BBQ TIPS
Eight essentials for better grilling
1. LIGHTER FLUID: NO WAY!
There is no reason, except maybe pyromania (and that’s not a good one), to use lighter fluid anymore. It’s a petroleum product, and who wants that. Its foul chemical fumes can taste the food. Chimney starters and parafin cubes are much cleaner and much more effective.
To smoke-cook faster cooking foods like steaks, chops, or chicken breasts, use wood chips because they ignite and burn faster. Use wood chunks for slower cooking foods.
2. PREHEAT THE BARBECUE
Preheating your barbecue with the lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes prepares the grate. With all the coals glowing red, or all the gas burners on high, the temperature under the lid should reach 260˚ C. The heat loosens any bits and pieces attached to the grate, making it easy to brush them off. A hot grate is also crucial for searing food properly.
3. KEEP IT CLEAN
When bits of food have stuck to your stainless steel or porcelain-enamelled cooking grate, and the grate is hot, clean it with a brass bristle brush. This step is not only for cleanliness. It also prevents sticking. Note: Use a steel brush if you have a cast-iron cooking grate.
4. OIL THE FOOD, NOT THE GRATE
Oil prevents sticking. It adds flavour and moisture, too. Lightly brushing or spraying the food with oil works better than brushing the grate. You won’t waste oil and you will avoid a potentially dangerous situation.
5. KNOW WHEN TO BE DIRECT
Direct heat (when the fire is directly below the food) is best for relatively small, tender pieces of food that cook in 25 minutes or less. Indirect heat (when the fire is on either side of the food) is best for larger, tougher foods that require more than 25 minutes of cooking.
6. KEEP THE AIR FLOWING
A charcoal fire needs air. The lid should be closed as much as possible, but keep the vents on the lid and below the charcoal grate open. Remove the old ashes at the bottom of the barbecue regularly to prevent them from blocking the vents. A gas fire needs air, too, which it gets from an opening below the barbecue.
7. PUT A LID ON IT
For four important reasons, the lid should be closed as much as possible.
• It keeps the grates hot enough to sear the food.
• It speeds up the cooking time and prevents the food from drying out.
• It traps the smokiness that develops when fat and juices vaporize in the barbecue.
• It prevents flare-ups by limiting oxygen.
Every time you open the barbecue, heat escapes and lengthens your cooking time. Open the lid during grilling only to turn, baste, or sauce.
8. CARAMELISATION IS THE KEY
One of biggest reasons for the popularity of grilled food is its seared taste. To develop this taste for maximum effect, use the right level of heat and resist the temptation to turn food often. Your patience will allow for caramelisation, or browning. This creates literally hundreds of flavours and aromas. As a general rule, turn food only once.