The Ancestral Table: Traditional Recipes for a Paleo Lifestyle Read Online Free PDF Page A

side to incorporate the lighter ingredient into the mixture. This technique is hard to describe with words—your best bet is to watch a couple online videos of this technique in action.
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    JULIENNE
To cut ingredients into long, thin, matchstick-shaped sticks.
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    PROCESS
To grind into a somewhat chunky paste or liquid using a blender or food processor on a lower or pulse setting.
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    REDUCE
To simmer a liquid on medium or higher heat to evaporate some of the water content and deepen the flavor.
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    SAUTÉ
To cook dry ingredients on medium or high heat with some oil or fat to keep the ingredients from sticking to the pan.
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    SIMMER
To heat a liquid on medium or low heat so that it bubbles but does not boil.
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    SWEAT
To gently sauté vegetables (usually onions or other aromatics) on lower heat to evaporate the liquid and lessen any sharp or astringent flavors.

Grilling and Smoking Basics

    CHARCOAL FUEL AND GRILLING TEMPERATURES
Charcoal grills use two main types of fuel: hardwood charcoal and briquettes. Hardwood charcoal creates a hot and fast-burning fire; briquettes are generally cooler and last longer. To put it more simply, hardwood makes for great steaks, and briquettes are good for barbecue. The easiest way to start a charcoal fire is to employ a chimney starter, which usually uses a little newspaper to start the fire in lieu of lighter fluid.
The thermometers found on the lids of grills are generally inaccurate. Buying a remote grill thermometer can take the guesswork out of grilling. If you don’t have a grill thermometer, an easy way to gauge grill temperature is to see how long you can comfortably hold your hand above the fire, about 5" from the cooking grates: hot = 2 seconds, medium-hot = 3 to 4 seconds, medium = 5 to 6 seconds, and medium-low = 7 seconds.
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    DIRECT GRILLING
Direct grilling is cooking foods directly over the heat, creating a delicious crust caused by the Maillard reaction (also known as the browning reaction). Direct grilling is the easiest cooking method but can burn the outside of the food before it is done on the inside. It is best combined with indirect grilling for foods that require extended cooking times.
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    INDIRECT GRILLING
Indirect grilling occurs when you limit the heat to one side of the grill and keep the other side cool, placing your food on the cool side of the grill. With a charcoal grill, this is done by banking the coals on one side, often with a large aluminum pan under the cool side of the grill to catch drippings and prevent the coals from sliding under the meat. With a gas grill, it’s done by turning off some of the burners; you’ll need to experiment with your gas grill to find how many burners to turn off in order to get the temperatures you want. Indirect grilling enables you to cook foods on the grill without burning them or causing flare-ups from dripping fat. It is often combined with short amounts of direct grilling to create a delicious crust and a fully cooked inside.
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    INDIRECT SMOKING
Indirect smoking is similar to indirect grilling, but with wood chunks and wood chips placed over the fire. With a gas grill, fill two smoker boxes or small aluminum pans with wood chips and wood chunks, as shown in the illustration on see here . Add about 1/2" water to the wood chips. Place the smoker boxes on the side of the grill that will be hot and a large aluminum pan on the side of the grill that will be cool. As the wood chunks burn and smoke, the water in the wood chips will evaporate and eventually burn and smoke, but usually after the wood chunks have burnt out. This will enable you to smoke meats for an extended period without having to add wood. When smoking with a charcoal grill, you can add wood chunks directly to the charcoal, adding more as they burn out. Bear in mind that meats do not need to be smoked the entire time; an hour or two in a smoky environment is generally sufficient.
Hickory is an excellent all-purpose smoking wood that