You may be thinking, “All grills naturally enhance the flavor of the food, what’s so special about outdoor electric grilling?”
Written by: Chef Paulette Bilsky
As a Chef, I would ask the questions “What’s your definition of flavor? Is it the smoky flavor, the char, the BBQ sauce on the outside of your ribs? Did the grill enhance the natural flavor of your food or did it change the natural flavor of your food by changing its flavor?”
In order to answer these questions, we must discuss flavor. Flavor is described as the “distinctive taste of something.” Can electric grilling really create a distinctive taste in something and then enhance it? I say yes!
Each person could describe the flavor of a simple protein or vegetable in a multitude of ways.
When I discuss flavor, I start with the food item and close my eyes and think of how it tastes in its most simple, natural form. I then decide how I would pair the food item with the rest of my menu. Now, I begin to enhance the item's flavor through the following grilling techniques:
- Choosing a cooking method
- Lightly complementing its natural flavor with herbs, spices, and other condiments
- Cooking the food item to its perfect temperature to create its maximum, distinctive flavor!
HOW TO USE YOUR ELECTRIC GRILL AS A NATURAL FLAVOR ENHANCER
My corporate and private clients always ask me what food I like to cook or what do I cook best; I have to immediately say, grass fed lamb and locally sourced vegetables. Everybody cooks vegetables, so I’ll save that topic for another day. Let’s, discuss lamb.
Most people tell me they don't like the taste of lamb, they have never cooked it or they even curl up their nose and say no thank you. I believe the reason for this negative reaction is most people don't understand how to enhance the flavor of lamb or have tried and failed. I believe that my flavor enhancement techniques (FLAVOR-ET) could be used on most proteins, grains or vegetables. Today I will be using lamb.
Choose a Cooking Method
The first step in FLAVOR-ET is choosing a cooking method: I am choosing outdoor electric grilling. It’s clean, natural and the temperature can be controlled precisely.
Pair Your Flavors Wisely
Before you can grill your lamb on your ElectriChef Grill, you must use my second FLAVOR-ET and see how the lamb pairs with your other menu items. I usually lean toward a Greek Style menu when I cook lamb: tzasiki (yogurt) sauce, salad with olives and feta, seasoned grilled potatoes, etc. Lamb is a protein that stands above other red meats in that it can have a strong “gamey” flavor.
I would like to explain to you how to eliminate this unpleasant flavor. I accomplish this through natural flavor enhancement of: fresh lemon juice, a touch of vegetable oil (higher heating point than olive oil), dried mint, fresh rosemary and kosher salt & pepper.
Cook Time
My third FLAVOR-ET is the cook time. I need to make sure my lamb is trimmed from excessive fats, allowed to reach room temperature and is not dripping in oil. There is so much seasoning in all my other menu items, I want my lamb to develop clean and simple flavors when grilling.
The light condiments will then help to finalize the flavor enhancement when the lamb is on the electric grill. The precise temperature controlled heat of your ElectriChef Grill allows you to cook your lamb to a perfect temperature, enhancing the final product. This method provides a clean, odor/fume free environment to bring out the flavor of the lamb you desire.
- Allow you electric grill to pre-heat to 550-600ºF.
- Lightly spray a non-stick or grill oil on your grill.
- Place lamb on grill rack.
- Close the lid.
- The outside of the lamb will achieve a beautiful sear and seal in the juices and flavors. After turning the lamb once with tongs. Sear the second side.
- Now, you can reduce the temperature of your grill to 350ºF with a touch of the controls to allow the lamb to continue cooking and reach its perfect level of doneness.
I believe grilling should be an easy clean natural approach to cooking. Electric grilling is finally available to help you simplify your natural grilling flavors and let the flavors of your food be enhanced instead of having your grill add fumes and flavors you had not intended to be there! Try my grilling tips when using your electric grill, and you will understand why cooking food naturally helps you to eat your food in its most natural form.
What's Next?
It is time to practice! Check out Chef Paulette's delicious Mediterranean Rotisserie Grilled Leg of Lamb or her mouthwatering Caribbean Style (Jerk) Grilled Leg of Lamb!
