06. Cooking in the Coals

To grill steaks and chops in the coals, you have to use lump charcoal, wood chunks, or logs, all of which create relatively large ashes. Avoid briquettes, which burn down to such a fine ash that the ashes stick to the meat and make it taste sooty. Before adding food to hot coals, you have to blow off the excess ashes. Rake the coals to a somewhat flat bed, and then blow off the ashes with a leaf blower, a hair dryer, a portable fan, or a magazine and a strong arm. Put the meat directly on the coal bed and cook until nicely crusted, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Season the meat as you turn it, then remove it from the coals and pick off any loose ash. See Scotch Steak in the Coals with Stilton Butter for an example.