Shrimp on the barbie that will not result in shrimp jerky.

[Stinky The Clown]

This is about method and not recipe.

How many of you have tried to do shrimp on the grill only to have it get all dry and tough by the time it is cooked through.

Cooks Illustrated has their summer grilling issue out. Very early in the magazine is a discussion of grilled shrimp. I was keen to read it as they spoke about avoiding dried out, rough shrimp that is all too often the result of slapping the little jewels on the grill.

There is much logic explained in the article, but here's the basic method.

Clean and peel the shrimp. This is a case where bigger is better, but bigger is not necessary. I had some wild caught 15/20 gulf shrimp, which are quite large, but this method will work well with shrimp down to 26/30, at least.

If you want to marinate your shrimp, do so according to whatever recipe you wish. If you want just shrimp, that's okay, too.

Skewer the shrimp. Here's the first trick. Skewer them head to tail and butt them close and tight to each other. In effect, you wish to create a sort of "slab-o-shrimp". This skewering will actually serve to protect the shrimp from drying out at all but the edges.

Now oil the shrimp lightly.

Okay, here is tip number 2. Sprinkle one side of the "slab-o-shrimp" with a bit of sugar.

Now, if you want to (I always choose this method) sprinkle on a rub or some seasoning.

Place the shrimp, sugared side down, on the grill. Grill until lightly charred - 4 minutes or so.

Now turn off the grill.

Flip the shrimp and let them cook on the second side, over the residual heat, until they are just barely opaque.

That's it. Done.

Skewering the shrimp tight together protects all but the very edges from the heat that dries them about. The sugar sets up a better maillard reaction, causing the side of the shrimp that gets the lion's share of heat gets a nice, light char and good grill marks. This is where the flavor comes from. Shrimp are small enough that doing this to just one side is plenty.

I'm glad I tried this one. I learned something and it works.

[Warpy]

1. I've done shrimp and scallops on a hibachi

which means hard to control charcoal. The tip on how to skewer is one I too discovered. I never used sugar, but I did use a bottled salad dressing that had some sugars in it to coat the seafood so it didn't stick. I didn't get char marks but I did get that charcoal grill flavor.

I also found that skewering seafood and veggies separately was vital. Getting veggies done meant getting seafood jerky. Rescuing seafood when it was done meant raw veggies--not entirely unpleasant but not what I was looking for.

Metal skewers worked better than bamboo for me because the metal would heat and tend to cook the seafood from the inside out as the fire was cooking from the outside in, resulting in evener cooking. In addition, the metal was square and the seafood didn't flop quite so much when I turned it.

Now you've done it, made me hungry for char grilled shrimp. I have the prawns and I have an ancient half bag of charcoal....

[mike_c]

2. with large shrimp, I skewer them interlocked to increase the density....

Use a flat skewer, too. I often brush them with a coconut milk satay or just sambal, but I grill over charcoal, so I use a multilevel fire to finish each skewer off the direct heat. Let's face it-- shrimp are delicate and a grill is a bit of a blunt object. It's always a dance getting the things exactly between cooked through and rubbery tough.

I like to serve them as tacos, with a scattering of cabbage theads, a squeeze of fresh lime, guacamole, and salsa fresca.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. If I am understanding correctly ......

.... I think you're saying the same thing.

The shrimp get skewered in a way that they form a more or less solid run of flesh; the belly of the first is tight to the back of the second. The belly of the second is tight to the belly of the third ...... etc.

I use some skewers I made myself. I started with 1/8" diameter stainless steel rods, 36" long. I sharpened each end of each rod on a grinding wheel. I then bent the rods in half at the center, using a 1/2" bolt, held in a vice, as the bending jig. The result is a set of very sturdy, long skewers that will last a lifetime.

[mike_c]

4. sounds like it....

I've had my flat steel skewers for as long as I can remember, which means that I probably dug them out of a discard pile in my parents' garage 40-some years ago. They're stainless, not plated. About 3/16-1/4 inch wide, I think. I could sword fight with them, LOL.

I still use my old kettle grills and hibachis, though. No reliable temperature control or multilevel cooking for me, dammit! :rofl: