Cooking Hints and Tips
Barbecue and Grilling
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Barbecue and Grilling |  |
Always make sure that the barbecue is on a firm heat-proof surface, away from buildings, tress fences and anything else that might catch fire. Never leave the barbecue unattended. Keep children away from the barbecue area. Only use proper barbecue lighters, NEVER use paraffin, petrol, white spirit or lighter fuel the barbecue. Light the barbecue 45 minutes before you start cooking. Use long handles tongs and oven gloves to avoid burning yourself. It is a good idea to rope off the cooking area to prevent accidents. If you are serving food to the public basic food hygeine training is advised. Prepare as much as you can before you start cooking. Good organisation makes for a relaxed barbecue. Food keeps fresher and cleaner if kept inside until needed; keep prepared food covered where possible. Lightly brush the cooking rack with a little oil to help prevent the food from sticking. Wooden skewers are great for vegetable kebabs. Soaking them in water for 30 minutes stops them catching fire. Relax. Wait until the flames die down and a layer of ash forms. If you start cooking while the coals are still glowing, the food is likely to burn. Vegetables that don't have a strong flavour benefit from a tasty marinade and basting during cooking - barbecues do not lend themselves to subtle cuisine. To prevent your food from becoming overcooked or burnt on the outside wrap it in foil as a protective barrier. Throw a handful of herbs on the charcoal and enjoy that delicious Provençal aroma. If you want to grill vegetables and keep them from falling onto the coals, the best thing to do is buy a grilling rack. Some have grates that run both horizontally and vertically, creating square openings that are too small to let vegetables or delicate foods such as fish, fall through. Others are made from metal sheets that have small holes punched out. Either way, the racks can be placed right on top of the grill (those with handles are easier to use). Grilling racks are sold in cookware stores and barbecue specialty shops. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the thickest portion of the meat. The thermometer should not touch any fat or bone or the bottom of the pan. For best results when grilling foods, only baste with butter or margarine until the last fifteen to twenty minutes, when you may use barbecue or other sauces without them burning. For a juicier barbecued hamburger, rub both sides of the meat with cold water before grilling. Here's a quick and easy way to clean the grill when barbecuing. While the fire is still going, place a sheet of aluminum foil, shiny side down, on the grate. Leave it on for 5 minutes, then remove the foil. The remaining food particles will brush right off! To prepare barbecued ribs in just minutes, cut the slabs of ribs crosswise in half, or into thirds. Cover and microwave on HIGH 10 minutes, rearranging the pieces after 5 minutes. Place on the grill and brush with barbecue sauce. Grill until done, turning and brushing occasionally with additional barbecue sauce. When preparing lower fat foods, such as chicken, fish or pork on the grill, spray the grid with no stick cooking spray before heating and foods will not stick. Nothing beats the beckoning flavor of barbecued meats on the grill. To prevent scorching the meat, remember to brush your favorite barbecue sauce on the meat only during the last 10 to 15 minutes of grilling. To clean a barbecue grill, let residue burn off with lid closed after removing food from the gas or charcoal grill. Ball up a large piece of aluminum foil. Scrub wire rack of grill with aluminum foil ball or wire brush. To heat charcoal briquettes, place charcoal briquets in bottom of grill; light and let briquettes heat up. Allow 35 to 45 minutes for medium-hot coals; they will have a layer of gray ash. To add a smoked flavor to grilled foods, add wood chips such as hickory or mesquite, which have been soaking in water, to the hot coals before grilling. To achieve an authentic barbecue flavor in grilled meats, brush Barbecue Sauce on chicken or other meats during last 10-15 minutes of cooking. Cover grill to help foods cook evenly and stay tender. Always use a clean plate to carry cooked food from the grill. The plate that held the raw meat may carry harmful microorganisms and should not be used again before washing it. Kabobs cool quickly once off the grill. Place them on a warm platter and cover them with foil until serving time. Do not let raw food set out in the sun. If a recipe calls for leaving certain cuts of meat out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes, keep it in the kitchen at room temperature. Get an instant-read thermometer to monitor meat doneness. Never put