RODALE NEWS EMMAUS, PA—With a few weeks of summer left, there's still time to throw your favorite foods on the grill until they have stripes and smell divine. But as you plan your cookout, barbecue, or family picnic, consider that what you grill and how you grill it have an impact on the environment, your family’s health, and your pocketbook.
The Grill
With the possible exception of using a solar grill (there are a few suspect reports of their existence floating around the Web, but I have yet to see one for sale) to cook food you grew yourself, the most ecofriendly heat source for grilling is a gas grill (powered by propane, or preferably, natural gas). If open flames are prohibited where you want to grill, or you get electricity from renewable sources like solar or wind, an electric model is a reasonable alternative. Sorry, charcoal fans. Because of the amount of energy lost and pollution released when wood is converted into charcoal, plus the length of time the coals will be alight compared to how long you actually cook on them (its hard to turn them on and off, after all), charcoal has by far the worse eco-scorecard.
If we can’t talk you out of grilling with charcoal, do your health a favor and choose a natural product rather than compressed briquettes, if you can. Be sure to skip the chemical-soaked self-starting types, and take a pass on the lighter fluid, too. Granted your neighbors may miss the distinctive aroma of flaring petroleum product on the evening breeze, but it’s probably not real healthful to breathe those fumes—let alone consume the stuff, or traces of it, in your food. Getting coals to light without dousing them in petroleum first is easy and fast if you use a bit of crumpled newspaper and a chimney starter (buy a commercial one or make one from an empty #10 can with both ends removed). Set the chimney in the center of your grill, fill it about halfway with dry, crumpled newspaper, and pile charcoal chunks or briquettes on top. Light the paper and allow the charcoal to stay snug in the chimney until well-lighted. Then lift the chimney off the coals and spread them out. You’re good to go.
With grilling season here and all sorts of Memorial Day sales in the works, it’s a good time to invest in a few tools to expand your summer grilling options. One of my most-used tools is a grill basket, also known as a grill wok or vegetable basket. It’s basically a stainless steel pan with sloping sides and enough holes to allow the dry heat in without letting even small chunks of food fall out. Get stainless steel for longest life (nonstainless will rust), and pass on the nonstick models; high heat plus nonstick chemicals are a worrisome combination. Also get yourself some reusable kabob skewers (or send your favorite Cub Scout out to whittle some out of applewood, maple, or hickory). If you like smoked foods, consider getting a chip pan (an old pie pan works fine) and some all-natural wood chips. There is nothing particularly special about commercial smoking chips, so if you have access to grapevines or branches from apple, hickory, mesquite, or other hardwood trees, you can make free chips or twigs with a pruner or hatchet (another task you can entrust to a local Cub Scout).
The Grub
What you put on your grill also has an ecofootprint. Food that’s grown with organic techniques takes less of a toll on the environment, and the less it has to travel to get to your plate, the less fossil fuels are burned to get it there. A holiday get-together is a great reason to explore local farmer’s markets and other sources of organic, local food. Plus you can brag to your guests about the freshness and provenance of the meal.
While the typical backyard grill overfloweth with entire herds burgers and of big batches of hotdogs, consider grilling smaller portions of meat, or skipping the meat entirely and filling the rest of the cooking surface with other tasty options. Cooking less meat can lower the price tag of the meal, help shrink your waistline, and reduce its ecoimpact. The vast majority of meat in the supermarket comes from cows raised in confinement or a feedlot, and fed grain and agricultural by-products the critters were not meant to eat. Properly managed grazing animals produce higher-quality food, generate less pollution, and actually improve the pastures—increasing the amount of carbon stored in the soil, reducing soil erosion, and providing habitat for wild critters. So if you can find meat from animals raised eating the grass or hay they are supposed to eat, by all means buy moderate quantities of it if meat is your thing.
If you’ve never applied your grilling skills to fish or seafood, you’re missing some great taste treats. Firm fish can go directly onto the grill; softer-fleshed selections are easier to handle in a grill basket or even a special fish cage. Shrimp and other small items are delicious made into kabobs, but it’s easiest to just toss them into the grill basket. Be sure to look for sustainably harvested or raised choices so your meal is free of contaminants and doesn’t deplete species whose numbers are low.
In my experience, if I like a food I’ll probably like it even better grilled! So try cooking whatever produce is in season in your garden or local farmer’s market for optimum taste and lowest ecoimpact. Some of my favorites are asparagus, summer squash, snap beans, bell peppers, eggplant, apples, and green onions. Cut firm produce into strips (beans, asparagus, and green onions can stay whole) and cook directly on a medium-hot grill, turning frequently until the outside is browned and the insides are cooked as you like. Cut softer items into bite-sized chunks and cook them in your grill basket. You can toss the raw veggies in a little olive oil first, and add fresh herbs or other seasonings to taste. Serve as is or on…
Pizza! Yes, pizza. Think about it: The intense heat of a grill closely replicates that of a commercial pizza oven. And grilled pizza makes a great party food because guests can chose the toppings that appeal to them. Prepare the raw dough and roll it into rounds; put all the toppings in bowls before you start.
Cooking pizza on a grill is easy. First, sear the bare crust on the hot grill, then flip it over and add sauce and other cooked toppings (not too much, or they won’t melt/heat through) while the second side sears. Finish cooking by moving the completed masterpiece to a cooler section of the grill, and close the cover to wrap the heat around it. Use tongs to rotate the cooking pizza frequently and to lift up and check the bottom of the pie for doneness. You are aiming for an even light brown with darker grill lines, as little black as possible, and nicely melted cheese with piping-hot toppings. Slide the finished pie off the grill onto a cutting board, drizzle with a little olive oil, if you like, slice, and serve.
Shortcut: Instead of using raw dough, use split whole wheat pitas, whole wheat tortillas, or a prepared commercial pizza crust or flatbread. My favorite toppings are a thin spread of spaghetti sauce (or ricotta for white pizza), fresh basil leaves, and roasted red peppers, topped with thin shreds of a local smoked mozzarella and a bit of roasted garlic. (I buy both cheeses, made with 100 percent grass-fed milk, at a local farm.) Serve with a generous garden salad and perhaps a loaf of good bread, a glass of wine or other cold beverage, and finish off with local fresh fruit (right now, we are enjoying everything rhubarb at my house, and impatiently watching the green strawberries plump up in the garden). Or make a desert pizza topped with fruit and a honey-sweetened ricotta. Now, that’s a cookout to remember!
Farm gal, library worker, and all-around money-pincher Jean Nick shares advice for green thrifty living every Thursday on Rodale.com.