Sicilian Culture: The Food: Grilling

The Food: Grilling

The Italians, especially in Tuscany only use wood for their grills. This is also true of the portuguese, the cedar wood flavors the food cooked on it. Even to build one is easy, a steel barrel cut in half and a mesh screen. Food cooked over propane gas and food cooked over wood burning coals tastes tremendsously better and different. While some may argue propane gas grills burn more consistently, there is common sense involved. If you have a flat bed of wood or charcoal burning evenly, the same effect has been achieved, only in a more flavorful way. Try your favorite meats, seafood, vegetables. Just remember, if you arrange them in a shiskibob, put all your vegetables on one skewer, all your meats on another, all your vegetables on another. DO NOT put vegetables, meat, seafood, etc all on one skewer, they will not cook at the same time and/or be served to satisfaction. Remember, do each separately, THEN you can take a new skewer and arrange them, meat, vegetable, seafood -- no one will know and they will all be amazed that you were able to deliver every food on one skewer to perfection. Don't forget, if you are using wooden skewers, to soak them in water for at least an hour so they dont' catch on fire while you are grilling.
Mequite: Wood from the south west US and mexico that burns very hot and adds a nice flavor to the food its grilled over.

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