Although summer is nearing its end and schools are opening up once again, the weather is still nice enough to continue the backyard barbecuing traditions that are synonymous with the glorious sunshine. Many back garden BBQers think they’re the gift that keeps on giving, but you’d be surprised at how many mistakes can be made in a single evening of intense barbecue cook-off action! Therefore, you should always observe the following basics that every good live-fire grill-master should remember.
Direct grilling is the most popular way of cooking meat on an outdoor gas grill, where you cook food over fire or hot coals at a temperature between 425 to 650F. This is the best technique for thin cuts of meat that you want to cook swiftly, such as minute steak, hamburgers, or fillets of fish or chicken.
Barbecuing, on the other hand, is a more drawn-out process, using a low, indirect heat at approximately 225 to 300F, which will leisurely cook and flavor the meat. Using wood smoke to provide that unique and succulent flavoring, the slow-cook method leaves the meat so tender that it can be pulled off the bone with the greatest of ease. Using this cooking method requires a lot of patience, but the extended cooking time is definitely worth persisting with. Less tender cuts such as brisket or pork shoulder are substantially enhanced through this kind of process.
For many fanatical barbecue purists, slow smoking is the definitive outdoor cooking method. It delivers an even more untainted smoked flavor that backyard barbecuing is typically known for. Because it’s another indirect cooking method that requires a low cooking heat (between 200 and 250F), patience is again of the utmost importance. It is typical for beef brisket to take up to 18 hours to obtain the desired level of smoky goodness!
Also referred to as “rotisserie grilling”, the act of spit roasting involves cooking hog meat, beef, lamb or a whole chicken on a rotating spit. This type of cooking has been around for many centuries and is a fantastic way of preparing food directly over an open pit filled with hot coals. Because the meat slowly rotates, it bastes itself both inside and out with every revolution of the spit. The temperature that works best for this type of cooking is upwards of approximately 275F (depending on the size and type of meat).
High-quality grilling tools are a crucial part of safe, straight-forward barbecue cooking. You will need at least one pair of long handled clamshell tongs, as well as a couple of basting brushes and some wide bladed spatulas. Additionally, an instant-read meat thermometer is an absolute must.
Most importantly, a long handled wire bristle brush is required to effectively clean the grill grate after you have finished cooking. Keep the grate as clean and well oiled as possible. Even though barbecuing can become a habitually greasy and mucky pastime, that doesn’t mean you can leave bits of burnt-on meat on or around the area that you will eventually employ again. After all, you may be the kind of chef who eagerly slathers on all kinds of unique sauce-based concoctions, but seeing disgusting old sauces coming into contact with new food is a real stomach turning appetite-eliminator.
Ed Kieler
