The first and most important rule is to have everything ready for the barbecue, because we don't always dictate the pace when it comes to the open fire.
The barbecue season is in full swing, which is no small task if you want to conjure up really delicious food on the table. It's worth getting a good grill and, of course, the best possible ingredients. You can also marinate, but nowadays you can also buy perfectly prepared meat for grilling. I'm thinking here of large meats, game or just the freshest steak bites, cured for several days in an oil marinade.
The 5 golden rules
- The perfect charcoal: Only on glowing charcoal can meat crisp and tenderise. Only fresh vegetables and fruits that are edible fresh or even pre-cooked should be roasted suddenly over a high flame. For meat, however, only embers are good, however hard you may find it to wait.
- The tools: when making saslik or crabmeat, the wooden sticks must be soaked in water for at least 1-2 hours beforehand. They will not catch fire, dry out or fall off your favourite snack. Translating tongs, knives and butcher's shears can be very useful if you have them handy, so choose a good quality, sturdy kind, as they can be a problem if they slip. A large glass of water and a table for loading are essential.
- Raw materials: never work with frozen raw materials. Pre-cured, fresh meat is heavenly because of the charcoal flavour and smoke and is quick to cook. If you don't have time to prepare, buy pre-cured meats and you're guaranteed success.
- Cooking: the meat should be turned several times while it is cooking on the grill. At the end, leave them on a little longer, so that the grid leaves a pattern on the meat, which makes them even more delicious. For vegetables and fish, it's the other way round, don't touch them until the sides are cooked, as the outer layer will fall apart and deteriorate.
- Choice of meat: it is best to choose fatty, marbled meat, which is less likely to dry out during cooking. For steaks, the world-famous Wagyu beef takes the lead here, with every cut of meat perfectly infused with fat so that when cooked, the meat is not only juicy but also forms a little caramel layer. There's a trick for drier meats like chicken, turkey breast and loin. Wrap it in heavy-duty grill foil with spices, oil and vegetables, bacon. Place them on the grill as a package and cook them like this, then brown them, slice by slice, without the foil.
Restaurants are proud to serve their grilled dishes, and no wonder. It is one of the most popular and valuable items on the menu, especially in summer, but it is also used in winter. It doesn't need too many decorative elements, as a grilled lamb chop, pork chops and grilled vegetables almost sell themselves.
