3 days ago
EXCLUSIVE You've been BBQing all wrong! Experts reveal the biggest grilling mistakes you might be making - and how to fix them in time for summer
With June upon us, the sun is finally shining throughout the UK and people are lighting up the BBQ for grilled feast in the garden.
But many will end up with soggy sausages and overcooked burgers after dusting off their barbies.
Speaking to Femail, barbecue experts have revealed the best way to keep things from going wrong - and the most common mistakes that get made.
Marcus Bawdon of the UK BBQ School, told Femail, the biggest error Brits make when manning the grill is cooking food at the wrong temperature.
Marcus, who has been teaching people how to barbecue better for more than 10 years, explained that most people cook food at either too high a temperature - leading to burnt meat - or too low, which can leave it undercooked.
Only using direct heat to cook can also result in a bad BBQ, he added.
Instead, Marcus recommended using a BBQ lid that 'allows you to cook slowly indirectly', as well as investing in a digital thermometer for meat.
'Probe types are a necessity for ensuring food is cooked properly.'
We should also be paying more attention to the type of charcoal we use, as cheap coals and disposable BBQs won't last as long and can leave a chemical taste in your food
Meanwhile, BBQ expert Hilary Anderson of BBQlads said that not cleaning your grill before using it is a common mistake that can ruin how your food looks and tastes.
'You should always clean your grill thoroughly before using it - preferably as soon as it's cooled down from the previous use,' he said.
'Leftover bits of charred food will affect the flavour of your food and can leave it caked with unattractive residue - and all that blackened gunk is very unhealthy.
'There are numerous grill-cleaning implements and systems available, or you can simply scrape large pieces of food with a spatula or knife, then clean the grill with a kitchen scrub pad.
'Alternatively, wad aluminium foil into a rough ball and use that to scrub.'
Both Marcus and Hilary, who will be cooking and sharing their BBQ expertise at Smoke and Fire Festival this year, also agreed that not enough people pay attention to their fuel when cooking outdoors.
'Using poor quality charcoal catches a lot of people out,' Marcus shared. 'Think of charcoal as an ingredient and use the best quality, not instant lighting or disposable BBQs.
'You only need a couple of handfuls of good quality charcoal on most BBQs and this will last hours of cooking time.'
Some people may be tempted to use charcoal lighting fluid to get their charcoals going, but Hilary said this can impart a 'chemical flavour' to your food.
'The most efficient way to light coals or hardwood charcoal is in a charcoal chimney,' he added.
'Fill the top with coals or wood, stuff crumpled newspaper in the bottom, and light the newspaper; the flames will rise up into the briquettes or wood and ignite them. When everything has started to glow, the fuel is ready to be used.'
If you're using a gas grill, make sure you check the propane levels to ensure you have a good supply of fuel before you start to cook.
'Nothing's more annoying (or embarrassing) than having to bring those burgers or chicken breasts into the kitchen to finish on the stove when everyone has been anticipating that outdoorsy taste,' he finished.
Once you're ready to actually start cooking, you might think it's fine to load up the grill with burgers, hot dogs, steaks, corn on the cob, peppers, and anything else you fancy - however, it's a mistake to overcrowd the grill, according to Leyli Homayoonfar and Rebecca Goad, the founders of Bab Haus.
Leyli and Rebecca, who will be cooking up a storm at the foodie's favourite BBQ festival Meatopia this year, warn against trying to cook everything at once.
'Different foods take different amounts of time to cook, and you risk overcooking or undercooking things this way.
'Cook meats separately from vegetables, allowing space between items to help regulate airflow,' they advised.
'We'd recommend grilling meat first so it can be set aside to rest and wrapped to keep warm. Crank up the barbecue for the veggies.'
Speaking of airflow, Leyli and Rebecca also emphasised the importance of managing the air vent on your BBQ set to adjust the heat of the fire.
'Not choking the fire (reducing oxygen supply or letting it burn too hot, too fast) results in food not being cooked properly,' they revealed.
'Understanding airflow helps regulate temperature. For example, if the air vent is open fully, you're allowing the maximum amount of oxygen to the fire.
