Summer is the perfect time of year for outdoor entertaining, with lingering daylight encouraging relaxed outdoor entertaining. Chances are good that you’ll be firing up the grill up for these summer gatherings. We consulted six chefs from leading coastal establishments to guide you along the path to grilling perfection.
CHEF CESAR ZAPATA, PHUC YEA & PHO MO, MIAMI
At Phuc Yea, Colombian chef Cesar Zapata serves up a modern interpretation of Asian/Latin fusion cuisine – a lively mash up of fresh and colorful Vietnamese ingredients pumped up with a spicy, bold richness of flavors of Zapata’s heritage. Zapata loves serving grilled oysters (pictured above) when you’re looking to impress. He says be sure to soak your oysters in salted water before grilling to make sure the last traces of grit or sand are released. After about 20 minutes of soaking, place the unshucked oysters on a very hot, preheated grill, flat-side up and cook for around 5 minutes or until the edges of oysters begin to curl up and eventually pop open. Load them up with a flavorful garlic butter and lemongrass combo and enjoy. phucyea.com
CHEF FELIPE MUNOZ, BIG BUNS, DAMN GOOD BURGERS, FORT LAUDERDALE
Chef Felipe Munoz says it’s important to use beef with fat for a great burger and recommends using ‘double ground’ beef, which ensures a better mix of the fat uniformly into the meat. He suggest using a high quality 7 to 8 oz beef patty with an 80/20 meat to fat ratio for the perfect burger. His other key piece of advice is to only flip the burger one time and allow it to rest before serving for about 5-minutes which allows the burger to remain juicy and intact. eatbigbuns.com/las-olas
CHEF ROCCO CARULLI, R HOUSE, MIAMI
Miami Chef Rocco Carulli loves grilling up Churrasco – the long, flat-cut skirt steak beloved in Latin cooking. When grilling Churrasco, always make sure to let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before putting on grill. He also suggests skipping the jarred stuff and making your own great chimichurri sauce. housewynwood.com
GRILLING TIPS FROM COASTAL CHEFS
CHEF CESAR FERNANDEZ, MATCHBOX LAS OLAS, FORT LAUDERDALE
Chef Fernandez says if you want to grill like a pro, it’s important to sear the steak well on both sides to create the perfect grill marks on the steak. To achieve the grill marks on one side of the steak, set the meat at a 45-degree angle against the bars on the grate and let it sear for at least 2 minutes. Then, give the meat a quarter turn from its starting position and sear it for at least another 2 minutes. Flipping the steak to the other side and repeating this process will allow the steak to achieve the same pattern on the other side of the meat as well. matchboxrestaurants.com/las-olas
CHEF JACQUELINE KLEIS, WILD FORK FOODS, MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Executive Chef and Head of Culinary for Wild Fork Foods, a hybrid e-commerce/brick and mortar concept changing the way American shops for proteins, Jacqueline Kleis knows her way around a grill. Her favorite is wood or charcoal for perfect flavor, but finds gas easy and convenient and for indoors can get amazingly good results with electric grills. Her favorite cuts for the grill are Prime Tomahawk, Black Angus Florentine T-Bone, Black Angus outside skirt, rack of lamb, and Berkshire Ribeye Chop. The more premium quality the cut, the less need for seasoning; just coarse sea salt brings out the best flavor, but lean cuts like flank benefit from marinating to help tenderize the beef and rubs work will with cuts from the sirloin like tri-tip applied nice and early. wildforkfoods.com
CHEF GORDON MAYBURY, JW MARRIOTT MIAMI TURNBERRY RESORT & SPA, AVENTURA
Chef Maybury says it’s important to befriend your butcher and try to avoid pre-packaged steaks as the plastic wrap traps in moisture. He says when buying, look for marbling and always remember to take your steak out of the fridge 20 minutes before grilling to bring to room temperature, this helps it cook evenly. jwturnberry.com