Copyright, Valerie Giles ©
"There’s nothing more enjoyable than
having friends and family gathered around amidst the
wonderful smells of charcoal-grilled prawns, vegetables
and selected favorites. Barbecuing is one of those time-
honored rituals that go hand in hand with summertime.
Whether you’re in your backyard or at you’re favorite
camping site, barbecuing is a pleasure to be enjoyed by
the whole family."
Barbecuing has never been more exciting; with the
endless designs of
barbecues
available and the myriad of barbecue cookbooks and
cooking shows it really does take barbecuing into a
whole new realm. With recipes for everything from
grilled bananas to peaches and dry rubs for ribs,
barbecues aren’t just for cooking steaks and burgers
anymore. With all the available barbecuing options it
helps to know a few of the barbecuing terms and
barbecuing utensils that are used.
Firstly, barbecues come in a wide variety of options;
there are propane, natural gas and the standard
barbecues for use with charcoal. Barbecues can come with
range style one, two and four burner options along with
rotisseries. There are even barbecues that have
coolers built right into the bottom! Barbecuing has
never been quite so convenient.
When you’re using your barbecue it really helps to have
the right utensils and barbeque accessories, this will
make your barbecuing experience easier and more
enjoyable. Long handled tongs, basting brushes and
spatulas are quite helpful. Heavy-duty oven mitts can
also be useful. Of course you don’t want to forget the
proper wire brushes and scrubbers (crumpled foil even
works well) to remove build-up, keeping your grill racks
clean.
Foods that are tender such as fish, vegetables and some
burgers can benefit from cooking in a special grill
basket (this way you aren’t loosing any of your meal
into the barbecue). There are also special racks
available to be used with corn, potatoes, ribs and meat.
An excellent barbecue accessory is the grill wok, with
this you can make you’re favorite stir fries and
vegetable dishes; the wok has small holes throughout
that allow heat and smoke to penetrate the food. Another
great grill accessory is the grill pizza tray used
mostly for grilled pizza. Other
grill accessories include; the grill topper used for
fish and vegetables providing an even cooking surface,
which prevents foods from falling through the grill
rack; you can never have too many skewers in assorted
lengths which can be used with a skewer rack for
grilling your favorite marinated vegetables and meats;
smoker boxes for gas grills filled with soaked wood
chips add a wonderful smoked flavor to foods. Lastly
foil packets are available or simple tin foil to wrap
foods, just remember that you may be sacrificing the
grill and smoke flavors when foods are wrapped tightly.
After you have the utensils and proper grilling
accessories needed for you’re barbeque experience you’ll
want to familiarize yourself on the different types of
grilling processes and terms to find the ones that work
best for you and to know exactly what has to be done. To
start, basting is probably the most familiar of
barbecuing terms, a simple brushing with a seasoned
liquid adding both flavor and moisture to your food. A
brochette is just French for a kabob, or simply food
cooked on a skewer. A glaze is a glossy, flavorful
coating on food as it cooks as a result of regular
basting.
Three very popular methods of barbecuing are the direct
grilling, dry smoking and indirect grilling methods.
Direct grilling is probably the most popular grilling
used, it is when food is placed directly over the flame.
It is a fast method because of the intense heat and
allows for browning on the outside of foods. This
process works best for food requiring short cooking
times such as burgers and steaks, you must remember to
turn food over to allow cooking on both sides. The dry
smoking method is achieved by placing a grill rack
indirectly over the heat source with the barbecue lid
down, this allows the flame to burn thus creating smoke
which covers the food, giving you a smoky flavor. Lastly
the indirect grilling is a slow process of cooking
because of less heat, it is done by surrounding a drip
pan with the coals and putting the food over the pan, so
the hot air circulates around the food (similar to a
convection oven). It is wise to check with your barbecue
owner manual for indirect grilling specific to your
barbecue, roasts work well with this method.
After you’ve acquired the barbecue and all the necessary
cooking utensils and accessories you’re ready for the
best part of barbecuing and that is the cooking of the
food. Sauces, marinades and rubs are popular cooking
ideas when barbecuing. The sauce can be said to define a
great barbecue. Whether you use a little or a lot is a
matter of preference. A sauce often includes sugar,
honey or preserves, which can cause the sauce to burn
when cooking; a suggestion is to brush your sauce on in
the last five to ten minutes of cooking. There are a
wide variety of sauces and glazes to be made ranging
from apple butter barbecue sauce to raspberry piquant
sauce.
Marinades are used for soaking your choice of meat,
tofu or vegetables. The marinating both tenderizes and
permeates the food with flavor, adding flavor and
promoting crisp brown exteriors, changing an otherwise
average dinner into a great one. Marinades are virtually
fool proof and can be made in advance refrigerated in an
airtight container for up to a week. The three basic
ingredients in a marinade are; flavorings such as herbs,
spices, sweeteners; oils which keep the food pliable and
give a crispy crust; acids such as citrus juices, wines,
vinegars and yogurts used to balance the sweetness. It
is suggested to use the acids sparingly on fish and
poultry, as they will soften the flesh when used.
A virtually fat free and easy way to add flavor to food
is by using a variety of bold seasonings in a rub. The
food is rubbed with spices prior to grilling, the rub
transforms into a crunchy brown crust that seals in the
juices and enhances the flavors of the food. The spices
should be generously applied coating the entire surface
of the food; the food should then be covered and put in
the fridge for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Simplicity is the
key for making rubs, salt and sugar are two of the main
ingredients and the rest are up to you.
Whatever your barbecuing specialty might be barbecues
can be both a fun and convenient way to make dinner.
Summertime needn’t be the only time of year that you’re
barbecuing, if weather allows you can barbecue all year
round. The options have never been more exciting, and
the variety of foods and recipes never more abundant.
Resource Box:
_______________________
Valerie Giles owns and operates
Best BBQ Online , a resource
web site featuring
bbq
grills, bbq smokers, weber gas grills,
grill accessories
and rotisseries, bbq recipes and marinades and patio
heaters. Everything you need for the barbequing season.
http://www.best-bbq-online.com
Try some of our
Mouth Watering Rotisseries
Recipes.
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