When it comes time to celebrate American independence, the 4th of July conjures many things: fireworks, parades, parties, and of course, barbecue. Now, because of Covid-19, most of these activities are canceled (please wear a mask and social distance, people), but the one thing everyone can still do in the comfort of their own home is barbecue.
And because this is La Cucina Italiana and not La Cucina Americana, we thought it would only be appropriate to get the down-low on barbecuing like an Italian… from an Italian. So we asked Bergamo-born chef Angelo Auriana of Factory Kitchen, BRERA and sixth+mill restaurants in Los Angeles, to give us his two cents on having a great Italian cookout on this very American holiday.
But let’s start here – what is Italian barbecue in the first place?
Brera meat
Italian barbecue, or grigliata, far outdates any American tradition. The idea of cooking food over an open flame is an Italian staple that dates back ages and usually consists of seasonal summer produce, lighter meats, loads of fish, and lots of olive oil. But like all Italian cuisine, each region of the country offers up its own interpretation of this open-flame cooking style.
“American barbecue is different than Italian barbecue,” said Auriana. “The way Americans do it is by cooking slowly. If you think about those guys in Texas and in Kansas City, they take a very flavorful piece of meat that is very unique and they cook it slow and long so they can infuse so much more flavor. It's actually like a hot smoking method. So, where we come in as an Italian grigliata, is that we get the same results, and we use the same technique, but by doing the opposite with very fast cooking, that’s more direct on a coil.”
Of course, when it comes to a top chef like Auriana, it’s not surprising that he likes to grill more unique cuts of meat. “For me, the grill is really interesting when you use the less-known cuts, for example, calf liver that is quickly seared on a hot grill. But one major difference is that we marinate after. After you take it off the grill, you marinate it with a little bit of oil, sometimes you can put some balsamic vinegar on it, then you cover it with Saran wrap, and then you let it sit for five minutes.”
Chef Angelo Auriana
But beyond unique meats, Auriana has a number of tips for at-home chefs who want a little Italian seasoning in their holiday BBQ. “Another trick is that you never want to grill a thick steak, like a Fiorentina, or really any meat, if it’s cold. The best thing to do, instead of seasoning, for an hour, bring it up to room temperature and you will save time on cooking because the heat will penetrate more evenly. If you put a frozen meat on a grill, it can be cooked on the outside, but it will be raw inside.”
When it comes to traditional American items on the Fourth, hotdogs typically come to mind, but Auriana has great alternatives for that as well. “In comparison to hotdogs, you have the cotechino, which is a cooked sausage and then I would say mortadella is also close to it but with a way better flavor profile, or at least more distinct.”
And finally, when Auriana wants his own perfect barbecue for the 4th of July, he has a lot to say as well. “I actually want to tell you that I prefer fish during this time. I think that grilled vegetables and grilled fish is the winner but with grilled meat you could go with potatoes or with more traditional pairings. But with fish, I think having something like zucchini mixed with grilled prawns or you take the sweetest onions and you have them with eggplant and fish. But I like when you have five or six different types of fish with crustaceans if possible and finfish at the same time. And that's a good Fourth of July for me. But really, I don’t care how you barbecue, as long as you have to have a good glass of wine to go with it.”
We couldn’t agree more.