The Perfect BBQ Food -Top Ten Tips
Top Ten Tips-To Cooking the Perfect BBQ Food
Mr G has a BBQ and he’s not afraid to use it.
It’s always an excuse for me to get my cook on and because both of us wheel it out of the garage, its winter home, as often as the weather allows, there are tons of tips that we’ve both accumulated over the years.
When in Cincinnati, with the summer really like a summer, by that I mean the weather is sunny and warm for the full length of the summer months, a weekly BBQ was always in the plans even if there was only the two of us settling down for an outdoor meal.
Don’t know about you, but getting the BBQ out just for the pair of us always feels like a special occasion, even when all that’s going on it is a chicken (of course it had to be chicken related).
Hopefully these tips, tricks and hacks will get you in the BBQ mood too.
Heat makes it all better
1) It Starts Before the BBQ
The BBQ isn’t usually lit as soon as it roles out and even if it is, in our garden, its probably unlikely that anything off the barbie is ready to eat right away but most people will arrive hungry.
When I’m going to a barbeque it’s probably likely that I’ve not eaten too much before I arrive, I’m saving myself for the expected fabulous food.
That’s why I like to have stuff ready to be nibbled when guests arrive.
A few dips to keep mouths occupied or a bowl full of crisps are always good to have around when the garden starts getting full.
Not just good for curbing any hunger pangs, but having stuff around gives me and the lovely Mr G a chance to get on with the things we need to get on with.
A good BBQ isn’t just about what goes on the grill but also about what is on the side!
A good side dish can make or break a BBQ, either it adds to the grilled food or it’s a dish of something that people won’t remember, won’t want to add to the side of their plate and certainly won’t want to come back for more.
At most BBQs I go to there are the inevitable top five side dishes, a mayonnaise-based coleslaw, potato salad, something that has a little bit of grain in it and of course, a green salad with a few tomatoes thrown in for colour.
There are so many different side dishes that are easy to make and don’t need too many ingredients, it’s worth getting your side on.
I like to spend as much time having fun outside with everyone else rather than in the kitchen chopping, cooking or looking for a pair of tongs.
This only happens if I’m as prepared as possible, making sure that all the sides are ready and in serving dishes, covered or chilled if needed, any equipment ready and to hand and a selection of plates or trays to put the cooked food on or to transfer foods to and from the cooking area is all set to go.
2) How Much Food?
Having enough food to feed the masses sounds really simple when thinking about inviting a garden full of people around to eat, but it’s amazing how preparation of the food can sometimes be swept aside by everything else that can be going on.
The day can go so much easier with a little thinking ahead.
Running out of food for the day is not something that goes down well in my family.
Doing a bit of calculating in the buying stage usually puts that right.
Having too much food is better than too little, any food that goes uneaten is perfect for the next weeks meals and the lovely Mr Gs lunch boxes.
This is how I work it out, I assume that each guest will want one of everything and then add twenty percent for anyone who may want multiples, happens more often than it doesn’t.
So, if you I’m hosting 30 people, that's 36 pieces of chicken and 36 burgers etc.
Just because you have the meats doesn’t mean that they all have to be cooked at once, Mr G is very good at pacing his cooking.
As the day rolls on sometimes the pace of eating slows down.
There are always games to be played, chatting to be done and I never want too much food to be lying around.
Just make sure to store the uncooked meats in the fridge until they’re needed.
And the sides, well most people will eat around 5-6 ounces of side dishes (coleslaw, potato salad etc).
So, calculating how many sizes and how much per person isn’t too difficult, but as before with the meats, I’d rather too much than not enough.
3) Marinate for Flavour – Plan Ahead
Flavour can come from the char of the BBQ or from something that’s out in or on the meat. Planning ahead and marinating some cuts of meat overnight is a sure-fire way to guaranteed great flavours.
It’s an easy thing for the smoke of the grill to take over from the taste of the meat leaving the food with a astringent bitter flavour rather than enjoying the meat itself.
Marinading can bring out the taste of the meat or showcase additional flavours.