raw and cooked food on the same plate. Direct grilling, placing fire directly below food, is best for small or thin items or food that cooks quickly. Indirect grilling, placing fire to the side of the food, is bst for food that requires a cooking time of 25 minutes or longer. If a dish that should be cooked indirectly is directly grilled, the outside will burn before the inside is done. Do not use BBQ sauce as a marinade. It will cause the sugar in the sauce to burn and crust over the meat, instead of a dipping sauce following cooking. Do not STAB meat while cooking, this will cause the juices to run out and the meat to be dry. To avoid dry grilled meat start with meat that has more moisture in it. This pretty much means more fat. Select beef or pork that has more marbeling of fat in it. When grilling poultry, use the dark meat rather than the light. A lot of the fat will cook out, but the remaining will make the meat more juicy. Marinades add moisture, as do brines. If you want to use the lower fat cuts of meat, then you can use marinades or brines to help moisturize and tenderize the meat before grilling it. If you are doing a whole chicken or a roast, sear all sides before allowing it to start cooking on just one side. When grilling chicken, place bony or rib-cage side of chicken down next to heat first. The bones act as an insulator and keep chicken from browning too fast. When grilling meats, trim off excess fat with a sharp knife to keep fire flare-ups to a minimum. To 'spice up' store-bought barbecue sauce try these additions: Cranberry: 1/2 c. chopped dried cranberries Curry: 2 tsp. curry powder Mexican: 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder Orange: 2 T. thawed orange juice concentrate and 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper Oriental: 2 T. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. minced peeled fresh gingerroot and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder Southern: 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder Southwestern Chile: 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained Sweet Onion: 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar, 2 T. Grey Poupon Yellow Mustard and 1 T. dried minced onion. Sweet Pineapple: 8 1/4 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained ALWAYS KEEP A CLEAN GRILL: Residue on the grates can cause harmful flareups and interfere with the delicious taste of your foods. Before you place your food on the grill, brush the grates well. As a preventative measure, lightly brush the grate AFTER you cook-out to be prepared for the next time. AVOID STICKING: Before firing up the grill, spray down the grates with vegetable spray, or you may brush them down with a little salad oil. Not only will this enhance the flavors of your meats and vegetables, but this will keep foods from sticking to the surface. HEAT UP PROPERLY: Be patient, and give your grill sufficient time to heat up. After lighting a gas grill, cover it for about 4-5 minutes so that it gets really hot. If you keep the lid open during the preheat period, a good portion of the heat escapes, and the grill remains cooler than needed. DON'T BE A HASTY FLIPPER: After you place burgers, steaks, chops, or seafood on a high heat--don't move them right away! Keep them cooking for several minutes on the first side. If you shuffle them around, or flip them prematurely, they begin to cool off and steam and will surely stick to the surface, plus--you won't get beautiful grill marks! NO FLATTENING OR FORKING: Keep in mind that the spatula was made for turning foods, not for squishing them down. Pressing on foods can cause sticking and flareups. The foods may cook faster, but the essential, natural flavors will be lost inside the grill. Poking with a fork will also pierce the meat causing excess juices to be lost in the grill. FLAVOR IN ADVANCE: Be a flavor planner! Remember to marinate your foods at least 2 hours in advance (less for seafood, more for large pieces of meat.) Apply a dry rub to meats up to 24 hours before you plan to start grilling. This allows the savory flavors of your marinades to penetrate foods sufficiently and guarantees delicious dishes every time. BBQ SAUCE BRUSHING: If you're going to use a favorite BBQ sauce on your grilled foods, always remember to brush it on at the END--about 1-2 minutes before removing foods from the grill! Most BBQ sauces contain sugars that will char easily if they're applied too early in the cooking process. ALLOW MEATS TO REST: You've worked so hard on making the ultimate BBQ for your family and friends--they can wait just a minute or two longer. Giving meats time to rest after removing them from the grill allows the meat time to relax and the juices to redistribute themselves.
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