barbecues are great fun, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like them. The warm breeze on your face, the gentle drift of aromatic smoke accompanied by a chilled glass of chablis.
What could be better!
Having said that, there’s a few things you should do to ensure you have a fun time. You don’t want phone calls from all your neighbours next day regaling you with stories of their tummy upsets. Following these rules should make sure the event goes off OK.
The first job is to get the barbecue lit which frequently results in a lot of macho action as dad goes into “man make fire” mode. Once lit you’re going to have to allow the barbecue an hour or more to reach a suitable temperature. Ensure you account for that.
If the whole process of getting the thing going is just too much for you the answer is a Gas or Electric barbecue which simplifies the whole lighting process and is the usual grounds for choosing that type.
If you are using charcoal never be tempted to use lighter fluid to ease the lighting. It will permeate into the food and make it taste awful. Believe me I’ve done it often enough to know. The only thing I can suggest if you find your better half has already made a replica of Dantes Inferno is to let the coal burn for at least thirty minutes that way you won’t spoil the taste of the food.
For something that will really impress your guests I’d go for cooking over wood chips. If you have been impressing your guests for some time you in all likelihood already knew that. For those not as seasoned in the art, you cannot beat the smell and flavour that goes with adding wood chips to the mix. Using BBQ wood chips will take you to the next level of barbecuing. Whether you have an electric, gas or charcoal BBQ you can add wood chips to get an authentic barbecue flavour
Soaking the wood chips for about 10-15 minutes earlier will ensure they don’t burn so quickly or give off too much smoke. They should be moist but not saturated.
There’s any amount of flavours to select from that will enhance your barbecue. Try matching lighter wood chips with lighter food. Apple wood chips are superb with veal poultry and pork whilst you could try Alder Wood with seafood. The stronger flavours of maple and hickory are best suited to Lamb and duck and possibly poultry too.
At the end of the day however it’s what you serve your guest that counts. Make sure it’s decent grub and everyone will be satisfied
Relax and have fun at your barbecue. Now where’s that bottle of ice cold beer with my name on it?
Posted on February 19th, 2009 by the big chef
Filed under: House and Home
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