Winter barbeques? Don’t forget your BBQ this winter ⛈️
For all the dads (and foodies) out there, the promise of every summer is to crank out as many barbeque feasts as humanly possible before the season is over. This is a dream seldom fulfilled, but the grilling doesn’t have to end just because summer does.
So why not take the opportunity to amp up your barbeque skills and creativity this winter, seeing as we’ll probably be urged to stay within the limits of our home anyway? (I’m looking at you, Coronavirus). So read on for our top barbeque tips and tricks to make you a grilling pro, and to encourage you to keep that handy piece of equipment out all year round (as long as the sun is shining, of course).
Starting the fire
If you’re working on a portable or charcoal grill, I’ve recently discovered a hack that will help you get that flame going nice and easy: place the charcoal bricks in an empty egg carton (not a plastic one folks), which is super easy to light. 🔥
The charcoal will then start and you have a mess-free barbie going! This is especially useful for camping and hiking sessions, or when you’re over at that farmhouse in Gozo with your mates.
I kind of wish I had known this when my friends were spraying deodorant over match-lit papers in charcoal - risking that I’ll be set on fire.
Flavour savers
Amping up the taste of your barbequed cuts is crucial because if you’re doing it often it gets boring when you’re faced with the same flavour profiles every weekend. Grill fresh herbs along with meat to really get that aromatic kick.
Try new seasoning combos like lemon-pepper, or make your own marinades (yoghurt-based is a personal fave) to make your meats super flavourful and prevent drying them out. Or you could just cover everything in bacon - that’s a fool-proof method for tasty food! 🥓
Ready or not?
A meat thermometer is a basic kitchen tool that every home cook should have, but in case you haven’t invested in one yet you can easily check the doneness of your steak using your fingers:
Don’t be scared of seafood
When it comes to grilling seafood, the world is your oyster. Great picks include squid, jumbo shrimp or king prawns, scallops, lobster tails, crab, fillets like tuna, salmon, and swordfish (the fillet must be a sturdy piece of fish rather than a flaky one) and whole fish like sea bass, mackerel, and even lampuki. 🦑
Quick Tip: Try grilling citrus slices and laying the fish or fillets on top of them to give a great burst of flavour.
Get creative with veggies
Cook bell peppers on an open flame until completely charred, then peel off the outer layer to reveal a perfectly tender flesh that makes for a great side dish and hot dog or burger topping when sliced and mixed with grilled onions. Alternatively, blend with cream, roasted garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for a mouth-watering pasta sauce. 🧄
You can BBQ almost any vegetable in slices or halves, such as tomatoes, onions, asparagus and artichoke hearts. Or make layered skewers with chunks of zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and carrots. And you absolutely cannot have a barbecue without classic corn on the cob, slathered with butter when hot off the grill.
Fruit can be grilled, too!
Ever tried putting watermelon wedges on the BBQ? If you haven’t, you’re missing out. Loads of fruit go great on the grill - just make sure they’re fairly firm and ripe. Try it with peaches, pineapple, pears, mangoes, cantaloupe and even bananas. For a fun twist, stack cubes of different fruits on a skewer and grill for a refreshing sweet kebab. 🍍
Just make sure to clean your grill from the meat before getting started. A good hack for this is using a ball of aluminium foil between your tongs to scrub the rack, or you could always save a side of the grill for just the fruit if it’s big enough.
Getting smokey
When you’ve gained some grilling expertise, the next thing you should try to master is smoking. Smoked meat has a whole other level of flavour, and is sure to impress any guests you bring over. You can buy a smoker, or if you’re not so invested simply convert your basic grill into one with some DIY.
What’s your barbeque must-have? Or maybe you’ve got a trick up your chef’s apron? Let us know in the comments below!
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