Practicing in Oklahoma City, OK, William D. Jones, MD, focuses on preventive medicine, and also has extensive experience in occupational health. Having lived in France, Oklahoma resident William D. Jones, MD, is fluent in the French language, and enjoys French cuisine.
One aspect of French cooking that is not well known internationally is its grilling and barbecue tradition. Custom dictates the use of wood as a cooking medium (whether actual wood or wood charcoal briquettes, along with branches such as hazelnut, apple, or pear). The result is meat imparted with a natural, aromatic, grilled flavor.
The typical French barbecue is one that follows the low heat principle, with the meat seared but not burnt. The ideal cut of meat will be crisp on the outside but rare on the inside, with tender juiciness a defining attribute.
In practice, this means that a large pork chop can take up to half an hour, and a beef rib a full 20 minutes on the grill. This “low and slow” principle also extends to small French country sausages like chipolatas, and to vegetables such as radishes, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and turnips, which are brushed with salt and oil before hitting the grill.
