BBQ tips

Tips from a real chef

A summer without at least one BBQ rarely occurs. Apart from the fact that I love barbecued food, I also think they’re great fun. Everything gets done at a relaxed pace, and you’re surrounded by delicious nibbles, drinks and lots of good company. Nowadays, I’m rarely to be seen anywhere near the BBQ, but then, I’m not really very good with those fire lighter blocks. By the time I’m done prepping all of the salads, skewers and other side dishes, I’m usually pretty ravenous, so, having to patiently wait for the meat still to cook at that stage, isn’t fun.
Fortunately, there is always someone in my vicinity, who takes it upon himself to get the coals lighting and keep the meat turning. Time and time again I see that barbecuing really is an art in itself. You may look like a BBQ master and own an awesome BBQ, but there’s a whole lot of technique to the actual cooking of the food, too.

At a recent BBQ, I met someone who was remarkably good at it. So, especially for the readers of this blog, I asked that real chef for a few tips:
1. The right fuel
2. Getting the fire started
3. Healthy barbecuing
4. Rare, medium or well done
5. The after party

1. The right fuel

A charcoal barbecue burns on barbecue briquettes or lump charcoal. Briquettes are made from pressed charcoal or pressed sawdust mixed with other wood by-products. This makes them somewhat more difficult to get lighting, but once lit, they burn more evenly and for longer. Charcoal gets hotter and therefore, burns away quicker, which makes them ideal for grilling thin pieces of meat. For thicker pieces of meat or dishes that need to cook for longer, or be smoked, you’re better off using briquettes.
Cheap briquettes often contain chemical binders, which can give your food a different flavour. I was also told that using coconut shell briquettes allows for barbecuing without creating thick plumes of smoke. If you’re using a gas or electric BBQ, then the question of ‘lighting’ it is a whole lot easier.

2. Getting the fire started

Naturally, your fuel, whichever you choose, needs to be dry. The safest way to light your BBQ, is to use those special barbecue fire lighter blocks. Be sure to use the brown pressed cardboard type, along with an eco-friendly fire lighter gel. They don’t contain any harmful chemicals, as is often the case with the regular white ones for home fires, which may contain some kerosene or petrol. You can often smell it as soon as you light them, and that smell can also be absorbed by your food.
Spread the charcoal or briquettes over the bottom grill in your BBQ. Then, just put two or three fire lighter blocks, for a regular sized BBQ, in between. The deeper they are, the better, as otherwise your fuel won’t get warm enough. Light a corner of the fire lighters, and once they’re burning well, cover them with another layer of coals or briquettes. You’ve just got to make sure that the flame doesn’t go out. Whilst for some, it’s hard to tear them away from the BBQ, now is a good time to take a fifteen-minute break from it, and maybe catch up with your guests for a while. Once a layer of ash has formed around the coals and they are glowing, then you can start laying on the meat, fish or vegetables.

If that method doesn’t appeal to you, then you could always use the briquette chimney starter. It’s a very handy tool that makes starting a barbecue a lot easier. Just be sure to keep children and animals well away from it once it’s in use. It’s also worth remembering to place your BBQ at a safe distance away from your garden furniture, plants or greenery, as they won’t be very resistant to such intense heat either.

3. Healthy barbecuing

When barbecuing, use very little oil, and preferably, one that’s good for you. Those black crusts on your food aren’t! So, to avoid over-cooking your food, divide your BBQ into two zones, a warm and a hot zone, by putting more fuel on one side of your BBQ than on the other. The food you place on the hot zone will be grilled, so it needs to be turned very often. The food placed on the warm zone, will cook slowly, and thus, needs turned less often. Still cooking too quickly? If so, then lay some tin foil over the grill and place the food on top. Oh, and remember that wooden skewers will need to be soaked for an hour or so in water before use, to make sure they don’t burn during cooking.

4. Rare, medium or well done

I can never manage to feel if the meat is cooked enough. That technique, of getting the right feeling, should perhaps be practiced more often. Mostly, I just cut the meat down the middle to check, which isn’t very helpful when you need to put the pieces back on the BBQ to cook further. Fortunately for me though, meat thermometers have been invented. The name says it all really, it’s a thermometer that you insert into the centre of the meat or fish at the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle, and the core temperature is displayed. On the internet, there are tons of sites from which you can download handy tables giving the right temperatures for meat, poultry or fish. To get the best flavour, let your meat or fish rest for a few minutes, wrapped in tin foil before serving.

5. The after party

Despite all the enjoyment of the evening, I still always dread cleaning the BBQ afterwards. However, it turns out that it’s really quick and easy to clean your still, slightly warm grill, by scrubbing it with a small lump of tin foil. I’m definitely going to try that next time. If you’ve got a cast iron grill, then be sure to let it cool off completely first, before cleaning it, and remember to avoid using any agressive cleaning products, as these may damage your grill, and you’d end up with even more than cleaning to do next time.

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– Lorna –