For the Love of the Grill

Out here in Texas, we grill. I’m pretty sure, although I don’t have a source to cite, that Texans have grilling in our blood. And usually when we grill, we grill meat (insert Tim Allen grunting here). Dry cooking on a high heat is integral to getting a sear and smoky flavor. Grilling is also a traditional, serious style of cooking in Latin cultures. In many Latin countries an asado is a celebration around grilling. Grilling is like a really big deal.

But grilling has been elevated to more unique ingredients here in the United States. Ingredients not so unique elsewhere.

If you have been watching Top Chef Masters on Bravo this summer, you have seen one chef grill a head of lettuce and anther chef grill heads of cauliflower. Okay, the lettuce was a total fail. But the cauliflower was a hit. 

For fish and chicken, mango is a popular new compliment and nowadays people are grilling the mango to release a smoky sweetness. Pineapple is another ingredient meeting the grill to add a zesty pop to counter salty smoke. These flavors are fresh and exciting. They aren’t the familiar proteins and zucchini we throw on our backyard Weber grills. One day, somewhere, a foodie said, “Hey, let’s put something sweet on the grill.”

The chefs at Taco Ocho, in Richardson, Texas, grill all day long. And they are embracing the idea of outside-the-box grilling by taking fresh fruits and veggies like tomatillos, jalapenos, jicama and plantains and grilling them up. Plantains?! Yes. That sweet version of a banana grills up to perfection: the sugars caramelize and make a surprisingly perfect complement to the spice and rich flavors of shredded beef or the earthiness of black beans made from scratch and infused with jalapenos.

Fresh Grilled Tomatillos, Plantains and Jalapenos at Taco Ocho in Richardson, Texas

 

Considering grilling is such a tradition in Texas and Latin cultures, it makes sense that a restaurant in Texas that serves authentic Latin flavors would take the time to grill up Latin ingredients on the oh so familiar grill.