7 Ingenious Ways To Grill Without Using A Grill
Grilled steak or chicken breast with a side of grilled peppers, zucchini, and onions is a mouthwatering combination. So, what do you do if you don’t have access to a barbecue? You can’t cook if you don’t have one.
A charcoal or propane barbecue or BBQ is not always available in everyone’s backyard. However, there are ways that may be used to prepare food such that it tastes and seems to have been grilled.
Here’s everything you need to know about grilling without a grill, so you and your family and friends can sit down to a dinner that tastes like it just came from the BBQ.
1. Using the Broiler in the Oven
Ones oven is equipped with a broil mode, which may be used to grill a variety of foods such as fish, pork, chicken, and vegetables. The broiler cooks food fast, in a similar way to a grill, resulting in meats like fowl that are lovely and crispy on the exterior and soft and juicy on the inside.
The heat is generated from the top of the oven rather than the bottom, and the food is cooked at a high temperature, generally between 500 and 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your oven does not come with a broiler pan, you need purchase one. A cast iron grill pan with ridges is a wonderful option since it enables excess fat to drop down and into the bottom of the pan.
Starting by positioning your oven rack at the highest position possible, around 4 to 6 inches away from the heating element, and turning on the grill function of your oven to preheat for a few minutes will get you started.
Before putting the meal on top of the pan, gently spray the pan with oil to prepare it. After that, put the pan in the preheated oven, being careful to keep the door open a crack to avoid the oven from becoming too hot and the food from burning.
You may turn the meal halfway through the cooking period to ensure that it is uniformly broiled on both sides. When broiling veggies, keep an eye on them constantly since they will burn rapidly due to the intense heat.
Tip: Line the baking pan with aluminum foil to make cleanup a breeze!
7 Ingenious Ways to Grill Without Using a Grill
2. Skillet made of cast iron
Even while using a cast iron skillet on the stovetop will not provide you with the same level of smokiness as grilling, it may produce items that are rich in taste. Choose between a flat cast iron griddle pan and a griddle pan with ridges, which is great for grilling sausages and steaks.
The better your cast iron pan is seasoned, the better it will perform. A well-seasoned cast iron pan is responsible for giving dishes a flavor that is similar to that of an outdoor charcoal barbecue.
Prepare meats and chicken a few hours before cooking by marinating or seasoning them and allowing the flavors to penetrate for a few hours.
When you’re ready to start cooking, add a little amount of oil to a skillet and heat over medium to high heat, waiting until the pan is hot before adding the ingredients. Cast iron effectively distributes heat across the pan, ensuring that food is cooked evenly. Once halfway through cooking, flip the chicken over to obtain a beautiful char on both sides.
Tip: Using as little oil as possible will result in a superior sear on your steak and poultry.
3. The Crock-Pot
The crock pot allows you to make dishes that have a great BBQ taste since they are cooked in the slow cooker. Pulled pork, hog shoulders, briskets, and chicken thighs are examples of foods that can be prepared in a slow cooker.
Place the meat in a crock pot with the BBQ sauce and smoking spices and cook on low for 8 hours. So that it’s done in time for supper, cook it on low heat overnight or during the day.
Cook sweet onions in a spoonful of brown sugar until they are beautifully caramelized, according to the recipe. Add the ingredients to the crock pot just before cooking to infuse the meal with even more BBQ flavor.
4. Seasonings for Smoking to Enhance Flavor
Seasoning food with herbs and spices may give it a grilled and smoky taste. Season meats, poultry, and fish directly with spices, or marinate them in a marinade for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend together.
Here are some suggestions for seasonings that can enhance the grilled flavor:
Sea salt smoked with hickory wood
Paprika with a smoky flavor
Chipotle chile chilies, finely chopped
Garlic powder with cumin
Onion powder is a kind of condiment.
Chili powder and cocoa powder are used in this recipe.
Combine one or a mixture of these spices with a little amount of olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and a dash of honey or brown sugar to make a delicious salad dressing. Spread the marinade over the meat or poultry, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours before broiling or cooking in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
Liquid Smoke is a fifth option.
It is possible to get the smokey taste of grilling without actually using a barbecue by using liquid smoke. Liquid smoke may be purchased both online and in a specialist culinary supply shop.
The liquid, which is made from condensed smoke, is filtered and concentrated to enhance the smokey taste of the product.
