Home And Gardens Advice

Lots of backyard BBQ’ers don’t really know how to prep, grill and clean up your grill or smoker, so even if you own the latest and greatest barbecue grill you may need some pointers on how to barbeque food. Let’s talk about some of the things you should be aware of when you use your grill or smoker.

First of all before you even begin is to rub a non stick solvent like oil on the grill to prevent the food from sticking. This will make cleanup much quicker and less stressful. Also put the meat out on the counter to bring it to room temperature before cooking it. Don’t leave it out for more than an hour though as this may cause it to spoil.

You also need to bring the grill to the optimum cooking temperature before placing the meat on the grill. This will give you the best chance at getting a nice even cooking throughout the food.

For gas grills turn them on 5 minutes before beginning, and for charcoal it is recommended to heat the coals for up to 30 minutes (or until all brickets have turned grey). Also, move the meat around periodically as those pieces closer to the center will likely cook faster. Use tongs or a spatula, and always wear a protective glove to keep you from burning your skin. Try experimenting with searing the meat quickly on both sides and then moving them to one side of the grill or the other away from the direct heat, and let them finish cooking slowly. For me this provides the best tasting results. It just takes a little more time.

You can also try to get more flavor, baste the meat for an extended period before cooking it to let the flavor completely saturate it. Among the traditional barbeque flavors to try - including sweet sauce, traditional bbq sauce, and many more. One thing to consider is that if the marinade contains a lot of sugar you should wait until the food is at least half cooked before basting to avoid a drying effect on the meat.

Another technique is to use dry bbq rubs to flavor the meat. Use liberally on both sides of the meat about an hour prior to cooking. This is a simple thing to do, but you’re friends will wonder how you learned to cook so well!

For BBQing kabobs you should leave a small amount of space between meat pieces to ensure ample heat penetrates all sides and cooks it evenly. You can even alternate meat and vegetable pieces to allow flavors to pass between them, giving a better all around taste. And if you are using chicken pieces, cut them with a knife to make sure they are completely cooked all the way through before removing them from the grill.

Right after removing the meat, you can scrape the grills with a scraper to clean them. It’s best to do this when they are still very hot as the excess food and other material will easily slide off. Just be careful not to burn yourself. Experiment with different recipes to find what works and what doesn’t. Over time you will find many different things that bring the best taste out in various meats. And then you will feel like a seasoned backyard barbeque expert in dry rubs.

By the way, nothing prevents a BBQ to be blended with kid birthday theme - and here you have it, you’ve got a birthday party idea.