Grilling is Harder Than Baking

Posted on May 16, 2006 by adam
Category: Editorial

frustration This topic has been on my mind for a while now, considering that we are deep in the heart of National BBQ Month. Believe it or not, I get agreement from the master baker herself, my wife, that grilling is harder than baking.

Let me define what I consider baking. My loose definition of baking is anything that is cooked in the oven that has to do with doughs, yeast, flour, baking powder, baking soda, etc. Anything whereby there is a chemical reaction happening under the heat of an oven is baking. Putting a casserole in the oven for 30 minutes is not baking. That's just heating. I realize I may catch some hell for this, but that is fine. I'd enjoy hearing your viewpoints.

Baking is a rather precise art. There are complex chemical reactions that happen and must be scrutinzed by precise measurements of ingredients. But as long as you follow the instructions, measure precisely, beat or mix precisely, then you will turn out a very good baked product. I am not the most avid baker in the world, but when I sat down and put my mind to it, I produced some very nice baked goods. Check out my Date Cake, Golden Raisin and Cherry Scones, and Mexican Chocolate Scones.

But when the time comes to head outdoors and fire up the grill or smoker, things get a little bit iffy. There is no precise measuring. Heat is measured by feel, and doneness is measured in terms of redness or softness. The grill is a large device that heats unevenly; you must try to control the uncontrollable.

Sure, just like every oven is different, every grill is different. The heating element in each grill is different which can cause headaches from grill to grill, or even inside the same grill. On my gas grill, I have learned that there is more heat towards the rear edge of the burners, presumably because heat is reflected from the back of the grill's lid. Compound that with the total of three burners and the six diffusers, you get a whole universe of heating differences.

OK. So what happens on charcoal grill. I'll tell you what happens, MAYHEM! Depending on the size of the meal you are grilling, you could have up to 50 individual pieces of charcoal which means 50 individual heating elements spread out rather unevenly across the bottom of your grill.

All that technical stuff aside, I believe that grilling is more difficult that baking because it requires much more experience with your equipment. You have to get to know your grill - get to know where it heats hotter and where the cool spots are. You have to get to know how long it takes an average steak or hamburger to grill to certain levels of doneness.

And learning to tell doneness is a complete class in itself. If I were baking, I might must stick a tooth pick in my food and see if anything sticks. But a steak is a little different. A good griller wouldn't pierce the meat to find out of it's done. We look, smell, press and squeeze.

I really would love to hear what you think about this topic, both men and women. Bakers? Lend me your ears. Grillers? What do you have to say?

Posted by adam on May 16, 2006
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Comments

Yep I agree that it is harder -- but not that grilling is harder because of the equipment. Being a wannabe baker, I've realized that my home oven is a total POS and has hot spots, drafts, and just general weirdness. It is a challenge for me to make my baked stuffs come out good every time.

I recently used my mothers oven where I made a cake that came out perfectly. and I thought to myself "sweet jebus, is this how it happens for other people with good ovens?!"

Posted by: Alicat | May 16, 2006 6:43 PM

Well, hun. I did say that I think grilling is harder. I don't agree with some of your statements about baking, however. Just because you follow the recipe to a 'T' does NOT mean you will get perfect baked goods. Remember, the tasties that you have baked are relatively easy by baking standards. There are factors other than the recipe, as Alicat pointed out. Not only are ovens a variable, so are humidity, elevation, quality of ingredients, kneading skill . . . You get the picture. Some things a baker has to do by feel or sight. It has to LOOK right or FEEL right. And that, my dear, can only be done with skill and experience, of which you know naught.

Posted by: TheWife | May 16, 2006 7:34 PM

Wooooo ... the claws come out! but that's good. You all make good points. I just wanted to elicit some conversation about it. I still think grilling is harder ... at least for the accident-prone.

Posted by: adam | May 16, 2006 7:51 PM

Well, it sounds like you admitted that YOU are accident-prone, dearie . . .

I admit the following into evidence:

Exhibit A - "Believe it or not, I get agreement from the master baker herself, my wife, that grilling is harder than baking."
Exhibit B - "I still think grilling is harder ... at least for the accident-prone."

I am not alone in my accidental world.:)

Posted by: TheWife | May 17, 2006 7:51 PM

I'd have to say that, at least for me, learning to grill was harder than learning to bake. You're right Adam, grilling is an art, not a science. It's trial and error, learning when the coals are just right, learning when the steak is done and not burned, learning all the little things that come with experience. When I first started grilling, some of my entrees (sp?) were absolutely horrid. But I practiced and learned, and a few bottles of Pepto later, I can grill.

Baking was like that, but thanks to marrying a wonderfully patient woman, I can at least bake cookies and cakes without burning the place down. It's still a learning experience for me, but it's more science. More exact.

My apologies if this doesn't make any sense. But that's been my experience with the two.

Posted by: Crawley | May 17, 2006 8:14 PM