Available in a variety of flavors, including hickory and mesquite, you’ll want to use liquid smoke sparingly since it has a strong taste that might dominate recipes.
To use, brush a little amount of liquid smoke over steaks, burgers, and sausages before and during cooking to add flavor and smoky flavor.
For a more subdued grilled taste, combine a little amount of liquid smoke with a small amount of balsamic vinegar before brushing over dishes.
6. Smoker in the house
When seeking for a creative method to barbecue without using a grill, try building your own indoor smoker to cook items in the comfort of your own home or apartment. You’ll want to open the windows and turn on the fan before you smoke in order to prevent the smoke detector from going off.
Heavy-duty aluminum foil should be used to line the interior of a big metal pan with high sides to prevent leakage. Insert a layer of hardwood chips into the cavity. Smoky BBQ taste may be achieved by using applewood chips, which are available at most grocery stores.
Place another layer of foil on top of the wood chips, poking tiny holes into the foil to allow the smoke to escape. Repeat the process with the remaining foil. Place a wire rack on top of the aluminum foil to catch any drips. Then, over medium-high heat, lay the whole pan on the stovetop to cook through.
As the pans heat up, smoke will begin to come up from the holes at the bottom. On the rack, arrange marinated meats, fish, poultry, or seasoned vegetables to your liking. Cover the pan with a lid or create a cover out of more aluminum foil.
Remove the food from the smoker and broil or grill it in a pan for 3 to 4 minutes after it has been smoking for 3 to 4 minutes. During the cooking process, the smoke will have permeated into the meal, imparting a grilled taste.
Try experimenting with various kinds of wood chips to generate a variety of taste profiles. Cherry, hickory, mesquite, oak, and walnut are all excellent choices for achieving a smokey grilled taste.
7. Cook with a Culinary Torch
Cooking Torch Most of us have a kitchen torch that we use to create crème brûlée, brown meringues, melt cheese, and toast bread crumb toppings, among many other things. When grilling, you may use the same torch to sear the meats and veggies, which will enhance their flavor and appearance.
Using a torch after the food has been cooked, you may add a blackened flavor to red bell peppers, maize, chicken breasts, and a luscious steak.
Make the most of your counter space by purchasing a countertop grill.
An electric grill for your kitchen countertop may be something you want to consider if you love cooking a range of different dishes. Different versions are available, but they are all used to grill meals rapidly inside or on your patio, and they are a great alternative to traditional gas and charcoal grills.
In general, there are two types of indoor grills: those that cook just from the bottom and need you to flip the food, and those that have a double contact grill, which cooks the food from both the bottom and the lid.
Countertop grills are simple to operate and produce food that is juicy and delicious. Simply prepare the meats, fowl, and vegetables in the same manner as you would if you were cooking on a charcoal barbecue.
Without a grill, here’s how you make grill marks.
In order to provide the appearance of cooking over charcoal, after you’ve cooked your meal and it has a wonderful taste without using a grill, you may wish to add markings to make it seem as if you did so. There are two methods to produce these grill markings: first, you can use a grill pan and second, you can use a grill pan and grill marks.
Method Using a Ridged Pan
Using a cast iron grill pan with ridges may provide the appearance of a faux-grill surface. Following the cooking process, take your dish from the heat and cover it with a plate to keep it warm until you are ready to serve it.
Without adding any oil, bring the cast iron pan to a high heat and cook until hot. Place the food back into the pan after it has been reheated. Wait 1 to 2 minutes before gently moving the meal from a 10 o’clock angle to a 2 o’clock position, keeping the food warm. Hold on for another one to two minutes.
Then turn the meat or chicken over and repeat the procedure on the other side. The intense heat generated by the ridges should sear grill marks into the food, giving the appearance that it was cooked on a grill or grill pan.
Method Using a Hot Skewer
You’ll need a metal skewer for this procedure, as well as a gas burner or a cooking torch to complete it. Make sure to heat the metal skewer over a high-temperature gas flame until it is red hot. If you don’t have access to a gas burner, a cooking torch will suffice in this situation.
When the oil is heated, press it into the meat, poultry, or fish to create a few aesthetically pleasing grill marks. It is possible that you will need to heat the skewer more than once in order to maintain it hot enough so that it does not adhere to the food.
Lastly, a Word About Grilling
If you follow the advice in this article, you will learn how to cook without a grill and get delicious results every time. Try a few different methods to discover which one produces the greatest results and the most grilled taste.
