How to Grill Like a Czech

From slapping some sausages on a grill to long hours spent carefully smoking large cuts of meat, grilling means different things to different people. Regardless of the way a person (or a nation for that matter) barbecues, a more important question is what they barbecue. At Czech cookouts I’ve eaten a range of grilovanýdelights from the traditional pork steaks to grilled blue cheese. To get a better idea of local barbecuing tastes I spoke with Petr Straka, the head chef at Čestr.

Steaks: A meaty conversation

He stressed the importance of selecting good quality meat for barbecuing. This seems like an obvious point. Quality is quality. But a sauce can hide an inferior cut of meat. On the grill, the meat has to perform alone. The cuts of beef which Straka recommends are the sirloin (nízká roštěná), brisket or rib steak (plec), or flank steak (veverka). He claims that they are much juicier than tenderloin (svičková).

Chicken and pork require some more preparation to make them come alive on the grill. Straka’s prep tips for these two popular meats?
  
“I recommend marinading chicken with some spices, salt, pepper, dry mustard, and herbs such as thyme and rosemary. Refrigerate for half a day then grill,”

Sausage: A national treasure

In a discussion of Czech grilling we can’t overlook sausages, which are especially popular on witch-burning night and camping trips. Špekáčky are often done on an open fire, using long roasting forks. Typically these short thick sausages have a cross cut into either end and are scored with a hash marking along the outside. The trick is not to hold them too close to the flame. Otherwise the outside burns and the inside remains undercooked. When they’re done, the cross incision allows the ends to fold out, kind of like a meaty flower. Another Czech sausage which is great on open fire is ostravská klobása which is made from large pieces of pork and has a distinctly smoky flavor.

Veg and cheese: No longer on the sidelines

There are some local vegetarian options—and no I don’t mean barbecuing ham. Grilled hermelín is one popular alternative. Coat an individual portion of hermelín with oil and spices then wrap in aluminum foil, sealing well. Grill on a hot plate on both sides for a few minutes. The cheese will form a tasty gooey delight to fork out of the foil and spread on bread.

Grill source: Wood wins out

Hard woods such as oak (dub) and beech (buk) are in ready supply. You can also get cherry trees (třešeň) or apple trees (jabloň) to give your meat a sweeter flavor. Some other wood types you might want to try are hickory (bílý ořechy or ořechovec), maple (javor), and alder (olše).

This is not to suggest the charcoal and gas aren’t used and charcoal kettle barbecues have certainly become increasingly more popular, especially with influence from abroad. You can find charcoal and barbecues and grills of various types at bigger supermarkets and gardening centers such as Obi and specialty grill shops. (Recently spotted at the Prague Food Festival: the Big Green Egg, a ceramic grill based on an ancient clay cooking device!)

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