subject: Caring For Your Bbq [print this page] There's nothing as mouth-watering as the smell of a bbq cooking. I've spent lots of lazy afternoons within the backyard, standing in the right place to ensure 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 just a few that taste awesome being flame grilled, which gives them a sweet and smoky flavor. Now is there really anything a lot better than a potato that has been covered with foil and cooked around the bbq coals?
The barbecue is definitely a great way to cook and enjoy food. In many instances, lighting the barbie has got the boys in to the mode.
My dad's barbecue is his pride and joy, and when the food is cooking only the man using the tongs (him) is allowed close to the flaming monster. My husband also cooks a mean bbq - a standard menu is grilled sliced salami or chorizo sausage, as well as 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 good low-fat cooking method - you don't cook the foods in fat and any surplus fat inside the meat cooks off.
2. Trim excess fat from meat to avoid flare-ups that occur when fat drips onto the flame. Brush food instead of the bbq, with oil as this could also cause flare-ups, which may result in burnt food.
3. Sear meat on the hottest area of the barbie in which the flame is highest (usually the center of the grill), then move it over the medium heat (towards the sides) to end cooking. This cooks the meat through without burning it on the exterior.
4. Don't pierce sausages bound for your bbq as this releases juices which can be needed to keep your sausages moist.
5. Always soak bamboo skewers in water for about ten minutes before cooking to avoid them scorching or catching fire.
6. To wash your bbq, leave it on for around 5 minutes after you've finished cooking to enable the burning off any baked-on food. Power it down and scrape the bbq grill and hotplate using a stiff brush or scraper along with a little water - never use detergent. When it's clean, lightly brush with cooking oil to avoid rusting.
