those who stand tall and master the flame. If it’s a tasty summer, you can thank a Grill Hero for that.
Dan Lederer is a Middletown resident with 30 years experience in the food service industry throughout New England. He continues to work locally behind the scenes within the industry and remains a devoted fan of all things restaurant and hospitality related. His column appears on newportri.com and Thursdays in The Daily News. Cheers!
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: A salute to the Grill Masters in Newport RI restaurants
