BBQ Tips
Safe GrillingSome easy quick tips to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable BBQ.
* For coal BBQ’s, light well before you want to eat, they can take up to an hour to go white before they are ready for cooking on.
* Remember to wash your hands and all utensils, also have a bowl of warm soapy water next to your BBQ to wash utensils in between cooking.
* Keep raw and cooked meat separate, using separate utensils and plates. Do not put cooked
products back on plates previously used for raw.
* If you are marinating meat you have to take extra care to avoid food poisoning.
- Keep marinating meat in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Discard the marinade when you have put the meat on the barbecue, using a freshly made marinade to baste your meat while it cooks.
Steaks & Chops
* For whole muscle meat products like fillets, steaks and chops, take care when grilling as they can cook quite quickly and sometimes burn what should be a lovely steak.
* Ensure the grill is pre-heated, coals are white or gas is on medium to high.
Place steaks on a pre-oiled griddle (or put some sesame oil on the steaks if they are not already marinated), grill for a few minutes either side turning only once.
Depending how thick they are, suggested timings per side are:
- rare (2-3mins)
- medium (4-5mins);
- well done (6-7 mins)
Burgers
* Cook burgers until they are piping hot, no pink areas in the centre and juices run clear.
* Make use of a digital thermometer to take out the guesswork, meat products should reach an internal temperature of between 75°C – 80°C.
For BBQ’s with lids, larger joints can also be cooked
* Pre-marinated spatchcocked joints or whole chickens are great for a larger party or an outdoor Sunday roast, ask your Q butcher to prepare one for you– or see the link at the bottom for instructions on how to have a go yourself.
* Usually taking about 40+mins to cook, depending how big the chicken or joint is, check halfway through cooking to ensure an even doneness.
Another fun Sunday roast, if your BBQ is large enough
* Beer BBQ’d Chicken, where the chicken is basted with garlic butter and spices, placed upright onto a can of beer or cider and cooked for 2-3 hours – dependent on size of chicken or until internal temperature reaches 80°C
Want to enjoy a subtle smoky flavour?
* Try cooking your meat on an untreated wooden plank, ideally cedar, alder, hickory or maple, usually available from speciality shops.
*Follow the precooking instructions to get the best cooking experience and these will not only look great, but mean less handling, as food doesn’t need turning.
* They can only be used a few times, but can be used as smoking chips when finished with.
And last of all enjoy, and take it slowly, it will be worth the wait.
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