I’m never more delighted than when I get invited to a barbecue cookout at a friends house, not only because it’s the way of cooking that I prefer but also because it’s a great opportunity to have a chin wag and a glass of “pop” with folks that I maybe only get to see once or twice a year.
I’m really fortunate to be part of a great bunch of lads, one group from my school days and another set from university and everyone gets on really well together. We all live in different areas of the country so it’s difficult to keep the contact and a barbecue cookout in the summer sure helps. It keeps all the kids outdoors as well which saves on the clearing up!
Friends for over twenty years, barbecue parties every summer yet still no one can cook a decent grill. I’m delighted to attend but as I turn up my eyes suddenly dilate with horror seeing chicken wings dowsed in flames and worst of all, one of my friends expecting me to eat them!
It’s probably no wonder that as soon as I turn up I wrestle the tongs off him and get the whole food rack far away from the grill for a good 15 minutes and let everything settle down.
The flames appear because the coals are not ready, fat starts to drip and up it goes! The more flames, the more fat and the more fat, the more flames. Food black on the outside, raw on the inside. Have you been there? Well here are my recommendations so that you never have to go there again.
Whether it’s a charcoal or gas barbecue grill it’s all about patience and the preparation of the coals. In a gas grill, the flames heat up the lava bricks and it’s the bricks that radiate the heat to cook the food so the simple tips for gas:-
1. Give it time and gas on full whack to get the coals up to temperature.
2. When the coals are hot and you’re ready to cook, turn the gas down just to maintain the temperature in the coals and keep them well away from the food.
Despite me saying be patient, gas is still wonderfully quick and convenient to have a barbecue but never should it be instant. Anyway, why hurry?
For charcoal barbecue grills there’s a certain knack to preparing the fire:-
1. Pile up the charcoal to get it all burning at the same pace
2. Coals are ready when they are white (not black)
3. Before cooking, spread the coals out and don’t worry, they will still give off heat.
4. Start off with the food rack on its maximum height and bring it down gradually.
5. If you’re cooking on a kettle, remember to reduce the aperture of the bottom draft.
Not only does it take patience to get the perfect BBQ but it also takes time and experience – some of my friends clearly haven’t mastered it after 20 years! So please don’t give up, it really is worth the effort when you get it right.
One final tip whilst you’re in training – put your food in a barbecue basket. If you do get some flames you can lift large quantities of food simultaneously off the grill without too much hassle.
So now you have the barbecue smoker recipes for success enjoy your BBQ this summer!
Outset QM20 Copper Mesa Tongs
$18.95
Grab life by the grills with grillware from Outset’s Copper Mesa Collection. Designed for grilling ease, the Copper Mesa’s marriage of form and function brings unique comfort and gripping style to the table. The Copper Mesa tongs are lightweight and heavy-duty, constructed of seamless stainless-steel. This grillware comes with comfortable soft-grip handles and elegant copper accents. The oversized handles keep you safe from the heat source while you command your grilling with the oversized steel tongs. The metal loop at the base of the handle makes for easy storage. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota – Outset, is a leading supplier of sophisticated, functional, and timeless barbecue and barware accessories. Founders Jeff Norling and Curt Anderson ¿ two seasoned entrepreneurs decided to fill a gap in home entertaining with unique and quality grill and chillware. They blended their diverse industry-related experiences to create a progressive, stylish and consumer savvy company that offers a wide range of innovative entertaining products. Outset has shaped a design driven, superior quality line of products that bring distinctive form and sophisticated functionality to kitchens and patios everywhere. As designer, manufacturer, importer and seller, Outset is heating up and re-defining at-home entertaining. Fire up your grilling spirit¿.. Outset – Entertaining well done!
