Roasting is a culinary technique that is used to cook raw foods and consists of exposing them to the heat of fire or embers in order to cook them slowly. It is often preferred as a heat source the embers from a bonfire of wood . The heat is gradually transmitted to the food , which is generally suspended above or near the burning coals .
The embers are obtained from charcoal or from direct wood burning . The woods most commonly used for roasting are hard woods , such as oak , mesquite , quebracho or coronilla, which burn at high temperatures and for a long time.
Summary
[ hide ]
- 1 Story
- 2 Roasting methods
- 3 The grills
- 4 Grilling techniques
- 5 Grills and roasts
- 6 Companions to eat a barbecue
- 1 Pebres and Sauces
- 2 Fittings
- 3 Drinks
- 7 Sources
- 8 External links
History
Historians assure that Roast is the oldest cooking method in the world, since its application goes back to the origins of man. Some ancestor of ours discovered by chance that a piece of meat that fell into the stake and was recovered, or pieces of animals caught in a forest fire, were more appetizing and enjoyable to eat.
With the appearance of fire, man developed elementary culinary techniques, to the flames, to the fathoms, under the hot ashes or on the stones, all with the aim of satiating his appetite, after, many times, very long fasts.
That is why the origin of the roast itself remains very uncertain, since it is an ancient procedure, used in all the countries of the world where the adequate raw material existed, although in many nations such as Argentina , Chile , Paraguay , Uruguay , the territory to the east of Bolivia and to the south of Brazil , especially Rio Grande do Sul , Santa Catarina , Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul , they are considered a typical dish in these places. They consider it almost as their national dish, that is why it is prepared in an almost ritual way very different from that of a simple barbecue. InColombia is traditional especially in the center of the country.
In Argentina , Bolivia , Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , Paraguay , Peru , Uruguay , Honduras and Venezuela , roast is understood not only to the cooking method, but also to the barbecue, the social act of eating meats (white and red) or choripans . In several of these countries, barbecues or roasts not only include meat, but also sausages .
Roasting methods
A frequent method of preparing a barbecue is that of the grill , where the meats are cooked horizontally. However, it is also possible to roast by other methods. Another utensil used for roasting is the spying , a metal pole or rod on which the products to be roasted are pricked. A large spying can be used to roast an entire animal ( lamb , pig , cow ). Small spies are also used to roast chickens or pieces of meat. There are mechanical spies that rotate by means of a motor, both on the fire or the ember , and inside an oven. It is widely used in Brazilian cuisine . InBrazil many of the roast meat restaurants use the rodizio system , where the meat is roasted in spies that are brought to the table by the salon staff, other times they are served on plates, to the pieces, personally, without taking the spies to the table .
A variant of the spying method is ” roast to the cross ” or “roast”. The meats are arranged outdoors on the coals vertically supported by a frame that usually has the shape of a cross. In southern Argentina, one way of roasting on the cross is the chiporro or Patagonian lamb roast . With the cross spying method, the so-called “roast with leather” is also carried out, characteristic of the gaucho traditionArgentina and Uruguay. Cooking takes several hours with charcoal over low heat, so that the leather does not burn. The purpose of roasting the meat with the leather is so that the meat does not dry with the heat since, otherwise, it would be very difficult to roast for example a bovine hindquarters without drying it. In addition, the leather gives an unmistakable flavor to roast meat.
In turn, in Chile , Argentina and Uruguay, there is occasional talk of roasting in the oven, referring to cutting meat, cooked in electric, gas or field ovens, whose fuel is firewood. Another cooking method widely used in southern Chile is roast on the stick. This consists of going through the animal (usually in parts) with a long stick or iron and putting it on the coals and turning it slowly. The most typical is the roast lamb on the stick. In Spainthe roast technique is very extensive and has a long tradition, being carried out not only on meat elements but also on fish and vegetables, ranging from the traditional Castilian roast in the oven (generally on clay pot ), to the famous fish skewers of the Levantine coast.
The grills
We apply the term grill to the iron or stainless steel utensil built by a frame to which a set of parallel bars is welded, some V-shaped gutters or a wire rack on which the meat is arranged to be roasted.
The grill requires an open space. It is common that in the pre-established areas for roasting there is a shed or barbecue, such a shed is usually thatched with thatch and is used to maintain the elements with which the roast is prepared and eventually, diners protected from the sun or the rain.
Today the variety of grills is impressive; They come in all shapes and sizes, simple or sophisticated; fixed or rolling; some detachable; of handmade or industrial clothing; traditional charcoal or highly sophisticated liquefied gas; all built according to their use.
Grilling techniques
First of all, the meats must be stripped of those of their components that are not interesting for roasting: tendons, fibrous sheets, too thick veins of fat, pieces of bone (ribs are preserved), etc. For the cooking of meat, certain parameters must be taken into account that will influence the result regarding the appearance and taste of the meat. The parameters to consider are: the intensity of the fire, as well as the quality of the fuels , the height of the grill , the cooking time, type of grill, the ambient temperature, the wind, the type of meatand the cut. The influence of the intensity of the fire is directly proportional to the caloric power of its source of origin, and inversely proportional to the distance that mediates between the fire and the meat, that is, at the height of the grill. Cooking time is determined by the intensity of the fire and the height of the grill. The higher the fire, the less time (for the same grill height ). Grill height, and the intensity of the fire are adjustable at will, the cooking time will depend on them. To understand how variable is the time it takes to roast, we must add other factors to those already mentioned: type of cut, (thickness of the meat, tenderness) and type of grill (open or closed with hood). The height of the grill can be lowered up to 10 cm, not less because the meats would be too close to the fire. It can be raised in special cases: some roast the chicken with the grill at 30 cm. and for the roast with leather it rises to 70 cm. With regard to the power of the fire , too much can produce a roast ” taken ” but little can be a roast “poked “. The time is not manageable within certain limits either. A minimum can produce a” raw ” roast , if the fire was not intense or” raptured “if you want to compensate the short time with too much fire . Too long can produce a roast ” stabbed “, if the fire is scarce or “past, if the fire is normal.
Grills and roasts
There are ” grillsthe grid or grill must have a wide separation between the iron bars that constitute it. If the roast is bone-in, care must be taken to place this side first to be cooked.
Companions to eat a barbecue
The companions to eat a roast depend on the meat that will make up the main dish.
It is common that the roast is eaten accompanied with salads, such as lettuce, onion, tomato and hard-boiled eggs, Russian salad or boiled potato salad with chopped parsley, seasoned with wine vinegar and oil, among others depending on customs. Of each country.
Pebres and Sauces
These culinary supplements, often used in roasts, are cold, strong and spicy combinations of raw and seasoned vegetables, intended to stimulate appetite and thirst.
Fittings
The most commonly used accompaniments in roasts and grills are: Potatoes, beans, avocado, cucumber, green beans, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, although your gastronomic criteria will be the most determining factor, for the choice of these accessories.
Drinks
Alcohol is dangerous in excess, but also benefits are attributed to it, especially antiseptics.
Wine has the advantage of being the healthiest of alcohols. The sugars in your grapes are simple and easily transformed into a moderate, more natural, clean and digestible alcohol.
In terms of wines, the best wine is the one that you like best. It is always subjective, there are no unbreakable rules, yes always make sure that it is in a perfect state of preservation. For those who do not drink alcoholic beverages, a very elegant drink is tea. Orientals take it during meals instead of water and take it from herbs. The black tea is socially taken at the end of the meal, so during this you can have lemon tea.
