All too often in the UK our changeable weather, even in the
height of summer, can lead to barbecue nightmares. However when we
are lucky enough for the rain to stop and the sun to appear,
barbeques can be a gastronomic feast of pure joy; seemingly
never-ending summer nights stretching into the early hours,
mouth-watering smokey aromas wafting through the air and the
sizzling sound of barbecued food.
Dualit's top tips for a successful barbecue:
- When barbecuing meat, check the temperature! To be sure use a
meat thermometer; sausages, for example, should be piping hot
throughout reaching 70° on the thermometer when inserted into the
middle of a sausage.
- Make sure any meat you are cooking is defrosted BEFORE putting
it on the barbecue. Barbecuing frozen meat is a sure fire way of
ending up with meat that is burnt on the outside but still raw on
the inside.
- If you have a charcoal barbecue, don't overfill it with coal.
Wait for about half an hour after lighting before starting to cook.
You don't want flames burning your food. The best barbecues are
when the food is cooked slowly, so you need to wait until the
initial temperature has cooled a little. It is ready to use when
all the charcoal has turned white.
- Ideally, separate your cooking zone into areas of high, medium
and low heat. This is easier to do on a gas barbecue. If you use
charcoal, split the barbecue into 3 areas; one with a double layer
of charcoal, then a single layer and then an area with no charcoal
which can be used for warming.
- Lightly grease the wire racks; this will stop food sticking and
make cleaning up a much easier job.
- Depending on what you are cooking, place a few sprigs of thyme
or rosemary amongst the coals to add flavour. A handful of
woodchips would also work well.
- Wash your hands after handling raw meat and keep meat and fish
in the fridge until the barbecue is hot enough to start cooking.
Once cooked, we recommend leaving food outside for no longer than
two hours.
- Fed-up of hot dogs? Jazz things up a little by cooking
continental sausages such as Merguez or chorizo on skewers mixed
with cubes of cheese.
- Fish and shellfish take on a new level of taste when barbecued.
One our favourites are scallops wrapped in pancetta and skewered
with a sprig of rosemary - delicious as a starter.
- Rather than standard shop-bought fare, try making your own
burgers. Add ingredients for extra flavour such as red onion,
peppers, garlic and bacon, different varieties of cheese, chopped
herbs and spices.
- Barbecues don't have to be all about meat. Kebabs made up with
chunks of halloumi, whole mushrooms, peppers and courgettes, or
vegetables with Mexican inspired spices.
- Baked potatoes are a popular accompaniment; they are best
cooked wrapped in foil and placed next to the charcoal rather than
on top of.
- Don't forget the drinks!
Safety First!
Keeping a bucket of water or sand near your barbecue, in case of
emergencies is a good idea. Have a spray bottle filled with water
to hand to dampen down any flare ups. You just never know….