Top 10 Barbecue Tips
We all love to fire up the barbecue, be it for a get together with family and friends or a relaxing meal at sunset. Although it’s an easy way to cook there are a few tips to help make it all that more delicious.
- Always preheat your barbecue before you start cooking. This makes sure the barbecue plate is at the right temperature so you as soon as you put on your food to be barbecued it instantly seals giving you the maximum amount of flavour and tenderness. Your food should sizzle when it hits the grill or plate.
- Never barbecue meat, sausages or poultry straight from the fridge otherwise it reduced the cooking temperature which can make the meat stew rather than barbecue and result in tough meat, poultry or seafood. Make sure you take your barbecuing delights out of the fridge 10 minutes before your ready to barbecue.
- Oil your meat, poultry or seafood not the barbecue. This will still prevent your food from sticking however prevents the oil burning and smoking which will happen if you pour (or spray) directly onto the barbecue plate or grill.
- If your steak, sausages or poultry are thickly cut take care to allow time to cook through. Once you have sealed both sides well, move the food to a slightly cooler part of the barbecue plate or grill to allow it to cook evenly or alternatively once sealed, reduce heat to medium-high.
- For the perfect steak or chicken - only turn it once as the more you ‘toss & turn’ your steak the tougher it will be come. Just place the steak down and cook until some moisture starts to appear on the uncooked side, then turn over and keep your tongs away until your ready to serve.
- Don’t overcrowd the barbecue. Too much food on the grill, or barbecue plate, causes the cooking temperature to drop so your meat, poultry or seafood won’t seal properly. This then allows juices to seep out and ends up stewing rather than barbecuing giving you tough, dry meat.
- Always aim to rest your meat before serving to allow the meat proteins to relax and allow moisture to spread throughout giving you a more tender and juicier steak. Once you have finished cooking, just place your meat onto the serving plate and cover for 2 – 4 minutes.
- Don’t oversalt your food. Best to season just before placing onto the barbecue or after cooking. Too much salt causes moisture to draw out of your food. Best to season with black pepper and a little sprinkle of sea salt flakes as table salt is often too fine and can easily draw out moisture from your food.
- Avoid marinades high in sugar as these burn easily and will often burn well before your meat or poultry is cooked through.
- Don’t pour marinade over the steaks as they cook as this will cause your food to ‘stew’. If you don’t have time to allow food to marinate before barbecuing then make up the marinade and just lightly brush your meat, poultry or seafood during cooking.
Here’s a few of our delicious recipes for you to create at your next barbecue:
Lemon & Herb Marinated Chicken
Balsamic Lamb with Spinach & Rice Salad
Tropical Mojito's
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