Cookery Wisdom
Grilling
Barbecue and Grill Set Up Tips
For better grilling follow these Grill or Barbecue Set Up Tips:
• GRILLING INVOLVES DIRECT and INDIRECT HEAT!
Direct heat is ideal for thin steaks, burgers, kebabs, whole fish, char grilled vegetables...Indirect heat from ambient heat away from the direct source is ideal for food items that require a longer time to cook through: chicken with bone-in, thick steaks...So, for a rounded meal with both types set up your grill for both types.
For gas burner grills: If your grill has only one burner, set it to high for direct grilling, and use the sides for lower and slower cooking. If your grill has multiple burners, set half of the burners to medium low and the others to high.
For charcoal grill: after starting your coals in a lump, getting them white-hot with grey ash and allowing the grill to heat up to right temperature, simply use tongs to push hot coals to one side of grill. This will be your direct heat and the other side your indirect heat!
• GRILLING LIKES SEARING!
Ensure your grill is heated up for the food to sear as soon as it hits the grill. Keep the lid closed even after the desired temp is reached. Don’t worry about the rising temp. Keep it going for at least half an hour.
If you don’t have a thermometer follow this guide: hold your hand about 3 inches over the grill grate. If you have to pull away after 4 seconds, it's ready for grilling.
• GRILLING LIKES A CLEAN GRILL!
Use the Grill Brush to clean when setting up. After brushing put a little oil on a wet old kitchen towel and wipe the grill to a clean shine.
• GRILLING INVOLVES DIRECT and INDIRECT HEAT!
Direct heat is ideal for thin steaks, burgers, kebabs, whole fish, char grilled vegetables...Indirect heat from ambient heat away from the direct source is ideal for food items that require a longer time to cook through: chicken with bone-in, thick steaks...So, for a rounded meal with both types set up your grill for both types.
For gas burner grills: If your grill has only one burner, set it to high for direct grilling, and use the sides for lower and slower cooking. If your grill has multiple burners, set half of the burners to medium low and the others to high.
For charcoal grill: after starting your coals in a lump, getting them white-hot with grey ash and allowing the grill to heat up to right temperature, simply use tongs to push hot coals to one side of grill. This will be your direct heat and the other side your indirect heat!
• GRILLING LIKES SEARING!
Ensure your grill is heated up for the food to sear as soon as it hits the grill. Keep the lid closed even after the desired temp is reached. Don’t worry about the rising temp. Keep it going for at least half an hour.
If you don’t have a thermometer follow this guide: hold your hand about 3 inches over the grill grate. If you have to pull away after 4 seconds, it's ready for grilling.
• GRILLING LIKES A CLEAN GRILL!
Use the Grill Brush to clean when setting up. After brushing put a little oil on a wet old kitchen towel and wipe the grill to a clean shine.
Tips for Good Grilling
For Ultimate Grilling follow these tips:
• PREPARE YOUR FOOD: Be aware of extra fat that will cause oil and fat to drip and cause flare-ups. Flare-ups can burn the food and create bitter flavours. Trim excess fat which will cause flare-ups.
• HAVE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT HANDY: You will need a Chimney Starter, a Water Sprayer, a Brush for Basting and a Grill Brush. To maintain steady high heat use the Chimney Starter to stoke the fire when first batch of coals die down. Coals take an average of 15 minutes to really get going, so start your second starter when the first food batch is on.
• SET UP YOUR GRILL OR BARBECUE FOR A SEARING ENCOUNTER: See prior Set Up Tips. You can enhance flavours by adding wood chips that have been soaked for at least 15 mins. to an hour - there are many wood chip flavours to choose from.
• SEAR AND BROWN EVENLY: As soon as your grill reaches the right temperature, hit the heat evenly to create crust and retain juices. Make sure your food item is flat. For example, for pork chops make some shallow incisions in the fat edge to prevent the chop curling up. Use a utensil to press flat if needed. Make sure you place the food item at 45 degree or perpendicular to grill rods to help the forthcoming flip.
• BUILD MORE FLAVOURS: Grilling likes Basting! Baste the craggy seared surface for added flavours with a prepared basting liquid or marinade.
• PREVENT STICKING: A clean grill is essential to repevent sticking: see Set Up Tips above. At the sear and browning, the protein and sugar reactions make the food item grip the hot grate but, after the sear and start of cooking it will start to firm up and pull away from the grate.
• USE THE LID (if you have one): Create Convection Cooking Oven by using the Lid: Help indirect grilling by closing the lid and keeping vent open over the hottest poart of grill. This will retain heat whilst vent will allow hot air to circulate evenly.
• PREPARE YOUR FOOD: Be aware of extra fat that will cause oil and fat to drip and cause flare-ups. Flare-ups can burn the food and create bitter flavours. Trim excess fat which will cause flare-ups.
• HAVE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT HANDY: You will need a Chimney Starter, a Water Sprayer, a Brush for Basting and a Grill Brush. To maintain steady high heat use the Chimney Starter to stoke the fire when first batch of coals die down. Coals take an average of 15 minutes to really get going, so start your second starter when the first food batch is on.
