BBQ Tips & Tricks
BBB Tips & Tricks
Summer is nearly here, and BBQ season is starting to flow into
full swing. This is my favourite time of year, The warm breeze, chilled beers
and smell of Grilled Burgers filling the air. There is nothing like it. So I
thought it best to write a few of my go to tips to help you get the best out of
your Barbecue.
This are in no particular order…
1. Temperature control –
It doesn’t matter how great your shopping
list or quality of meat is, if you fail to ignore Temperature control, it can
end in disaster. I will split this into two sections, Internal Temperature (Food)
and External Temperature (Cooking) –
With Internal Temperatures, we live in a
day and age where there are many fantastic aids at hand. The best and most
convenient being an Instant read thermometer. Relatively cheap and readily
available on Amazon, this is by far my most used go too tool for the BBQ or
Kitchen. Being able to quickly see how cooked a Steak or Joint, takes away any
guesswork, ensuring perfectly cooked Proteins every time.
Its good to know the range of Temp for Doneness
for Steaks/Beef, 50c for Rare, 54c for Med Rare, 60c for Medium – If you are
cooking further than Medium, we cant be friends. To be safe with Chicken/Turkey and I’d even
include Pork in this, Make sure that dial says 75c.
As mentioned, Instant Read thermometers are
relatively cheap, easy to use and will help massively to avoid overcooked and
cremated meat. I do also have a wired Thermometer that helps with those Long
Cook proteins (Used when Smoking or Roasting Joints) – this actually works with
an App to ensure I’m alerted if there are any changes in temperature or to know
when to pull off the meat (ooo’er). Ill add Links below to all the kit I use.
External Temperature is just as important. You
need to ensure that cooking area is at heat. Safe to use and not going to cause
unexpected issues. If you have a Gas Grill, this is easily accomplished, just
set those Jets to your desired temperature. Charcoal is slightly more difficult
but not impossible to understand. As mentioned, a wired instant read Thermometer
can keep you aware and alerted on any temperature fluctuations. This is especially
helpful If you are doing a low and slow / smoke cook. The use of Vents being open
and closed can also help with this overall control. Every Grill is different so
its good to know how to get the best from your BBQ, understand how airflow and
draft can help or hinder the cooking process. In essence its simple Thermodynamics.
2.
Charcoal or Gas –
There is no correct answer with this, none
at all, both have Pros, both have Cons and don’t fall victim to guys saying “if
its not charcoal, then its not a BBQ”. You do what’s best for you and what’s
within your budget. Ill admit I do use a Gas Grill with a RRP of £600 (I didn’t
pay that, I got it cheaper due to getting it in October and Homebase needing to
shift stock), I also use a ‘Barrel’ type charcoal grill that I picked up for
£30.00 (Once again, Homebase needed the stock room) and I use both regularly.
The Pros and Cons do vary but generally,
Charcoal offers greater flavour. Not only do you get the great flavour of the meat
but does also add the extra flavour from the charcoal, giving that authentic
BBQ taste. The Cons are, Charcoal takes time to get ready to use (Can be problematic
with our UK inconsistent weather), Temperature control is increased with
Charcoal, making sure your grill is at correct temp etc.
With Gas, by far the best part is how
quickly the grill is ready to go, 5-10 mins and you can be cooking and grilling
your meat with no issues, you can control the temperature a lot more
accurately, however as good as the food will be, it does just miss out on that
extra Charcoal infused taste. Patio Gas can also be relatively expensive to get
started with. However, with my experience I would say it probably does run
cheaper overall compared to Charcoal prices.
Another question to consider is Lump wood v
Briquette – Once again, this is dependent on what you want to do. If you are
doing a longer, slower cook, there Is nothing wrong with Briquettes. They retain
heat longer so can get that extra time without having to top up coals as frequent
if you are doing longer cooks (Joints, ribs etc). Lump wood, however, would be
my always go too for regular grilling. It offers a higher heat output that adds
that instant sear. It’s fantastic for when I do Mangal grilling (Middle Eastern
Style Kebab Cooking) for Kebabs, and its exceptional when grilling Steak due to
that higher heat output. As always, I would always recommend getting the best
Charcoal for your budget, as often it is more economical to spend a bit more on
a better charcoal that will last longer compared to the cheap Unbranded
charcoal. I am a big fan of BIG K charcoal, both Lump wood and Charcoal. It
cooks longer and hotter than others I’ve tried.
I would also highly recommend a chimney Starter. Simply load this with charcoal, Ignite a natural firelighter below, and that charcoal is ready to go within 20mins, rather than the usual 1 hour mark. Please be careful however when using these are they do radiate immense heat while in use so be careful of surrounds, I have had some near misses so this is from experience. I would also highly suggest never using regular firelighters, as these can add a chemical taste to the coals which ends up in the food.
3.
Meats –
As I mentioned before, to get the best from
your Barbecue, is to simply get the best meats within your budget. I'm not
saying go into debt buying Wagyu Fillet, but certainly shop around, know who
does good meats and steaks. This could be your local butcher, some
supermarkets, Online supplier. Wherever and whatever works for you.
I would always recommend trying to get
something that has a bit of age to it (At least 21 days) and a good amount of
Marbling (The visible white lines running throughout a steak), both of these
will add so much flavour. Personally, I have had great success with Steaks from
Lidl, especially if you can grab some ‘Nearly Out Of Date’ deals. Generally,
however the quality of their steak has been much better than my local butcher
and 1/3 of the price. Going to the butchers however will open up the world of different
cuts and wider range products.
This also applies to other meats too, especially
with the current ‘Cost of Living crisis’. Always stay in budget and do what’s
best for your circumstances.
I will write a future post on how to get the
best from your meats in further detail.
Is there anything I've missed, Is there anything you would
like further advice on? Please do just let me know and Happy Barbecuing.
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