It鈥檚 the perennial issue that plagues us all around the holidays: not enough oven space. But, according to the latest research conducted by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, 70 percent of households in the United States own at least one grill or smoker鈥攊t鈥檚 time to put those appliances to use as secondary ovens for the holidays. Here, we spoke with two barbecue experts about the best strategies for using grills to help with Thanksgiving and beyond.
Determine the Best Use for Your Specific Grill
Knowing which type of grill you own鈥攇as, charcoal, pellet-fueled, or wood-burning鈥攚ill help you understand its specific benefits when using it as a backup heat source on Thanksgiving. If you have a gas or charcoal grill, consider cooking sides like broccoli and corn outside, says Steven Raichlen, and host of Project Fire and Project Smoke on PBS. These dishes benefit from the grill鈥檚 direct heat source and can stand a bit of char. For indirect grilled sides, like stuffed squash or sweet potato and marshmallow casseroles, Raichlen often uses a kettle or pellet grill.
For Consistency, Go Pellet
Some types of grills offer more temperature consistency than others, says Raichlen. 鈥淏asically, pellet grills are like outdoor ovens with an added whiff of wood smoke,鈥 Raichen says. 鈥淪o anything you would bake in an oven, from side dishes to desserts, you can cook in a pellet grill.鈥 The benefit of a pellet grill is that you 鈥渂asically set them and forget them,鈥 Raichlen says. There are no flare-ups or issues with temperature consistencies.
This also makes them ideal for baking, where a steady and controlled temperature is necessary. 鈥淭ypically, we want to cook our baked goods between 350 and 400 degrees, and that management is much more challenging in a non-pellet grill,鈥 says , Traeger Grills Ambassador, world champion of barbecue desserts, and winner of 24 perfect 180 barbecue scores. She finds that the consistency of a pellet grill makes it ideal for baking bread, pies, and other Thanksgiving baked goods like cornbread stuffing and dinner rolls.
Consider the Smoke
Pellet grills also provide a smokey flavor to your dish, so if there are recipes in your Thanksgiving repertoire you prefer on the less-smoky side, go for a gas grill. It will impart a less smokey flavor, Raichlen says, thanks to its venting: 鈥淭he smoke just spills out the back,鈥 he says. Gas grills are also what 68 percent of Americans own, so they may be the most approachable option for those looking to find a secondary oven source. A gas grill鈥檚 side burner can also be used to make sides like mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce, Raichlen says, which wouldn’t necessarily benefit from smoke.
If you鈥檙e going to embrace smoke, on the other hand, consider the source of the wood that you鈥檙e working with, Bennett says. 鈥淲hen it comes to doing recipes on a wood-fire grill, the smoke, to me, becomes one of the ingredients,鈥 she says. But while an applewood or cherrywood may pair well, say, with an apple dessert, a mesquite鈥攁mong the stronger smoking woods鈥攎ay overpower the dish completely.
Take the Main Event 国产吃瓜黑料
If you鈥檝e never cooked a turkey on the grill before, it can be a failsafe way to free up the oven.鈥淚 think it actually provides a lot of stress relief over the holidays,鈥 Bennett says. She prepares her whole Thanksgiving meal, including the turkey, on a large Traeger grill, which is big enough to accommodate many different sides and baked goods in stages. Plus, turkey and a smoky pellet grill are a natural pairing.
Raichlen agrees that cooking the bird outside is a good way to alleviate the stress put on the indoor oven. It offers countless options for creativity, too. 鈥淟ast year, I spit-roasted my turkey on a Kalamazoo Gaucho. The year before that, I smoked it on a Big Green Egg. Depends on the grill,鈥 he says. In terms of cooking a bird that won鈥檛 disappoint, it must be cooked over indirect heat. 鈥淥therwise, you鈥檇 burn the skin, but leave the meat raw,鈥 he says.
Don鈥檛 Discount Charcoal
Although charcoal can be a little fickle in terms of heat reliability, it also offers up exceptional smoky flavor, and, as Raichlen notes, can be a lot of fun to cook with. Charcoal grills can be enhanced with hardwood chips and chunks, and dishes that don鈥檛 require a ton of temperature stability can easily be cooked on them. Sides that are normally baked in the oven, Raichlen says, like baked squash, scalloped potatoes, and even macaroni and cheese, can benefit from a charcoal grill鈥檚 smoke and won鈥檛 be impacted much by temperature variation.
Raichlen notes that you鈥檙e most likely going to be setting it up for indirect grilling as opposed to direct heat. This requires raking the embers to the periphery and cooking the food in the center, which helps create more precise temperatures, within about a 50-degree window. (That鈥檚 still not ideal for baking, but it can be fine for most casseroles and sides.)
Ready to move things outside? Here鈥檚 a recipe for a smokey apple raisin galette that鈥檚 baked on a grill.聽