Chapter 1: Mastering Your Equipment

Grilling equipment runs the gamut from the most primitive wooden stick to the most industrialized gas-fired, stainless-steel grill. Impale a piece of food on a stick, hold it over a flame, and you are grilling. Strictly speaking, you don’t even need the stick. You can grill a steak or chop directly on hot coals, with no equipment whatsoever: no firebox, no grill grate, not even a set of tongs (see the recipe for Scotch Steak in the Coals with Stilton Butter). If you’re crazy or quick enough, you can even turn the steak with your fingers.