Is Your Grill Ready For Your Culinary Imagination?

Recent improvements in the design and engineering of gas grills have transformed the art of grilling. From searing and rotisserie cooking to planking and smoking, gas grills now provide chefs with several different grilling techniques to develop flavors, textures and aromas. With a quality gas grill, the right set of features and these grilling methods, the culinary possibilities for a backyard chef are endless.

So what features do you need? To get the most out of different cooking methods, a gas grill has to be designed with these performance features: Excellent heat retention; searing power and flavor vaporization at the grids; full coverage stainless steel flavor wave, or heat medium; precise heat control; a side burner and a rotisserie burner.

Mastering the Techniques

One of the unique and delicious methods to grill food uses a wooden plank. The smoke created from the plank sitting directly above a lit burner infuses the meat with a delicate smoky flavor.

Using a plank is simple:

• Soak it in water for at least an hour and pat it dry.
• Pre-heat your grill on high for 10 minutes.
• Coat both sides of the plank with olive oil then place the seasoned meat on it.
• Place the plank on the grill directly over the lit burner and reduce the heat to medium-low.
• Cook the meat to its desired doneness.

Grilling planks are specifically designed for the grill and there a variety of flavors to choose. Cedar planks are ideal for salmon, but don’t be afraid to try other meats. Pork goes great on a maple plank and lamb is delicious on alder.

Try planking today with this easy recipe for salmon using a cedar plank.

Tahini-Sesame Salmon

Ingredients:
1 cup tahini (Sesame Butter)
1 cup honey
1 cup soy Sauce
White wine (for consistency)

• Coat the salmon fillets with a light dusting of salt and black pepper.
• Mix the tahini, honey and soy sauce. Add white wine as necessary if the mixture is too thick. It should be creamy but still light enough to drizzle and baste.
• Coat the filets with the glaze and arrange them on the planks and place planks on the grill.
• Close the lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Salmon is cooked when it is opaque in color and flakey to the touch of a fork.