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The National
BBQ Association, who run the highly successful National BBQ Week and
summer long National BBQ Campaign, has compiled the top BBQ tips for
a successful BBQ and to help attract customers over the summer months:
General
BBQ tips
* Prepare food
well in advance and store in the fridge; most meats and poultry
benefit from an overnight soak in a suitable marinade.
* Do not
believe in quick solutions - 5-minute marinades do not really work,
as meat, fish or poultry needs time to absorb flavour!
* A simple tip
that will speed up the marinating time by around half, is to place
meat, fish, poultry in a plastic bag with a suitable marinade, seal
and massage-in marinade for a few minutes then place in coldest part
of fridge for around 30 minutes.
* Vegetables,
even fruit, can also be marinated and go great on the grill!
* When using
wooden skewers always soak well in water before use.
* Fish
generally is better barbecued whole, although 'meaty' fish such as
Tuna, Swordfish or Shark can be barbecued as steaks.
* Use a
variety of marinades and sauces to achieve a balanced menu and cater
for a mixed flavour profile of mild, medium, spicy and hot!
* Ensure grill
bars are well oiled and continue to lightly oil with a heavy duty
grill brush or cloth to prevent sticking. Remember to also regularly
remove any burnt food residue from grill bars.
* Do not burn
sausages, or indeed anything! Burnt food on the barbecue is a real
'no no'. Do ensure that food, particularly poultry; sausages and
burgers are cooked through!
* Apart from
an initial sear, don't cook on too high a heat, grill slowly, and
turn two or three times at most. Baste often.
* The ideal is
to become a BBQ Grill Master, a grill aficionado, able to coax the
maximum succulent grilled taste from meat, fish or vegetables -
BBQ'ing is an art!
BBQ
presentation tips
* Use some
simple tricks to create a sense of fun and theatre at your BBQ. If
you are very careful you can increase the level of smoke or 'flair'
the flames, which all help to make your barbie look good!
* Increasing
the smoke level should only really be done on charcoal and can be
achieved by throwing on wet wood chips or damp herb branches. A
similar, although less pronounced effect, can be achieved on gas, as
long as the grill has a 'free-flo' lava rock or pellet bed.
* Flaring the
flames can be done on either gas or charcoal by briefly pressing down
on meats or poultry with a long handled spatula, releasing the
natural fats onto the grill causing a brief flare-up. Please take
great care when attempting and keep body well clear of grill. Do not
under any circumstances attempt to enhance the effect by adding extra
oil!
* BBQs look
good with a mixture of colours, red, green or yellow bell peppers
look good and can be flame roasted to increase their flavour. Once
the skin has blackened place in a plastic bag and allow to cool
before removing skin. Green and yellow courgettes also look good and
grill well as does chillies asparagus and aubergine.
* To achieve
'cross-hatch' grill-lines, sear meat, fish, poultry or
fruit/vegetables on highest heat section at right angles to grill
bars, remove lightly wipe with oil and turn and repeat. Once both
sides are seared, turn meat/fish/poultry lengthwise to grill bars and
repeat process. Once achieved return to normal cooking heat.
* You can even
grill fruit such as bananas, pineapple, papaya and mango, all of
which add colour flavour and appeal to a barbie!
* Believe it
or not there is no end to what you can cook on the barbie, the
classic English breakfast, yes even an egg can be barbie'd, simply
pierce shell with needle and place directly on grill bars! Perhaps
the most impressive BBQ'ed dish is a Pavlova, very difficult to do
but impressive!
* Good
accompanying music and ensuring you have quality drinks on offer such
as the Brasilian beer Brahma, one of the top biggest selling beers in
the world, which is this year's official beer of the National BBQ
Campaign - makes for a great BBQ!
* Choose an
overall theme for the food, can help attract more customers. Brasil
makes a great theme for a more exotic BBQ and has been very popular
in recent years.
BBQ
safety guide for eating al fresco
National BBQ
Association's top health and safety tips for a successful BBQ:
* Wash your
hands before preparing food, after touching raw meat and before
eating.
* Unless the
cooking instructions say otherwise, always ensure that frozen meat is
completely defrosted before barbecuing so it cooks evenly. Always
keep raw meats separate from other food even when preparing.
* Barbecued
food may look well cooked when it isn't. Burgers, sausages and
chicken should be cut open and checked. If necessary continue cooking
until done through, but do not burn.
* Never
part-cook on a barbecue and finish cooking later. However, you can
par-cook poultry in the kitchen, keep it chilled, and then finish it
off on the barbecue to add flavour.
* In very hot
weather throw away barbecued food left out for more than two hours
* To light
charcoal, always use proper BBQ lighter fuel; never use petrol. If
using gas, ensure that the grill is lit immediately. Position
barbecues on level ground, well away from fences, hedges and trees,
or anything that could catch fire.
* Remember
BBQs can be dangerous, so keep it well away from customers, as the
grill is very hot and can cause nasty burns, or even serious fires if
knocked over. Ensure the charcoal is cold before retiring for the night.
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