Tower and Town, July 2016 (view the full edition)The Art of BarbecueIt's that time of year again, isn't it? Suddenly, everywhere you go you smell the tantalizing, addictive aroma of the barbecue, and think, we must have one! And why is it that everyone else's always smells better than ours tastes? So where did this come from, this caveman style of cooking which has taken the world by storm? Some would say Australia, others America. It is thought though that the Spanish, upon landing in the Caribbean, used the word barbacoa to refer to the natives' method of slow cooking meat over a wooden platform. So there you go, a likely possibility.
Next, a big decision to make - gas or charcoal? Gas, as we know, is quick, clean and controllable. However, as we also know, the barbecue gurus would not entertain anything but charcoal. It has that smoky flavour, they say; with gas you may as well be cooking in the oven, they say. What they don't say is that cooking with charcoal gives off carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, contributing to increased pollution. But hang on, let's not be a killjoy here, after all how often do we actually get to let loose with caveman cooking in our climate? Next comes the patience, at least with the charcoal: the coals must be allowed to go grey and glowing before the food gets anywhere near it, otherwise your meat will be brown and crispy on the outside and raw in the middle. This is where the poisoning comes in. Beware! The concentration bit is to do with keeping raw and cooked food well away from each other. Obvious, I know, but how easy would it be for those errant, uncooked, dripping juices to contaminate the rest without us even noticing? Patience - allow the meat to cook slowly, there's no hurry - even if the forecasters got it wrong, and it is bucketing down. Have another beer! Oh and while you're piling all that meat onto the barbeque for the carnivores, spare a thought for the vegetarians amongst us. Barbecues are for them too. How about halloumi kebabs with a lemon and thyme baste? So, what will it be? Burgers - make your own, they are much tastier and will beat anything you can buy in the shops. The good old sausage - a butcher gave me some good advice recently and that was to par-boil or microwave them briefly before putting them on the grill. This cuts out the risk of raw middles and still gives the barbecued flavour. This could be said for any meat really, apart from steak obviously! And don't forget the fish, they love the barbecue. It is so easy to cook if you get hold of one of those clamp/clip/basket things, whatever they are called. Whatever you cook, don't forget the marinade. This will lift your food to another level altogether, and impress family and friends. Just keep basting! Halloumi kebabs Thread chunks of halloumi, courgette, red onion and cherry tomatoes onto skewers. Baste frequently with a marinade of 1tblspn olive oil, 2 tblspns of lemon juice, 2 tspns of lemon thyme, 1 tspn of Dijon mustard. Served with pitta or flatbreads. Happy Barbecuing! Sue Pells |
Let's face it, most of us Brits are terrible barbecuers. We cremate sausages and risk poisoning our family and friends. But it needn't be this way if we plan well ahead, take our time and concentrate on what we are doing, instead of thinking, bbq - easy and quick - don't have to work too hard or make much effort. Got the equipment - deckchair and tongs, uniform of shorts and flipflops, pass me another beer, sorted!