How Alton Brown Achieves A Satisfyingly Smoky Grilled Cheese

Most people have a favorite way of making a grilled cheese sandwich. From preferred cheeses to adding a thin slice of tomato or avocado before placing it in a frying pan, through to being particular about the best bread to use for the perfect grilled cheese, this sandwich can bring out some opinionated taste buds. But when it comes to some of the ways celebrity chefs take their grilled cheese up a notch, this handheld meal becomes next level. Alton Brown isn't overly fancy with his ingredients, but the "Good Eats" host transforms his grilled cheese into smoky perfection with a departure from the standard cooking technique. Per his website, Brown makes a habit of making his grilled cheese sandwich using a chimney starter, hence its name "Chimney grilled cheese." 

A charcoal chimney starter is used to get your briquettes all fired up for a charcoal grill. This metal tube has a grate near the bottom to hold a couple of crumpled pieces of newspaper and charcoal. Its sides have holes for ventilation. Set it on your grill, and then set the paper at the bottom on fire. About a quarter hour later, the ash-looking coals are ready to use. While 15 minutes seems like a long wait, Brown uses the time wisely. 

Alton Brown notes that before you do any lighting, you want to place the starter directly over a couple of slices of bread in a cast iron pan to make certain it can adequately cover the bread.  Then he lights up the chimney starter, presumably placing it on the grill as it burns or some type of heat-resistant surface. Again, not one to waste time, the TV chef mixes his shredded cheese with dry mustard and spices in the interim, and then when all the charcoal is close to being lit, he places a steel pan on top of the chimney starter to caramelize some chopped onions.

Brown doesn't place the starter over the bread slices brushed with olive oil until the coals are fully lit. Once they are, he sets the chimney right on top of the bread for around a minute, which is just about the time they need to get golden brown. Then he removes the chimney starter and flips the slices over so he can toast the other side of the bread. It happens within 45 seconds, so don't wander off. It isn't until both sides have a little char that he gets to his cheesy mix.  

Alton Brown removes the chimney starter from the bread and adds his cheese and caramelized onions to the slices. He then places the chimney starter right over the bread again and broils the cheese until it is "melty," adding a smoky element to it as well. Again, this happens rapidly — in under a minute — so don't try to multi-task. He then removes the chimney starter and places the bread slices together to make his grilled cheese sandwich. Remember, the bread and cheese will be hot, so be careful of your fingers and hands. You also need to give it a couple of minutes before you sink your choppers into it.

Brown notes that if your bread gets a little dusting of ash during the process, simply remove it. No harm, no foul. The result is a satisfyingly smoky sandwich that has all the traditional hallmarks of this favorite comfort food. Is this anything like the classic grilled cheese your grandmother made in a frying pan? No, but it does test the conventional go-to ways of making simple foods, imparting delicious flavor elements you may not have known you wanted in this sandwich.