Last week, I hosted a family and friends cookout. At the top of the menu was smoked turkey and ribs. I purchased the meats carefully, selecting plump, hefty portions, knowing that the long smoke would dry them out. I selected preservative-free apple juice and used a chocolate stout for basting because these add sweetness, savory depth, and color (but no chemicals). I loaded a bin with cherry wood the night before and filled the bin with water because soaking the wood thoroughly means that it will smoke more when added to the fire. When I got home from the store, I made a brine for the turkey - apple juice, water, brown sugar, salt, orange rinds, bay leaves, peppercorns, and immersed the bird before sealing the container and loading it into a cleared shelf in the refrigerator.
The day before the picnic, I woke up, made a cup of coffee, and loaded my little firestarter chimney with charcoal, pushed two balls of newspaper underneath, and lit it on fire. It takes about 10 minutes for the coals to get red hot, at which point, I moved the superheated chimney around the main grill top and scraped and scrubbed the grates, using the heat as my cleaning agent along with the scouring brush. Then I dumped the coals into the smoker and shut all of the lids to allow the inside of the grill to get nice and hot while I dry-rubbed the ribs with a spicy, sugary mixture, and rinsed the turkey.
Once the meats were prepped, I loaded them onto trays, carried them out to the deck, and laid them in specific places on the grill: the fat turkey breast went closest to the smoker opening, the turkey thigh went on the shelf above that, but a little further back from the heat, and the ribs were placed from thinnest to thickest from the coolest to the hottest part of the grill. Placement is essential unless you want dried out, sawdust meat.
My plan was to use the 3-2-1 method: three hours of open smoking, two hours covered and wrapped in foil while smoking, and then one hour open smoke. Basting after two hours and every half hour (or so) after that. Smoking, as I've learned, really is an art. This is a fire-born dance of heat and flavor that can produce some of the best-tasting meat you've ever had - or turn a juicy, just-right rib into the toughest, jerky-like piece of flesh you've place your teeth on. I'm still learning, but I persist because I love cooking and this is just another cooking frontier for me.
Two days before the picnic, my parents came into town and we went to dinner at one of my favorite local brewpubs. Mom said she already bought my man's birthday gift (this event is a month away). I said, "Really? And what did you get?" She smiled proudly and said, "We got two of those smoking kits from Rollier's!" I paused, frowned a touch, and said, "I'm the one who smokes. Not him."
Mom genuinely seemed surprised and said, "But I thought you got things going and then he stepped in and took over?"
Just this week, I was searching the Life is Good web site for their latest designs and came across the grilling section. Imagine my disappointment when I discover only a "King of the Grill" t-shirt and hat - but no "Queen of the Grill." This reflects my Mom's assumption that only men can rule the grill, which is something I clearly disprove every time I set my smoker with fire.
This may seem a small thing. Insignificant in light of the bigger and more serious gendered assumptions in our world. But I maintain that this type of gendered assumption starts small and insignificant, embedding itself in our brains and activities to the point where "he takes over (and does the REAL work)" just rolls off the tongue in all sorts of daily situations. In other words, the persistent acceptance of this assumption pervades even the commonest and mildest forms of daily life - like grilling.
I have already written to the Life is Good company to request that they make a Queen of the Grill t-shirt for women like me who rule the grill. If you agree with me, please consider supporting my request by sending them one of your own. The Contact Us page is here: http://www.lifeisgood.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-LIG-Site/default/CustomerService-ContactUs.
Grill queens (and those who love our efforts) unite! :)
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