THE FIVE BBQ COMMANDMENTS
If you were to survey a bunch of people on the street and ask them to name the first word they thought of when you said “Aussie Summer”, I’d bet you a burnt sanga that most of them would say “BBQ”.
Such is our love affair with this versatile and sociable style of cooking – the closest relative to man is indeed the ‘griller’. In fact, men especially seem to have an innate sense of pride that goes on the line every time the BBQ gets fired up. A man could be laziest, most awful presence in the kitchen and only know how to make 2-minute noodles – but mention “BBQ” and something primal stirs. His honour is on the line.
It’s the great summer barbie cliché – men caressing their stubby holders while the alpha male brandishes the tongs in the middle. I’m not sure how many men it takes to change a lightbulb, but it sure takes at least four to cook a sausage.
So, with all of this fire and slabs of meat and primal rituals going on, you’d think that man had, over the years, finally perfected the art of the BBQ. But if the parade of charred remains unapologetically finding their way to the nation’s plastic plates each night are anything to go by, you would be much mistaken.
It’s no longer acceptable to burn everything and announce “that’s how it’s MEANT to be done!” Here are my five BBQ commandments to help take your efforts from charred mess to a succulent delight.
1. Put a lid on it
As Beyonce once said, “if you like it then you should’ve put a lid on it”. Or something like that. And if you like your meat juicy and tender, use a BBQ that has a lid. What you’re essentially doing is turning it into an oven – cooking at a lower and slower temperature and giving you a bit more control. By keeping the temperature consistent, larger cuts of meat won’t suffer that dreaded “burnt on the outside, raw on the inside” effect.
It’s amazing how often you see a big juicy cut of meat that’s been butchered (pun intended) simply by being smashed on a high heat, with the cook wondering why it hasn’t cooked through. When you BBQ with a lid, you are first sealing your meat at a high temperature, then turning the heat down and keeping the lid on to allow your cut to cook through. Of course, once it’s cooked through, you can still crank up the heat at the end to get the charred vibe going – without worrying about having to face any raw truths.
2. Give it a rest
Have you ever noticed that when you cut into your steak that the juices seem to seep out? This is solved by simply resting your meat.
Maybe it’s our eagerness to get munching, or the mozzies on the attack, but we’re often in a big hurry just to get stuck in. But It’s really important when BBQing to rest your meat after cooking. This basically means setting the meat aside (off the heat) for a portion of time. Simple as that.
What does this achieve? Well, it allows the juices of the meat (which were driven to the centre during cooking) to redistribute back into the whole cut of meat and to be re-absorbed. This results in a much more tender and juicy piece of meat.
Tip! A good guide for resting time is to allow 1 minute for every 100g of meat.
3. Don’t Flip Out
This is where our stereotypical backyard comes back into play. When you have the tongs and your mates are standing in a circle all staring at the grill, it can be a little intimidating. The temptation to keep moving, flipping, poking, prodding, turning, cutting, shuffling and rearranging is very real. But you must resist the urge. After all, a baker doesn’t constantly return to the oven to open the door, prod the dough and move it about.
It’s all about relaxing and letting your beer holding hand do most of the work, while the BBQ does its thing. You’re never going to get that beautiful BBQ charred and caramelised crust if you’re constantly moving things around. Flip your steaks once or twice and allow them to sit there and form that crust.
4. Keep Your Distance
Yes, I know. You have 52 hungry guests and they all want to be fed immediately. But that’s no reason to overload the BBQ.
To have any chance of cooking evenly, your meat needs to have a little breathing space and be in direct contact with the cooking surface, rather than piled on top of other items. Even with the lid down and the oven effect in play, you’re going to be compromising the result.
It’s not actually going to save you time by loading up the grill – as things will invariably take that little bit longer to cook. Instead, if you have a large banquet to prepare, plan your “batches” and keep the same meat next to each other, as well as other items. Which brings us to…
5. Try Veggies
There’s a reason i put this last. I didn’t want you to see this up top and tune out while muttering to yourself “that’s not my kind of BBQ”.
Look I get it, the meat is the hero. But if meat is indeed the hero, think of vegetables as its wisecracking sidekick – providing extra zing to accompany the brute force. From grilled capsicums and eggplants to the char-grilled brilliance of corn on the cob, veggies can and should add some extra colour and flavour to your BBQ.
Foil can definitely be your friend here – try wrapping up carrots with rosemary or green beans, potatoes, capsicums or sweet potatoes with a splash of balsamic and sea salt. Get creative. There aren’t really any wrong answers.
Or hey, if that’s all a bit too strange, at least fry some onions for that steak sandwich. Baby steps…