Barbecuing Techniques

Barbecuing Techniques 2

There are actually three basic methods of cooking food on a barbecue; they differ according to the amount ofperseverance is called for from you, the chef, however the one thing they have in common is the fact that when done right, the final results are great.

Direct Grilling

It is the easiest and most commonly-used technique of barbecuing in the UK and requires the direct use of heat to food.

Once the charcoal has ended flaming and converted white (about 20-30 minutes following lighting), it is spread evenly beneath the , supplying a uniform temperature to all areas.

The food is placed on a grill, and, to prevent any burning, will need to be turned several times throughout the cooking process.

Here is a hint: make use of tongs as opposed to a fork to turn the burgers etc

With tongs it is possible to turn the meat with no piercing it and that means, a) the food will be moist and tender, and b) people keep away from flare-ups as the hot fat ignites on contact with the hot coals.

After the food is grilled you can serve right away however, if you need to keep it warm, you have two options.

You could maintain a place underneath the barbeque grill totally free of charcoal or you could put a few layers of aluminium foil near the barbeque grill and use it to 'park' the cooked meals and keep it warm.

Indirect Grilling

This method continues to be grilling within the feeling that it's dry and also relatively high temperature, but as the food is not set directly above the flame the cooking is usually lengthier and bigger cuts of could be barbecued.

For this, you want a barbecue with a cover.

Once the charcoal is ready, do not spread it around equally but ensure that it stays to one side of your grill and set a metal dish to act like a spill tray under the main part of the barbeque grill area.

Place the food on the barbeque grill above the tray and shut the cover.

This method approximates the working of the kitchen oven.

You will need longer but the pay-off is that the meat is going to be tender and have cooked more evenly (although to guarantee that, you should turn the meat once during cooking.

Either that or organize the charcoal in a ring encircling the cooking area).

Another advantage of the method is that once proceedings are under way you can take it easy and join the party for some time, unlike direct grilling which requires your constant supervision.

An additional word of advice: although this method of cooking certainly lends itself to large joints of meat or whole chickens (not so much a Sunday roast as the Sunday barbecue) additionally, it works well for sausages that, due to the fat content, could be problematic when direct grilling.

Last but not least, if you must have this somewhat blackened, 'barbecued' look, you can always place the food straight over the hot coals for some minutes as soon as it's cooked.

Smoking

Fine, getting actually slower at this point.

Smoking is a traditional barbecuing technique in the Southern United states and entails no direct heat to your food at all.

In fact, in many smoker bbqs the fire is actually found in a separate container to the side of the main, enclosed cooking chamber.

The temperature around the food is relatively low (about two-thirds that relating to a conventional grill) and the cooking is carried out through exposing the food to hot smoke moving in the chamber rather than flames and also direct heat.

The actual smoke comes from damp wooden pellets or perhaps chips which are included in the fire box once the charcoal is ready (covered in that white ash).

The actual skill is two fold.

First, you need to maintain the smoke passing through because if it is trapped inside the cooking chamber the food may get a bitter, creosote-y taste; maintain the air flow vents open for your free flow.

Second, you have to maintain the temperature at the correct level; many specialist smokers have a gauge on the lid allowing easy checking.

The results will have a distinct smoky flavour as well as potentially end up being very tender as a result of the long cooking time.

Different types of wood chips supply different-tasting smokes and may be selected to suit the food, for example, applewood chips to go with pork.

A further possibility, in case you are in the mood for an experiment, is that instead of soaking the wood chips in water beforehand, you could attempt beer or wine.

Although the market is packed with specialist smokers bbqs, so long as your regular barbecue has a cover, you can try smoking.