With summer here, the air should be awash with the smell of barbecues cooking up a variety of treats and delicacies. Make sure you don’t miss out on a great BBQ this summer and become the BBQ King/Queen by following the tips below.
The barbecue: make the right choice:
Barbecues come in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges, so it’s important to make sure you get the right one for you. When selecting a barbecue, think of it as an investment.
It is recommended that you get rid of the disposable ones, these may seem perfect for an impromptu meeting, but often they are not worth it. Not only are they smaller than reusable barbecues, but many are difficult to light, some have coals that have been treated with chemicals, and most importantly, cannot be reused.
With throwaway out of the equation, do you have to decide if you prefer coal or gas? This is a longstanding debate, but personally, coal is the way to go. Not only does it give you the authentic barbecue flavor, but you can also swap the charcoal for wood to add extra flavor.
Once you’ve selected your preferred barbecue and set it up, it’s time to light the charcoal. There are two methods for this. The first is for those who have a barbecue chimney starter, simply fill the chimney starter with the required amount of charcoal and lighters or fuel gel, place it on a metal slab or drain cover and light it. Once the coals are red hot, spread them out on the barbecue.
If you don’t have a chimney starter, you can ensure you get even heat between your charcoal by stacking it in a pyramid, along with lighters or lighter fuel, in the middle of your barbecue. Light them up and let them get red hot, before scattering them over your barbecue grill.
Your Food and Drink: It’s More Than Cheap Sausages and Hot Beer:
When it comes to barbecue cooking, most of us do one of two things… incinerate the food or sear the outside and leave the middle raw, and because we lack our barbecue cooking skills, many of us we also opt for cheap meat
But for a successful barbecue with glorious food, ditch the cheap meat and visit your butchers for great cuts of meat. You should also follow the points below to ensure you become a BBQ King/Queen and not a pretender to the throne.
• If using meat from the freezer, make sure it is completely thawed before placing it on the barbecue. Failure to do so will increase the risk of the meat burning on the outside but raw on the inside. If possible, you should allow all meat to come to room temperature before cooking.
• Don’t wash raw meat, despite what you may have heard before, this will not kill germs. Instead, make sure your food is thoroughly cooked.
[Source: food.gov.UK]
• Keep your refrigerated foods (salads, sauces, and desserts) in the refrigerator until you need them. If you leave them exposed to heat for too long, they may go bad.
• Make sure your grill is hot enough before you start cooking. The charcoal must be red hot. You can test the temperature of your barbecue using nothing more than your hand and time. Simply place your hand about 12cm above the barbecue and see how long you can hold it there, 0-2 seconds is too hot to cook with, 4 seconds is a medium heat that is fine for cooking and 6 seconds is a low heat that is okay to cook with. new is fine for cooking.
[Source: jamieoliver.com]
• Watch out for dripping meat juices. Dripping meat juices during the cooking process can cause flare-ups, increasing the risk of food burning. If flare-ups occur, move food aside until flames die down.
• Enhance your barbecue with chicken and chorizo, or mixed vegetable kebabs. These are simple to prepare, easy to cook, and are something different. But remember, metal skewers will retain heat from the barbecue, so be careful when handling them, while wooden skewers will need to be fully submerged in cold water for at least half an hour to prevent burning.
• Lock in moisture from your meat and add flavor by sprinkling it with a little fruit juice. As the natural sugars in the fruits cook, they will caramelize the meat, while also locking in moisture. Apple juice works great with pork.
[Source: wellhungmeat.com]
Having a successful barbecue isn’t just about having good food. The drink also plays an important role, and this means more than a warm beer. There are plenty of cocktail/mocktail recipes available, as well as recipes for a refreshing yet simple homemade lemonade. Alternatively, for the best barbecue pair your food with the right drink.
Some good examples include a black IPA with beef patties, nutty beers with veggie burgers, German beer with sausage, or a lager with chicken. Drink responsibly, and if you prefer to stick to one alcoholic beverage for your barbecue, consider stout.
At the end of the night comes the cleaning:
When the barbecue comes to an end and the charcoal embers have cooled down, it’s time to clean the barbecue and the sooner you do it, the better. There are a few ways to do it that are fast, efficient, and cost-effective.
Use food to clean:
Food is a great tool to use when cleaning and surprisingly, an onion or potato can be used to clean your barbecue. The potato technique involves cutting a potato in half, coating the cut end with dishwashing liquid, and then running it through the barbecue to remove any dirt that has built up, before rinsing.
If you opt to use an onion, your barbecue will still need to be hot, then simply cut the onion in half before poking it with a barbecue fork. This will allow you to scrub the barbecue and the acidity will cut through the grease, all that’s left to do is rinse. [Source: tescoliving.com]
BBQ Games:
An oven cleaning kit can also be used to clean your barbecue. Just as you would place the oven racks in the bag provided, place the barbecue racks in there (when cool) and add the cleaning liquid; leave it for 24 hours before washing it off with hot water.
While using such a kit to clean your barbecue grates, use a stiff bristle brush to clean the base of your barbecue, before wiping with a clean, damp cloth to remove any stubborn grease or grime.
Whether you’re looking to have a weeknight cookout to make the most of the weather or an all-day family event with an open door policy, keep these tips in mind, start and end with a clean cookout, and make sure you have food and beverage. which will tantalize the taste buds: getting it all right will ensure the food, fun and laughter lasts well into the night.
