Issue Date: June 24, 2007
Small cuts on the grill
Does your chicken have the blahs? Are your pork chops like shoe leather? Follow Pam Anderson's ideas for tender, tasty and healthful meat and poultry hot off the fire.
Resist turning the meat more than once.
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Pork tenderloin and chops, turkey cutlets, and chicken breasts and thighs are perfect cuts for weeknight meals. They cook quickly, are relatively lean and have broad appeal. But without special treatment, these lean cuts tend to overcook and end up dry before they even develop impressive grill marks.
Here's what I've discovered: Those sexy sear marks are the key to it all -- good looks, juiciness and flavor. But they don't develop easily and quickly in small, lean cuts without some assistance. You can get crusty grill marks by adding a little white or brown sugar to a spice rub, or even by sprinkling a bit directly onto the surface of the meat. This increases flavor while letting you keep grilling time to the minimum needed for doneness, which ensures juicier, more tender pork and poultry.
A hot grill is critical. Preheat gas grills -- all burners on high, grill lid closed -- for 10 to 15 minutes. Or build a good, hot charcoal fire. Oil the grill rack, let it heat up some more, then add the meat, close the lid and set the timer. The high heat (both direct and indirect) and the sugar will cause the cuts to cook and brown quickly.
As soon as those cuts come off the grill, you're ready to eat. Just add salsa for extra juiciness and bright flavor. Make it first so there's time for the flavors to meld and develop.
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of four cookbooks. Her latest is the entertaining guide "Perfect Recipes for Having People Over" (Houghton Mifflin, $35).
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Spicy Grilled Small Cuts of Meat and Poultry
Salsa of choice
Spice rub of choice
1 Tb. vegetable oil
Your choice of meat or poultry:
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each), OR
6 boneless pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick, OR
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed, thick end of each breast pounded lightly with fists to about 3/4-inch thick, OR
8 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 10 to 12 medium), trimmed of any excess perimeter fat, OR
8 turkey cutlets
If using salsa, prepare it first (see master recipe). Next, make the spice rub of your choice.
If using a gas grill, ignite all burners on high for at least 10 minutes. If using a charcoal grill, build coals over two-thirds of the grill floor. The fire is ready when the coals are hot and ashy.
Place selected meat or poultry in a medium bowl; drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with spice rub and toss, spreading with fingertips if necessary to coat evenly.
Clean hot grill grate with a wire brush, then use tongs to swipe grate with a rag coated with vegetable oil. Place meat on hot grill rack, without overcrowding. Cover and cook -- turning only once, about halfway through -- until meat has developed grill marks on both sides, is firm to the touch and is opaque throughout.
Transfer to a platter and let rest 5 minutes. Serve with the salsa on the side.
Serves 6 to 8, depending on the meat chosen
Total cooking times
Pork tenderloin: 8 to 10 minutes
Pork chops and chicken breasts, depending on thickness: 6 to 8 minutes
Chicken thighs, depending on thickness: 10 to 12 minutes
Turkey cutlets: 4 to 5 minutes
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Simple Spice Rubs
Each of the following rubs is enough to flavor six boneless pork chops; six boneless, skinless chicken breasts; eight to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs; or eight turkey cutlets. Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.
Make your own blends with spices such as paprika and turmeric.
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Paprika-Garlic Spice Rub
2 tsps. dark brown sugar
1 Tb. paprika
1 1/2 tsps. ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsps. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
Fennel-Garlic Spice Rub
2 tsps. dark brown sugar
2 tsps. fennel seeds, chopped coarsely
1 1/2 tsps. paprika
1 1/2 tsps. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
Cumin, Coriander & Turmeric Spice Rub
2 tsps. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsps. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsps. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsps. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
Ginger, Cinnamon & Cloves Spice Rub
2 tsps. dark brown sugar
2 tsps. paprika
1 1/2 tsps. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
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Create-your-own fruit salsa
Make this salsa with whatever seasonal fruit you've got -- mangoes, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, melons (including watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew), strawberries, blueberries, apples or pears -- or use a mix of fruits, such as apples with grapes. Another good option is to use tomatoes or cucumbers. For the bell pepper, choose one that has a color that contrasts with the fruit -- red with pineapple or yellow with watermelon, for example.
2 cups finely diced fresh fruit (see list above)
1/2 medium yellow, red or greenbell pepper, cut into small dice
3 medium-sized green onions or 1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 small jalapeño pepper, minced
2 to 3 Tbs. lime juice or rice wine vinegar
2 to 3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro, basil, parsley or mint
Salt and ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl, using the smaller quantity of lime juice or vinegar and fresh herbs and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Let stand for 10 to 30 minutes. Before serving, adjust seasoning with more lime juice or vinegar, fresh herbs and/or salt.
Makes 2 heaping cups
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