When it’s time to cook the meat, don’t get rid of the marinade, save some of it to baste the meats when they’re cooking, this not only intensifies what’s already there but it also works to keep the meats moist during cooking, tenderises and caramelises gently during grilling.
I class seasoning food as part of the marinade process and when I’ve been to some BBQs where all was needed was some good Malden salt and fresh pepper and I taste nothing but bland, I’m not going to be enjoying it much.
Salt can be a little tricky, left on too long and it penetrates too far into the protein making it way too salty so, I only salt the food before cooking if I’m giving it a short marinade, no more than two hours.
Salt the protein just before grilling, and don’t forget the pepper for a great tasting steak.
Citrus is a fabulous fresh flavour to have at a BBQ, but it’s not just salt to stay away from when marinating.
Lemon and lime juices are too strong to marinate for longer than two hours.
Pineapple is also very destructive; it breaks down meat and fish fibres completely. Yuk!
Virgin Olive oil, great for dressings, but not so much for marinating. It burns and smokes when it hits the hot metal so use a light vegetable oil instead.
It’s easy to fill a fridge up with bowls full of marinating meat, fish and veggies, if you’ve got some strong reusable bags, try using those instead.
Make sure they’re tightly sealed so no leakage.
4) Get Saucy
Sauces can make a good outside event into a great one, and there are so many out there to be bought or to make that it’s easy to rustle up a few on the day or prep them the day before.
The obvious sauces are some of my favourites, a great burger, BBQ sauce or a fresh and spicy pineapple and chilli salsa but there is also.
An aromatic chimichurri sauce is so easy to make and fabulous with red meats or lamb. It can be used as a marinade too so getting to grips with how to make it will be a great addition to a family recipe book.
Chimichurri sauce
1 Shallot – finely chopped
1 Red chilli – finely choppe
3 Garlic Cloves – finely choppe
1 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1 Cup of Coriander – finely chopped
½ up Parsley – Finely Chopped
· 2 Tbsp Fresh Oregano – Finely Chopped
¾ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Place everything into a food processor and blitz until what’s left is a green rough sauce.
5) Make it Yourself
I’m all for making as many things for the BBQ myself including burgers.
A good burger doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive and can be fabulous with just salt and pepper seasoning the beef.
I know we are all into low calorie and keeping cholesterol low but for a succulent burger I buy mince beef with plenty of fat content, adding plenty of Maldon salt and pepper plus lots and lots of fresh herbs of no kind in particular, whatever I have ready to be picked from the garden or whatever I can grab in the supermarket.
While I’m making burgers there will also always be some filled with a strong mature cheese so that when they are cooked and cut open, they ooze a yellow stream of molten cheese, oh my!
And for the top of the burgers, try this easy Zesty Pickle and Onion
Zesty Pickle and Onion
1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
½ Cup White Wine Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Sugar
4 Gherkins - finely Chopped
1 Small Red Onion – Finely Chopped
2 Red Chillies – Finely Chopped
3 tbsp fresh parsley – Finely Chopped
2 tbsp whole-grain mustard
Good Pinch of Maldon Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Bring white wine vinegar, sugar, coriander seeds, and Maldon salt to a simmer in a small pot over medium heat.
Remove from heat and add chiles and red onion, chopped gherkins and the rest of the ingredients.
Let sit, tossing occasionally, at least 25 minutes
6) Get Fishy
Fish is perfect for the BBQ and for those who are cutting back on meat, a wonderful way to provide something special.
In lots of countries that isn’t the UK, fish is the first thing that’s thought of for an outside cook.
Fish loves the smoke of the BBQ and a whole fish sliced open and filled with lemon, dill and peppers will be a bit of a wow as well as taste blooming beautiful.
7) Wrap It or Poach It
Wrapping pieces of meat, fish or vegetables in foil or newspaper and surrounding them with other things to add flavour are easy to throw onto the heat.
Sausages are great for outside eating, straight from the grill and dipped in strong mustard or enveloped in a soft fluffy bun with balsamic roasted onions and peppers.
