Chef’s Secrets For Cooking Up The Best BBQ Food

With the barbecue season well underway and lockdown starting to lift its restraints, more and more people are taking the opportunity to dust off the old BBQ and get grilling! So what are the secrets to cooking up the best BBQ food? Read on!

Top tips on how to make the perfect BBQ

Covering tips for meat-eaters, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans to ensure a good ol’ barbecue is accessible and delicious for everyone involved. 

• Oil lean meats before sticking it on the BBQ
  For lean meats such as venison, beef and lamb, coat them all over in oil and rub a mix of seasoning on them such as pepper, salt, paprika and garlic powder.

• Caramelised BBQ meats
  Fill an empty cooking spray bottle with unsweetened apple juice and spray the meat whilst it’s on the barbecue, this will keep it moist and gently caramelise it whilst it cooks. To vamp up the caramelisation, brush with barbecue sauce for a couple of minutes before taking it off the heat.

• Give BBQ meat time to rest
  Taking meat out of the fridge and putting it immediately onto the grill is a no-no – the meat will be cold and the grill too hot, which can make it dry and tough, and take much longer to cook. Whereas, meat that has been allowed to rest and get up to room temperature before cooking will cook thoroughly, quickly and drain fat better. The same applies after the meat is cooked too, allow a couple of minutes to rest for the optimal tasting experience.

• Poultry: marinating meat in freezer bags
  If you don’t have the time to marinate your meats the night before, fear not, use a zip-lock freezer bag as this will provide an adequate, super-speedy marinade.

• Soak skewers
  10 minutes before skewering chicken/lamb or veggie alternative onto a stick, soak the stick in water as this will help to thread your ingredients onto a skewer more easily.

• Fish
  When barbequing fish, be careful because it’s a very delicate meat and you don’t want bits of fish falling through the grate and into your burning charcoal. To prevent this from happening, oil the grate/grill before you begin cooking. Pay attention to how much time it’s been on the heat so that you don’t overcook it and season with olive oil and your chosen herbs (rosemary, dill, parsley, lemongrass or chives).

• Cut your vegetables wisely
  Vegetables won’t sear like meat will, so you have to remember that the thinner the cut and the bigger the surface area, the quicker it’ll cook. And the larger the ingredient and the thicker it is, the longer it’ll take to cook and it will require a lower heat, too.

• Season vegetables
  Don’t forget that vegetables need seasoning too, so give your barbecue vegetables a generous amount of olive oil and season with pepper, salt and fresh or dried herbs such as oregano, mint, tarragon, or basil.

• Grilling halloumi cheese
  Cut into thick slices and grill for about 3 minutes on each side – or thread through a skewer and interchange with red pepper or another vegetable and grill this way. 

• Barbequed jackfruit
  Drain your jackfruit if it’s in water or brine and mix with onions, place on the barbecue skillet, add black pepper, sea salt and a dash of vegan barbecue sauce and keep mixing until it has browned.

• Select the right fuels for the job!
  To ensure a barbecue goes off without any issues, be sure to prepare with the right, quality fuels. Whatever gas type or the amount you require, make sure you’re fully prepared! To ensure happy customers, we supply patio gas and propane gas ranging from 5kg to 47kg, so you have exactly what you need. 

 

At KG Smith and Son, we pride ourselves on our quality products and prompt deliveries, so for more information about our products or to place your order, contact our friendly team today. We operate throughout multiple locations including, Bucks, Beds, Herts, Oxford, London and the surrounding areas.