Two-Step Your Way To Healthier Grilling

Are you doing the barbecue two-step this season? If not, let me introduce this safe, streamlined way to get delicious grilled foods with fewer health risks. I call it a two-step because food is started in the oven, then finished on a grill outdoors.

Roast meat at least halfway through in the oven and while it’s cooking, heat up the grill. You’ll be using your grill to enhance the meat’s flavor and create a crusty exterior, not to thoroughly cook it.

The advantage of this method is that it should reduce the number of potentially carcinogenic chemicals that form when meat is cooked, especially at high temperatures.

Baking or roasting meats creates fewer of these compounds, called heterocyclic aromatic amines, than such methods as broiling, frying or grilling. Vegetables do not form heterocyclic aromatic amines.

Use the barbecue two-step to make a delicious entree of Mango-Basted Baby Back Ribs. First marinate ribs in a vinegar, garlic and wine combination. Then baste and bake with leftover marinade.

As the final step, slather the ribs with a mild mango, mustard and brown sugar sauce and place on the grill. They’ll be finished grilling to a rich mahogany color in 30 minutes. It’s just long enough to give the ribs a deep, sweet flavor.

This dish and the accompanying Sweet Potato Fries were inspired by chef Douglas Rodriguez’ recipes in “Nuevo Latino” (Ten Speed Press, 1995).

Mango-Basted Baby Back Ribs

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

3/4 cup dry red wine

2 small racks baby back ribs (about 1 pounds total)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

6 tablespoons mango vinegar or apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large mango, peeled, seeded and diced

Combine red wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, cumin and wine in shallow bowl. Add ribs and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning ribs over once.

Before cooking ribs, combine tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, mustard and salt in small pan and simmer 10 minutes. Add mango and simmer until fruit is pulpy, 10 to 15 minutes. If fruit is still chunky, puree in food processor or blender. Taste and adjust vinegar and/or brown sugar for tangy flavor. Set aside.

Remove ribs from marinade. Pour marinade into small pan. Bring to boil and boil 2 minutes. Place ribs on foil-lined rack over baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with heated marinade. Meanwhile, prepare grill.

Remove ribs from oven. Brush generously with mango sauce. Place on grill and continue cooking 30 minutes, frequently brushing with mango sauce. Serve hot.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 481 calories, 22 grams fat (41 percent fat calories), 20 grams protein, 41 grams carbohydrate, 82 milligrams cholesterol, 916 milligrams sodium.

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato

Canola oil

Salt

Wash potato and trim off ends. Do not peel. Cut potato into 2- by 1/2-inch sticks. Heat 1 to 1-1/2 inches canola oil to 375 degrees in heavy-bottomed pan. Add enough sweet potato sticks to fry in single layer without crowding. Fry over medium heat 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate to drain.

If necessary, place fries on baking sheet and keep warm in preheated 200-degree oven while frying remaining potatoes. Season with salt just before serving. Serve hot.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 109 calories, 7 grams fat (58 percent fat calories), 1 gram protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 1,072 milligrams sodium.