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There is nothing primal about an Instant Pot. And with summer on the wing, it’s time to embrace your inner cave dweller and cook with fire. For next-level grilling, think beyond the usual suspects and reach for unorthodox ingredients that can benefit from smoke and scorch.
Just as the high heat of glowing charcoal can yield a hard-seared steak that’s still bloody on the inside, a charred tomato or cucumber will serve up those rich, browned flavors without sacrificing peak-produce juiciness. As for smoke, treat it like an extra ingredient.
To lock in its flavor, fat is your friend, as in chef Galen Zamarra’s butter-topped oysters (pictured above, with recipe below, along with other tips from some of our favorite chefs). You won’t get blazing hot temperatures or that ideal smokiness from a gas grill—though wood chips can be used as a cheat—so if you came to play, it’s charcoal all the way (and we mean hardwood lump charcoal, not chemical-laced -briquettes). You go, grill.