- Plan your Cooking and Grilling when entertaining
Ready to cook for the party? What went on first? Can you maintain consistency by placing food in an order, say left to right and / or top to bottom can allow you to know which to turn first and maintain a consistent outcome for the look, feel and taste of your creations. The first steak wants to be as good as the last one! (And those in between!)
- Charcoal V’s GAS
Charcoal (and in particular flavoured wood) creates far more flavour when you BBQ that simply gas, as your fuel source. Gas however is both instant and reliable when requiring a quick turnaround for the evening meal for example. When you apply charcoal or wood, often foods benefit from a “low and slow” cooking style where the foods can maximise infusion of flavours whilst cooking. Gas BBQ’s are a “plug and play” with the related convenience that comes with that. Flavour preference is solid fuels and convenience preference is definitely gas.
- What type of Oil should I use when cooking on a BBQ?
We recommend that you use oil that has a high smoke point when cooking, such as; vegetable oil, canola oil, pomace oil, rice bran oil, or grapeseed oil. Olive Oils such as Extra-virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil have a low smoke point; which means they start to burn, loose there flavour and become carcinogenic at 68°C, save your olive oils for finishing your food with a drizzle, dressing a salad and dipping with bread. Non-stick cooking spray is generally the most effective to lubricate your grills prior to cooking. Oil your food before cooking; not the BBQ.
- What should I cook on; The Grill Plate or the Flat Plate?
That all depends on what you are cooking;
The grill plate or char grill on your BBQ is best for generating flavour. By cooking of the grill plate you will achieve that charred Smokey flavour that we all love from a BBQ. Use the grill plate for your more robust items such as a steak or cutlet.
The flat plate is perfect for those more delicate items. You can achieve perfect crispy skin on fish, cook loose items such as onions or a stir-fry, and don’t forget the egg for your burger! It also allows for you to a have an even and consistent heat across your food surface, which is perfect for quick searing of scallops.
- Marinades V’s Rubs?
Marinades
A marinade is always a liquid, and usually consists of herbs and spices, the marinade will either be acidic, using such things as; vinegar, citrus or alcohol or enzymatic using such things as; pineapple, papaya or kiwifruit. A marinade has two purposes; the first is to infuse the meat with delicious flavour. The second purpose of marinade is to tenderize the meat.
Rubs
Unlike a marinade, rubs only have one purpose: to give flavour to the meat. A rub is a mixture of herbs and spices. Rubs are placed on the meat when it’s still raw, and can be either put on directly before cooking or, be left on for a period of time to intensify the flavour. Because rubs do not have an acid in them, they don’t break down the meat like a marinade.
- Can I reuse my marinade?
The simple answer is no, once you have used your marinade with your meat, you should discard it to avoid bacterial contamination. If you want to use some of your marinade to baste or to use as a finishing or dipping sauce, reserve some of the marinade before you add you meat.
- What type of salt should I use?
It is personal choice what salt and how much salt you should add to your food. As chefs the most common question we are asked is how I make my food taste good, and the answer is very simple SEASONING!
The 3 most common types of salt we see are; rock salt, table salt and salt flakes.
Rock salt is also known as halite. It is different to sea or river salt because it is already found in a solid form underground and then mined, like sea or river salt it is rich in minerals
Table salt is produced from the solid or rock salt, it is heavily processed to eliminate impurities, which also removes minerals such as calcium and potassium, an anti-caking agent is added and sometimes iodine.
Sea flakes are produced through evaporation of ocean water or water from saltwater lakes and rivers, usually with little processing. Depending on the water source, this leaves behind certain trace minerals and elements. The minerals add flavour and colour to salt flakes, which comes in a variety of coarseness levels.
- Why does my BBQ have hot spots?
Hot and cold spots are generally caused by blocked gas jets. Gas jets can be blocked by fat, moisture, dirt or rust, which blocks the even flow of gas through the jets. Other common causes are a build-up of grease/fat in particular areas of your drip tray, this means this area will heat up more and increase the temperature of that area. BBQ’s that have a hood will always be cooler at the front and hotter at the back where is it more protected from the outside temperature.
- Periodically check your Gas seals on your Gas bottle hose.
Whilst it might seams medial, you should check the gas seals on your Gas Hose regularly. Each gas hose has a rubber seal at the tip of the gas connection, which over time can wear with normal use or if being moved without a gas bottle attached, can drag and bur the seal, thus causing leakage. A leakage can then ignite whilst cooking and potentially cause a harmful fire or explosion. You should check the hose also for and kinks etc also. A quick safety check can prevent a hazardous outcome so that you can enjoy your event and cook in style.
- Cooking temperature guides
To ensure you are cooking food to their desired degree of done-ness, you need to understand the internal temperatures of your foods to ensure they are cooked through to avoid contamination or foods being overcooked. This is best and most accurately achieved by using a meat thermometer. Please see the guide below for perfect temperatures. Be sure to add the thermometer to the thickest part of the meat, away from bones or gristle.
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Type of Protein
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Cooking Temperatures
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BBQ Roasting Hood Temperature
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Where to Place the Thermometer
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Fish
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63°C
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150°C-180°C
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The thermometer should be placed in the thickest area of the whole fish or fillet
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Minced Meat & Sausages
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71°C
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180°C-200°C
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The thermometer should be placed in the thickest area of ground meat or sausage
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Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork:
Rare
Medium Rare:
Medium:
Medium Well Done
Well Done:
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60°C
60-65°C
65-70°C
70°C
75°C
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180°C-200°C
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The thermometer should be inserted into the roast or steak in the centre of the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle.
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Ham
Fresh – Raw
Pre-cooked - to reheat
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71°C
60°C
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150°C-180°C
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The thermometer should be inserted into the in the centre of the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle.
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Chicken & Turkey
(Whole, Thighs, Wings, Legs, Breasts)
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74°C
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150 °C-180°C
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The thermometer should be placed into the inner thigh area near the breast of the chicken or turkey, but not touching bone
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To learn more BBQ Tips and Tricks Book into a BBQ Class today
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