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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Wednesday, 28 June 2006 |
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Page 1 of 7
 Summer’s sizzlin’ and northern Coloradans are grillin’. But earning the sacred title of Grill Master takes more than tossing an Oscar Mayer wiener on a grill. Becoming a king or queen of backyard cookin’ requires skill, knowledge and practice. It takes someone like Stefan Mejia of Fort Collins.
Sure, he had an advantage over other novice grillers — his grandfather came over from Ireland and opened a butcher shop. But Mejia has also put in his time.
“I hung around there enough to learn a few things,” he said.
About 15 or 20 years ago, he woke up one day and decided to leave his job as an air-traffic controller to become a bartender.
Since then, he has logged hours upon hours managing restaurants from both the front and back of the house.
Now he’s returned to his roots by working at Choice City Butcher and Deli in Fort Collins, where he can hand out expert advice to others tackling the flames.
IT’S ALL IN THE MEAT
 The first step to throwing a smokin’ backyard barbecue is selecting good meat. The key is in the coloring and marbling.
One thing Choice City prides itself on is the butcher’s direct interaction with customers, something major grocery stores have gotten away from.
“Ask for a recommendation from the butcher,” Mejia said. “We know what’s in the case. We know what’s good. Oddly enough, we eat out of the case.”
Mejia frequently brings meat home for dinner. He is officially the grill master at his home, where he does the cooking for his family. He has also been known to throw quite the dinner party or laid-back barbecue. Click here or the "Know your Beef sign above to see a Flash presentation.
SIMPLE SEASONS, SIMPLE COOKING
 When it comes to seasoning the meat, Mejia’s advice is to keep it simple.
“I use a little bit of olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. That’s it,” he said.
When cooking steak, he said it is important to preheat the grill. After all, you wouldn’t shove a cake in the oven before preheating. The same thing goes for outdoor cooking. Mejia flash sears each side — at about 700 to 1,000 degrees — for a minute and a half before cooking the meat on a lower temperature.
“Don’t overcook the meat,” he said. “When you buy a quality meat product, the key to success is not to screw it up,” he said.
However, knowing when it’s done comes back to personal taste. Some people prefer the tenderness of rare meat while others won’t touch it with a pitch fork if there is any pink.
“While there are risks to eating meat at a temperatures below 160 degrees, those are risks I’m willing to take,” Mejia said.
EVERYBODY GRAVITATE TO THE GRILL
Remember, grilling isn’t only reserved for beef. Just about anything can be grilled, from fish to shrimp skewers, to veggies to tofu. You can even find dessert recipes.
Rick Scarf, owner of Bubba’s Bar-B-Que in Greeley, said he gives guests assignments at his backyard barbecues.
“Someone might be responsible for cooking the corn while someone else gets too cook the garlic bread,” he said. “Everybody has some ownership in the meal.”
Scarf’s favorite thing about throwing backyard barbecues is the social atmosphere that develops.
“Everybody loves a backyard barbecue,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned is everybody gravitates to the grill. In essence, when grilling, people communicate with each other. It’s the ultimate ice breaker.”
He said grilling is a great way to get to know your neighbors.
For Mejia, cooking is a remarkable thing to do because it involves taking something and using your talent and energy to turn it into something for family and friends to consume.
He encourages Grill Masters-to-be to experiment and not be afraid to try something new.
“Cook for yourself. If you are doing all that work, you might as well like what you cook,” he said. “And never underestimate the chef.”
10 tips to becoming a Grill Master
- Don’t overcook it. No one likes eating leather.
- Keep it simple. Though marinades can be delicious, they can also detract from a good quality of meat. Don’t over do it.
- Make sure the grate is cleaned and seasoned with olive oil.
- Preheat the grill for about 45 minutes until it is between 700 -1,000 degrees. The important thing is to make sure it is hot enough to sear in the juices.
- Flash sear the meat on each side, then turn down the flame and cook on a lower heat. If the meat is cooked on too high of heat, it will dry out.
- Use proper utensils and only turn once during cooking. Use tongs or a spatula instead of a fork, which could pierce the meat, letting the juices run out.
- Make sure to use the proper cut of meat for each recipe. Some recipes call for more fat than others.
- Always cook something you like. Often times, people become too concerned about whether the guests will like what is cooked.
- Don’t be afraid to try something new. Like all forms of cooking, grilling is an ongoing experiment.
- Never leave the grill unattended. It’s a little hard to maintain Grill Master status with the fire department hosing down your grill.
Erin Frustaci
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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