The Secrets of Grilling with Chef Tarver King

When I read that The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm was offering a grilling class it was the perfect opportunity to learn more about grilling. I discovered The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm when researching 2014 James Beard semifinalists. The restaurant serves creative, tasty dishes that are pleasing to the palate and the eye in a picturesque setting.



Approximately 9 students participated in the hands on grilling class. Chef Tarver King is very knowledgeable about grilling and enthusiastically shared his knowledge with the 

The Restaurant's glass enclosed space

student participants. 30,000 B.C is the first documented instance of charcoal use by wall drawings in a cave.  Most charcoal is made via dry distillation (high temperature charcoal is made. Chef Tarver showed the class his distillation unit and various pieces of charcoal.

Chef discussed the importance of selected the material you wish to burn in order to achieve the desired outcome with your grilled item (e.g. applewood, hickory), making charcoal, marinades to use with items to be grilled (the marinades add and enhance flavor) and the sequence in which to grill items (meats and more dense items go on the grill first, chicken and veggies go on the grill next, fish and shellfish last- they cook quickly). Chef told us that when meats are dry aged it's the fats in the meat that take on the flavor.
After the informative lecture and a demonstration on how to thread foods on a skewer, the class was tasked with preparing the menu items for grilling. On the menu:

shiitake mushrooms, marinated in parsley and peanut oil

lamb marinated in nam pla

swordfish marinated in olive oil and pastrami seasonings

ribeye, marinated in yakitori tare

air baguettes 

rice



skewered mushrooms and lamb

The shiitake mushrooms and lamb were skewered with rosemary twigs.  The swordfish and ribeye were skewered with bamboo sticks. I skewered the swordfish. Swordfish is a firm and rather easy to work with. It threaded  carefully to avoid tearing the swordfish.


skewered Shiitake mushrooms

lamb skewered on rosemary twigs

Chef assembled the skewered items on the already hot grill. The skewers were turned as needed to ensure even grilling. 

swordfish skewers on the grill

 We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful view as we waited for the food and the table was set. Chef  surprised the table when he shared that he also had grilled pork belly for us. Lunch was delicious!





Grilled  pork belly, swordfish, ribeye and lamb

We were also informed that three charcoal inspired cocktails would available for us to try: Sitting by the Campfire- a scotch based cocktail, Smoke and Fire- a tequila based cocktail featuring a puree of chili peppers, and Old Hickory- a bourbon based cocktail.


Old Hickory

Sitting by the Campfire



Smoke and Fire

I tried all three cocktails and liked all three. The Smoke and Fire is not for the faint of heart or those who can't handle  heat as this cocktail has plenty of it. I've had Sitting by the Camp Fire before and enjoyed it with this meal. Old Hickory was winner as well.

Fortunately we received recipe packets so the marinades and cocktails can be replicated at home. 

Chef Tarver couldn't  have been nicer. He was a patient, easy going instructor and regaled us with stories about how he discovered grilling (on a trip to Las Vegas), his chef's knife (look closely at the blade).  Beverly, co-owner of the Restaurant, allowed me to walk through the garden before class and showed me the areas being prepared to grow peas, okra, mixing greens, micro greens, onions, spinach and fava beans.

 

Class listings are available on the Restaurant at Patowmack's website. Space is limited, so reserve you seat(s) early by contacting the restaurant directly.

Thanks to all at  The Restaurant at Patwomack for a wonderful learning experience. I look forward to returning to the restaurant to see the garden's progress.

Be well,

Technicolor girl

Technicolor g