Food & Drink,Summer skills

Summer survival skills No 1 – become a BBQ master

It’s warm. The weekend forecast is for more of the same (sort of). You haven’t got a ticket for Glastonbury. It’s all set up for a weekend spent dusting off your rusty BBQ and charring you way through a selection of choice meats. Here’s our guide to getting it right:

John Head, “MBBQ” is a 30-year veteran of the BBQ pit. He is adept at both the grilling and wood-smoking styles, and has overseen the transformation of 800 students from mere mortals to Master Barbecue Cooks at his Master BBQ Cooking School in Denver, Colorado. These are his tips for a flawless barbecue: 

Select your meat carefully…

“If you’re talking grilling (cooking over a heat usually in the 450-600 degree range), steak is best. Wood smoking imparts a different flavour and texture so naturally tender meats like steak or chicken or pork chops can be grilled, but don’t come out all that well smoked.”

…But don’t be afraid to experiment.

“I had an Uncle who lived in Florida, he used to bring up alligator and turtle meat, when it was in fashion. It tasted wonderful, kind of a beefy flavour, not very fishy. It’s hard to describe because it doesn’t taste like chicken.”

Get the temperature just right.

“Hold your hand as low over the coals or the gas as you can and count ‘one Mississippi, two Mississippi…’ until you can’t hold it there any longer (you can use a big English word, if you like). If it’s really a hot one it’s a one or two Mississippi, if it’s a medium fire it’s a three or four. If you get to five or six it’s not warm enough to cook.”

Resting is key (for the meat, not the chef)

“When meat comes off the grill it needs to rest for 10 or 15 minutes and it’s very smart to “tent” it in foil, rather than wrapping it. If you let a steak rest the juices will reabsorb into the meat and make it juicier, more tender and more flavoursome.”

www.bbqcookingschool.com

 Part two – the timeline to a perfect BBQ

 Like a meticulously planned military campaign, the key to barbecuing success is all in the timing.

 1300 hours: Put on your apron (plastic breasts optional) and open a cold beer.

1305 hours: If your barbecue is new, allow it to burn for about 45 minutes at high temperature before adding the meat. This will remove any impurities collected during manufacture.

1350 hours: Throw on some sausages to start. To avoid that burnt-on-the-outside, freezing-on-the-inside effect, parboil them in ale first (Trust us on this one). Grill for 15 to 20 minutes and turn three or four times. Don’t prick them – this releases the juices resulting in dry meat.

1400 hours: Add the first burgers to the grill. Assuming a temperature of 350-400 degrees, burgers take about five minutes to barbecue medium rare (flip them after three).

1405 hours: Let the meat sit for ten minutes, before distributing it.

1415 hours: While they’re eating, dazzle your guests with some makeshift fireworks: flaring flames are achieved by pressing down on the meat with a spatula and releasing fats into the grill.

1525 – 2000 hours: Repeat the above steps until boredom sets in.

2000 hours: Let the dog loose on any remaining pork chops and do a majestic victory lap of the garden while someone else cleans up.