There’s a reason there are so many BBQ jokes about cremated sausages, so cook them slowly on indirect heat.
Have you tried poaching sausages in stock before placing them on the heat of the barbie to get a lovely golden colour?
There are a couple of benefits to this, they’re guaranteed to be cooked all the way through and they’ll stay juicy and take on even more flavour from the stock.
Great for planning ahead too.
Barbecues aren’t just for meat or fish.
Wrap potatoes, corn or peppers in foil and place them right into the hot embers while everything else is cooking, the easiest way I know of having some quick sides.
Fruit is great wrapped too.
BBQ Baked Bananas
Slice open a banana, sprinkle with dark brown sugar and a couple of dollops of peanut butter or Nutella.
Wrap tightly in foil, place into the embers until ready to eat.
Serve with big spoonful’s of vanilla ice-cream.
Add anything you want to the wrapped banana - Let your guests customise their own.
8) Make it Veggie
A barbecue doesn’t have to be all meat, even if its full of meat eaters.
One of my favourite things to cook over the embers is halloumi.
Halloumi can sometimes be a bit of a Marmite but I love the squeaky saltiness of it and it’s great to cook on the heat of the BBQ too.
It does have to be cut the right way though otherwise it falls apart and disappears through the bars of the grill.
Instead of cutting thin slices, make the cuts horizontal into four equal pieces. Once cooked, they can be served as a burger or cut them into smaller mouth sizes.
Fire is great for vegetables too, who doesn’t love to see those fabulous charr lines along thin slices of courgettes.
The tip to amazing grilled vegetable is no oil or seasoning on them until after they are cooked, ready to serve.
Oil the grill bars instead of the vegetables to stop them sticking, once cooked it’s time to add some good quality olive oil or basil oil and a splash of vinegar
Try this next time you have some heat:
Baby Leeks, colourful peppers, sliced fennel, sliced courgettes.
Mix together basil oil and white wine vinegar and drizzle over the hot vegetables.
Endive , fabulous on the BBQ
9) Sides for All
Sides make up to two thirds of what’s on offer at one of my BBQs so not having a great selection on offer seems like a let-down.
There are so many sides to go for so why not try them all, or at least make a list and work your way through.
Here’s a few to start you off, some right from BBC Good Food:
Corn on the cob, mac and cheese, charred hispa cabbage with hazel nut chilli butter, charred spring onions, charred sweetcorn salsa, sweet potato salad, spiced cauliflower with chickpeas herbs and pinenut or a simple tomato salad.
Or try this roasted courgette and tahini side, it’s fabulous as a dip or on top of roasted corn on the cob or smothering jacket potatoes.
Roasted Courgette and Tahini Side
For a dip or dolloped on the side
6 Whole Courgettes – skins on and roasted in the oven until fork soft
1 Bunch of Spring Onions
2 Heaped Tablespoons of Tahini
1 Good Chunk of Parmesan Cheese
2 Cloves of Garlic
Maldon Salt
Fresh Pepper
3 Tablespoons of Plain Greek Yoghurt
Whizz everything together in the food processor until smooth.
Serve warm or cold
10) Random Tips
There are so many tips that don’t fit into any of the nine categories I’ve already mentioned, and so many more that I don’t know and want to learn, so if you know any that you cant do without, email me?
Sometimes things go wrong, the weather (maybe not for you, but I’m in the North East of England so sun is a rare and beautiful thing).
It’s always great to have a backup and the best tip I can give here is to have pots and pans ready.
There have been many times the day has gone from outside fun to a house full of cooking smells and card games where everything moves from the barbie to the oven.
If I make burgers, buns are also on the menu.
Toasting the buns on the barbecue gives all the burgers a little more pizazz and extra flavour.
I’m not a lover of kebabs, things on sticks are not for me, unless it’s made of ice cream, but they are really good to have at a cookout.
It’s never a good look to have flames coming from the barbecue so soak any wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using them near heat.
This will stop them burning up before what is on them is ready to be eaten, and if you have reusable metal ones, all the better.
Soak woods skewers in water for at lest 30 minutes
