From Chargrilled To Just Plain Charred

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Three BBQ Mistakes That Top Chefs Would Never Make
Finally, the sun is shining, the sandals are out, and we foodies are prepping for another epic season of outdoor cooking. With many of us still reeling from a restricted and wasted summer last year, especially, we can’t wait to get the barbies out and invite all our mates round at long last.Unfortunately, whether you’ve always been an expert barbecuer or have long fallen foul to mistakes, the long winter (and, let’s face it, the long summer before that,) may well see you forgetting what exactly it is that makes a good barbecue in the first place.As well as ruining the food, this could see your much-anticipated summer reunions quite literally going up in smoke. We’re here to help you avoid that by considering three fatal mistakes that no top chef would ever dream of making. 

# 1 – Failing to prepare the meat

While many of us assume we can stick a slab of fridge-cold, untreated meat on the barbie and still enjoy decent results, the reality is very different. For one thing, barbecuing meats straight out of the fridge can bring down the temperature of the grill, impacting everything from food safety to timings overall. Depending on your meat, a failure to either treat or marinade could also greatly impact taste. After all, everyone knows that dry brining is the secret to cooking thin steaks on the grill, while marinating chicken is the best way to ensure it stays succulent. With this in mind, it’s crucial that you do at least a little meat prep, and also remember to take all your meats out around an hour or so ahead of grilling.

# 2 – Falling for flames

Roaring flames might look impressive, but this is an almost guaranteed way to ensure that your food doesn’t impress half as much. After all, too high heat levels could soon leave your sausages burning without cooking properly in the middle. Not to mention that food which comes into direct contact with flames can develop a not altogether tasty sooty deposit. Avoid this by making sure to clean your grill, trim excessive fat, and keep the lid open at the start of cooking.

# 3 – Fiddling too much

When you’re grilling away, sipping your beer and chatting with mates, it’s easy to just keep poking and prodding your meat. Unfortunately, the more you fiddle, the more fat they’re going to lose, and the drier your meat will ultimately become. What’s more, constantly lifting that grill lid can either lead to a significant loss of heat (on a gas grill) or an oxygen surge that creates excessive heat (on a coal grill.) In both cases, taste is going to suffer unless you just put the tools down already and leave your barbie to do what it does best.

By keeping these pointers in mind, you ensure the best possible food for your first summer barbecue and every one one after that. And, trust us – with the good food you’re about to make, there are guaranteed to be plenty more!

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Filed Under: Food

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