• SET UP YOUR GRILL OR BARBECUE FOR A SEARING ENCOUNTER: See prior Set Up Tips. You can enhance flavours by adding wood chips that have been soaked for at least 15 mins. to an hour - there are many wood chip flavours to choose from.
• SEAR AND BROWN EVENLY: As soon as your grill reaches the right temperature, hit the heat evenly to create crust and retain juices. Make sure your food item is flat. For example, for pork chops make some shallow incisions in the fat edge to prevent the chop curling up. Use a utensil to press flat if needed. Make sure you place the food item at 45 degree or perpendicular to grill rods to help the forthcoming flip.
• BUILD MORE FLAVOURS: Grilling likes Basting! Baste the craggy seared surface for added flavours with a prepared basting liquid or marinade.
• PREVENT STICKING: A clean grill is essential to repevent sticking: see Set Up Tips above. At the sear and browning, the protein and sugar reactions make the food item grip the hot grate but, after the sear and start of cooking it will start to firm up and pull away from the grate.
• USE THE LID (if you have one): Create Convection Cooking Oven by using the Lid: Help indirect grilling by closing the lid and keeping vent open over the hottest poart of grill. This will retain heat whilst vent will allow hot air to circulate evenly.
For the best Grilled Steak!
For the ultimate grilled (barbecued) Steak:
• When selecting your favourite cut, ask your butcher for leftover fat scraps from dry-aged beef. Render the scraps to use for basting.
• Prepare your clean grill and reach very HIGH HEAT. Ensure the steak cut is FLAT so that a whole side hits the direct heat source at the same time. SALT lightly just before searing and NO PEPPER...pepper will become bitter with the initial sear shock!
• Turn on what we call your COOKERY AWARENESS to become aware of what will happen to the steak as it hits the grill: HEAR the initial Sear Shock that seals the internal juice strands, SEE the steak retract as the steak grips the hot grate and starts to develop fantastic new flavours from a MAILLARD REACTION breaking up the proteins into amino acids to react with sugars for new phantasmagoric flavours in grill marks that you will savour! As it continues to sear it will pull away from the grate making it easy to FLIP and MOVE AROUND. Flip and move around every 2 minutes to enable the sealed juices to move up and down and throughout the internal strands with each flip. Keep flipping until your can touch to push lightly to FEEL for your desired DONENESS, remove to REST, REST and REST.
• When fully rested, lavishly BASTE and give it another heat blast for a final charred crust, called a REVERSE SEAR!
Now season with your favourite amount of salt and ground pepper and serve with your favourite sauce.
• When selecting your favourite cut, ask your butcher for leftover fat scraps from dry-aged beef. Render the scraps to use for basting.
• Prepare your clean grill and reach very HIGH HEAT. Ensure the steak cut is FLAT so that a whole side hits the direct heat source at the same time. SALT lightly just before searing and NO PEPPER...pepper will become bitter with the initial sear shock!
• Turn on what we call your COOKERY AWARENESS to become aware of what will happen to the steak as it hits the grill: HEAR the initial Sear Shock that seals the internal juice strands, SEE the steak retract as the steak grips the hot grate and starts to develop fantastic new flavours from a MAILLARD REACTION breaking up the proteins into amino acids to react with sugars for new phantasmagoric flavours in grill marks that you will savour! As it continues to sear it will pull away from the grate making it easy to FLIP and MOVE AROUND. Flip and move around every 2 minutes to enable the sealed juices to move up and down and throughout the internal strands with each flip. Keep flipping until your can touch to push lightly to FEEL for your desired DONENESS, remove to REST, REST and REST.
• When fully rested, lavishly BASTE and give it another heat blast for a final charred crust, called a REVERSE SEAR!
Now season with your favourite amount of salt and ground pepper and serve with your favourite sauce.
For Cooked Throughout, Failsafe BBQ'd Chicken!
How to Make Sure Cooked Throughout and Juicy with Your Fave BBQ flavour:
• Precook your Chicken cuts in water with your fave herb, how about Rosemary and lemon slices, just bring to the boil, turn off and let cool to room temp. covered.
• Meanwhile get your clean grill to reach very HIGH HEAT.
• Prep your fave basting sauce, or how about adding honey, grated garlic and seasoning to Dijon, whisk. Make some shallow cuts on chicken cuts and brush your sauce.
• Develop that charred caramelised colour on the chicken cuts.
Rest and enjoy.
• Precook your Chicken cuts in water with your fave herb, how about Rosemary and lemon slices, just bring to the boil, turn off and let cool to room temp. covered.
• Meanwhile get your clean grill to reach very HIGH HEAT.
• Prep your fave basting sauce, or how about adding honey, grated garlic and seasoning to Dijon, whisk. Make some shallow cuts on chicken cuts and brush your sauce.
• Develop that charred caramelised colour on the chicken cuts.
Rest and enjoy.