'This will increase the temperature and the speed at which the coals burn. It's good to start a barbecue like this, and then close [the air vent] to maintain a steady heat.'
When choosing what to cook, Leyli and Rebecca recommended experimenting with cheaper cuts of meat and vegetables to help build your confidence as you improve your grilling.
'Don't start with expensive cuts of meat or fish,' they continued, recalling some of their own early BBQ mistakes. '[Using cheaper cuts will] help with understanding the fire and coals, and how to control the temperature.'
Hilary added that while a huge number of foods can be cooked on a grill, not everything works well with this method.
'Avoid flaky fish, tough meat cuts like short ribs or veal shanks (they're better in a stew pot or slow cooker), watery or leafy vegetables (cucumber, spinach), and fibrous vegetables (okra, celery).'
What if you've gone all out and got some really expensive cut of wagyu beef steaks, though? You might think they'd be perfect for a BBQ - but Hilary is vetoing that idea.
'They have very high fat content, and the fat will leak out, catch on fire, and incinerate the meat,' he explained. Instead, cook wagyu beef in a pan and save the fat that renders out of the meat.
'It's great for sauteing potatoes and other vegetables,' Hilary added.
Expert reveals the common mistakes everyone makes grilling - including not cooking vegetables first and forgetting to marinate the meat
Pitt master Mursal Saiq and owner of Cue Point in Londn's Brick Lane said...
DON'T FORGET TO MARINATE
'Marinating is a big part of BBQ – but you can take it too far, with over-seasoning, brining and rubbing.
'There is nothing wrong with creating a dry rub and putting it onto the meat, fish or veggies, straight onto the BBQ.
'We believe you do need to marinate white meat, but beef can just be cooked with a bit of herby salt and comes out just as moist and flavoursome.
'Lamb on the other hand, because it's more gamey, really benefits from a good marinade.
PREPERATION IS KEY
'Get your trays, tongs and tea towels all ready to the side of the BBQ so you're ready to serve up. Preferably with a cold glass of something nearby.
KEEP YOUR FIRE UNDER CONTROL
'Burn marks do not mean that the food is cooked!
'A lot of people assume that you can only cook on white charcoal, but you can cook slowly using less charcoal making sure not to overload your barbecue, slow cook on black coals rather than searing hot white coals, ensuring that meat in particular is cooked from within and throughout.
DON'T LEAVE YOUR MEAT ON THE GRILL WHEN IT'S GONE OFF
'Picture the scene: you've got a BBQ in the garden or park, the fire's gone out a bit, so you fan the coals with a bit of cardboard and before you know it the ashes have gone all over the food, into the drinks and all over your clothes. Don't be lazy!
'Take the time to remove the food from the barbie, ask everyone to move out of the way and get fanning in a safe way.
ALWAYS WEAR AN APRON
'BBQ-ing can be a mucky business: they're never totally clean when you start, so get it hot then invest in a really good BBQ cleaning brush and give it a rub down.
'If you're really organised, you can clean it after your BBQ too!
BUY A THERMOMETER
'BBQ really is a scientific process and people don't realise that!
'Meat acts in different ways, and in different conditions. Just because you've always cooked thing a certain way doesn't mean it's going to come out the same way each time.
'Darker meats that we smoke, such as brisket, should come out at around the 88°-92° degree level.
'This works for any meat that you want to melt in the mouth.
'Steaks would be around the 55° degree mark level, so that they come out juicy and gorgeous.
COOK YOUR VEGETABLES BEFORE THE MEAT
'Sounds simple – but another people always forget.
'Always cook your vegetables before the meat, so the veggies can eat it without a load of meat juice being all over it!
'And don't be afraid to par boil veggies, so they don't come out stringy or hard. This works particularly well with corn on the cob, beetroot and asparagus. Veggies can often do well wrapped in tin foil.
DISPOSE OF YOUR BBQ IN A METAL BUCJET
'You need to think about where you place your BBQ.
'Don't put it right by your rose bush as the heat and ash will ruin it.
'Buy yourself a metal ice bucket, stick some water in there and then put the charcoal in it so you can dispose of it safely.
