CALF_News_June_July_2021

36 CALF News • June | July 2021 • www.calfnews.net GRILL H O T O F F T H E A C A L F N E W S B B Q P A R T Y HOWTO COOK CAVEMAN STYLE T he pandemic pushed us to find simple solutions to complex prob- lems, which inspired me to think about how to simplify all these meals we are cooking more and more at home – what is grilling simplified? I visited Ye Ole Butcher Shop in my neighboring town of Plano, Texas, on a warm Saturday afternoon. This store, nestled comfortably between a church and a coin shop, is a full-service butcher shop, meat market and restaurant known for its old-fashioned hamburgers. I was greeted kindly by the owner, Jeff Sparks, ordered a burger and fries and took a By Trent Miller Contributing Editor seat. While waiting for my food, I took a moment to reflect on the past year. As we edge closer to the other side – the better side – of this pandemic, I thought about our life during the pandemic and the changes we made to get through it. Can’t meet in-person? Zoom calls. Need groceries? Get delivery. Gyms are closed? Garage workouts. Cooking at home every meal? Less oven, more grilling. My order number is called, I grab my food at the counter and return to my seat. I spend the next few minutes eating and researching how to take grilling a step further, simpler, or primitive grill- ing techniques, which led me to find caveman-style grilling. The premise is to cook like the cavemen did, back before we had consistent heat sources, fancy cooking equipment and intricate season- ings. There was food and there was fire – the cavemen hunted and gathered their food, made fire and simply cooked their food directly on top of the burning wood. After finishing my delicious burger, Jeff spoke with me about beginning his work as a butcher in this shop since the 1970s and buying the business in 1986 when the former owner was ready to retire. The shop has moved a time or two, but its current spot in the central Dallas-FortWorth area is larger and allowed Jeff to expand the res- taurant while still focusing on the butcher side. Jeff prides himself on serving a great burger with quality meat and ensures the meat going into his burgers is ground fresh daily. He also has a sleek online ordering presence for meal delivery, catering services and bulk meat purchasing.While Ye Ole Butcher Shop is by no means primitive, I shared my idea to try caveman grilling with Jeff. He suggested the porterhouse and Texas strip, classic cuts that will bend and fold to the uneven cooking surface created by the charcoal. While cavemen-style is only meat and fire, I cheated a little, using salt and pepper, matches and lump charcoal in my Kamado Joe ceramic grill. Lump charcoal is recommended over briquettes to allow for a higher heat and because it produces less ash. I prepared the steaks while the charcoal heated up to a targeted 1,000 degrees over 30 minutes. The Texas strip went on the grill first with a satisfying sear sound that was quick, yet stopped abruptly, rather than the lingering sear you normally get when steaks are placed directly on a hot metal grate. Flipping the steak in the same spot on the coals produced no sound and less heat, so rotating the steak among hot spots helped get the sear back. I finished the Texas strip and allowed the coals to heat back up before dropping in the porterhouse, repeating the process. For a medium-rare finish, each were seared three to four times per side, flipping every minute (6 to 8 minutes per steak). After tasting both steaks, the flavors were amazing with distinctly more charcoal flavor on the steak from sitting directly on the charcoal. My first attempt at the Texas strip resulted in an inconsis- tent doneness, while the porterhouse that followed was perfect. The coals lose a significant amount of heat each time the steaks touch them, so moving the steaks to a hot spot with each flip helps combat heat loss. After completing this experiment, caveman-style is the simplest form of grilling, but not simplified grilling. I had to keep my focus on the steaks while they were on the coals the whole time; however, the whole process made for an excellent, although smoky, grill experience. Caveman style is a unique take on grill- ing, resulting in amazing flavor. I highly recommended it if you are looking to try something fun on the grill this summer. 