Already this year we have had the family barbecue fired up several times in
all its sooty glory. But, as the British summer can just as easily result in
the rain and wind hammering against the house, it occurs to me that
barbecues are difficult and tricky things. And it’s not just the weather
that conspires against them. The notion that one nonchalantly throws pieces
of meat and fish on to the gently glowing embers to effortlessly produce
delicious morsels for large smiley gatherings is the stuff of delusion.
Sadly, the reality is often burnt food and hands, lost tempers and
reputations, as stressed hosts battle to master the fire. But it needn’t be
this way and, with a little thought beforehand, a classily executed outdoor
feast is within reach of us all.
Here follows, in no particular order, my tips for a successful barbecue.
First, one obviously needs to get the right level of heat before cooking,
and it is also worth considering that the perfect intensity will not be
sustained indefinitely.
If you are about to buy a barbie, I would advise you to get hold of one that
is bigger than you feel you need. Not only will this allow you to cook for
larger groups with less hassle, it will also ensure that the correct level
of heat endures longer, as small grills lose their heat disproportionately
quickly. A bigger bit of kit also allows the chef to have several different
areas of varying intensity – very useful when cooking several things at
once.
The coals need to be lit a good 45 minutes or so beforehand and never attempt
to cook anything before the flames have settled to a pleasing and hazy
shimmer. As a professional cook, I am also fairly obsessive about keeping
the thing clean between uses but, in addition to the obvious hygiene
benefits, it is worth saying that it is difficult to stop food sticking to
the grill unless it’s scrupulously free from gunk in the first place.
Assuming we have a nice big shiny barbie sizzling at the required heat, what
should we be thinking of cooking on it? Well, of course, in terms of
proteins and vegetables, just about anything might be suitable.
However, I would urge you to consider carefully the size or more accurately
the volume of the thing you intend to burn – sorry cook. I say this because,
unless we get very technical and start talking about enclosed kettle outfits
with variable temperature controls, the barbecue is by necessity a quick and
fierce cooking medium.
A boneless chicken breast is good; a chicken leg or drumstick on the bone less
so. That is not to say that you can not cook the entire leg successfully –
you can with skill – but it is more likely to end up in a sorry and
blackened state because it will take a considerable time to cook through to
the bone. Similarly, a small sausage such as a merguez or chipolata is more
suitable than a big old banger.
Fish is excellent barbecued and so are vegetables, especially if they have
been salted beforehand to bleed out unwanted excess water. At this juncture,
it might be helpful to explain briefly the process of salting vegetables
before cooking. Most vegatbles consist primarily of water and those
particularly so, such as cucumbers, courgettes, aubergines and those from
the squash family, will usually benefit from losing some of their water
content before seeing any serious heat. The trick is to add plenty of salt
to the sliced sides of the vegetables. Leave the vegetables for at least an
hour and you may be surprised to see how much unwanted moisture accrues. The
vegetables will become wet with beaded water droplets during this time and
this should be patted dry with absorbent paper before proceeding.
In general, lean meat is better than fatty for fast cooking. Duck breasts are
great cooked over coals, but I usually trim off most of the fat beforehand,
far healthier than fatty burgers or bangers. It’s difficult to render away
the fat slowly as one would in a pan over a conventional heat source because
as the fat drops into the fire, it will ignite and, as we know from bitter
experience; this leads to more char and less grill in the flavour.
It is also a good idea, for bigger parties, to combine barbecued and
conventionally cooked protein. For example, I might slow roast a large joint
such as a leg of pork or shoulder of lamb, or poach a wild salmon in the
kitchen and combine this with quickly grilled fish fillets, scallops,
steaks, chops and sausages outdoors. This also helps when it comes to
serving up: guests can help themselves to whatever has been cooked
beforehand together with accompaniments while the host concentrates his
sweaty brow at the alfresco stove. Cooking some of the food in the kitchen
contributes to a more chilled-out cook – always a good thing.
Lastly, please don’t be too ambitious with the “marinades”. There is a lot of
codswallop written about the need to marinate meat before grilling outdoors.
Far better in my opinion to have a variety of fish and meat simply prepared,
seasoned and dressed with good olive oil and sea salt than to fret about
having stuff sitting overnight needlessly in sweet gloopy lubricants.
I usually prepare chicken, pork or lamb with olive oil, garlic and lots of
fresh thyme, rosemary or dried herbes de Provence. I will prepare
fish and shellfish simply in olive oil and lemon; and some cuts such as duck
breasts or sausages will require virtually no extra fat. Besides, I prefer
to grill food fairly simply but precisely and then offer an interesting
variety of accompaniments, mustards, dips, salads and the like, rather than
to attempt too much show-stopping at the coalface. When one also considers
that organising and preparing barbecues is hot and thirsty work, it might
just be that the host is also fairly well lubricated himself before the
guests actually turn up – an excellent enough reason, if one was needed, to
keep the cooking process itself as straightforward as possible. www.chezbruce.co.uk/