Beer-Can Chicken: And 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill
$4.71
Chicken on a beer can? You bet! When Steven Raichlen, America’s barbecue guru, says it’s the best grilled chicken he’s ever tasted, cooks stop and listen. An essential addition to every grill jockey’s library, Beer-Can Chicken presents 75 must-try beer-can variations and other offbeat recipes for the grill. Recipes such as Saigon Chicken with Lacquered Skin and Spicy Peanut Sauce, Root Beer Game Hens, Beer-Can Turkey (uses the 32-ounce Foster’s), Stoned Chicken (it’s grilled under a brick), Dirty Steak, Fish on a Board (Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze), Mussels Eclade-grilled under pine needles, Grilled Eggs, Wacky Rumaki, Rotisseried Garlic Rolls-even Grilled Yellow Pepper Soup will have your mouth-watering. Whether on a can, on a stick, under a brick, in a leaf, on a plank, or in the embers, each grilling technique is explained in easy-to-follow steps, with recipes that guarantee no matter how crazy the technique, the results are always outstanding. So pop a cold one and have fun.Steven Raichlen’s Beer-Can Chicken tells everything one should ever need to know about roasting a chicken upright on top of a can of beer. For those who find that premise strange or silly (Raichlen, in fact, thanks his publisher for being “wacky enough” to produce the book), the author describes beer-can chicken as “the perfect bird, crackly crisp, succulent within … the most flavorful chicken you’ve ever tasted.”Raichlen’s goal is to encourage grillers to have fun and use their imagination, and he presents 74 “offbeat recipes” as starting points. Notable selections include Beer-Can Turkey, which requires a giant 32-ounce can of Foster’s to do the job; Welder’s Chicken, a stewing hen wrapped in aluminum foil and turned with welder’s gloves; Dirty Steaks, cooked right on the coals; and Diabolical Chicken, soaked with spicy French mustard and which Raichlen makes “whenever I’m short on time or fancy ingredients but want to impress the hell out of my guests.” There are also recipes for “beerless birds” (Ginger Ale Chicken, Black Cherry Soda Chicken), side dishes, and desserts, as well as info on grilling techniques and equipment.A chicken straddling a beer can, at the very least, makes a great conversation piece at an outdoor beer bash. Raichlen’s most helpful hint? Make sure the beer can is open before putting it on the grill. –Andy Boynton
Grilling With HomeBBQ.com
$24.95
In “Grilling with HomeBBQ.com”, Kevin Bevington (5 time FBA Team of the Year Champion) demonstrates cooking on gas and charcoal grills. He starts with the basics and then goes into some great food, including full recipes, and preparation. This DVD will include; Hamburgers, Steak, Chicken, Tri-Tip Roast, Pork Chops, Grilled Salmon, Shrimp, Stuffed Flank Steak, Baltimore Pit Beef, Pork Loin, and much more..This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com’s standard return policy will apply.
Outset A901, Replacement bristles (for grill brushes QL40 & QM40)
$7.95
Finally, grillware fit for a grilling king. The Curtis Lloyd Collection is Outset’s highest-end Barbecue tool collection flaunting stunning class and premier quality. The relacement bristles for the Curtis Lloyd Grilling Brush ensure your grill will be clean and prepared for all grilling occasions whether it is a family party or an impromptu get together. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota – Outset, is a leading supplier of sophisticated, functional, and timeless barbecue and barware accessories. Founders Jeff Norling and Curt Anderson ¿ two seasoned entrepreneurs decided to fill a gap in home entertaining with unique and quality grill and chillware. They blended their diverse industry-related experiences to create a progressive, stylish and consumer savvy company that offers a wide range of innovative entertaining products. Outset has shaped a design driven, superior quality line of products that bring distinctive form and sophisticated functionality to kitchens and patios everywhere. As designer, manufacturer, importer and seller, Outset is heating up and re-defining at-home entertaining. Fire up your grilling spirit¿.. Outset – Entertaining well done!
Outset QN71 Copper Nonstick Large 17″ x 11″ Grill Grid with Handles
$23.95
The sizzling Grilltop Collection from Outset provides a secure venue for all of your barbecue adventures. Outset has the woks, grids, skillets, grill and fish baskets, and kabob racks that will ensure your success, whatever’s on the menu. Impeccably manufactured to meet exclusive standards in outdoor entertaining, the quality of Outset’s barbeque tools is peerless. Hand washing is suggested. Dimensions: 17″ x 11″
Outset QL30 Curtis Lloyd Stainless-Steel Barbecue Fork with Walnut-Wood Handle
$24.96
Finally, grillware fit for a grilling king. The Curtis Lloyd Collection is Outset’s highest-end Barbecue tool collection flaunting stunning class and premier quality. The Curtis Lloyd fork boasts forged stainless-steel construction with rich walnut wood handles and an oversized head which is prepared to handle the largest of t-bones ow whatever your grilling needs may be. The extra long handles will keep you safely away from the heat source while still having full control over your grill. The copper loop at the end of the handle makes storage of this stunning tool as simple as it is elegant. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota – Outset, is a leading supplier of sophisticated, functional, and timeless barbecue and barware accessories. Founders Jeff Norling and Curt Anderson ¿ two seasoned entrepreneurs decided to fill a gap in home entertaining with unique and quality grill and chillware. They blended their diverse industry-related experiences to create a progressive, stylish and consumer savvy company that offers a wide range of innovative entertaining products. Outset has shaped a design driven, superior quality line of products that bring distinctive form and sophisticated functionality to kitchens and patios everywhere. As designer, manufacturer, importer and seller, Outset is heating up and re-defining at-home entertaining. Fire up your grilling spirit¿.. Outset – Entertaining well done!