How To Care For Your BBQ
There's nothing as mouth-watering as the smell of a bbq cooking. I've spent lots of lazy afternoons inside the backyard, standing in the right place to ensure that those delicious barbecue smells drift my way.
You can cook almost anything on a bbq, from the humble snag bound for the sausage sub to a whole Thai-style snapper for a fancy dinner party. You can also smoke foods over the barbecue, and roast beef and lamb if the bbq includes a lid.
Sliced vegetables are also great on the barbecue. Zucchini, sweet potato, eggplant and red peppers are only a few that reap the benefits of being flame grilled, which gives them a sweet and smoky flavor. Now is there really anything a lot better than a potato that's been covered with foil and cooked on the bbq coals?
The barbecue is a really great way to cook and enjoy food. Generally, lighting the barbie gets the boys in the mode.
My dad's barbecue is his pride and joy, and when food is cooking just the man using the tongs (him) is allowed near the flaming monster. My hubby also cooks a mean bbq - a typical menu is grilled sliced salami or chorizo sausage, then oregano and lemon lamb or a juicy T-bone steak.
As with any piece of equipment, bbqs should be taken care of. So before you even join the bbq brigade, here are some of simple cooking and cleaning tips that could have you barbecuing up a storm:
1. Barbecuing is a superb low-fat cooking method - you don't cook the meals in fat and any surplus fat inside the meat cooks off.
2. Trim unwanted fat from meat in order to avoid flare-ups that occur when fat drips onto the flame. Brush food as opposed to the bbq, with oil as this can also cause flare-ups, that might result in burnt food.
3. Sear meat at the hottest part of the barbie in which the flame is highest (usually the middle of the grill), then move it over the medium heat (to the sides) to complete cooking. This cooks the meat all the way through without burning it on the outside.
4. Don't pierce sausages bound for the bbq because this releases juices which can be needed to keep your sausages moist.
5. Always soak bamboo skewers in water for not less than ten mins before cooking to counteract them scorching or catching fire.
6. To scrub your bbq, let it stay on for approximately 5 minutes after you've finished cooking to burn off any baked-on food. Power it down and scrape the bbq grill and hotplate with a stiff brush or scraper plus a little water - never use detergent. When it's clean, lightly brush with cooking oil to stop rusting.
I hope you found these tips helpful. For more great BBQ info and some awesome deals on bbqs, gas grills and patio furniture see click here
