Become the Grill Master you were destined to be!
It doesn't matter what time of year it is, us Aussies are keen to crank up the heat, clean the BBQ and get some meaty treats cooking. Don't get us wrong we love a good BBQ but lately, we have been noticing that people are violating a few key BBQ ground rules that can turn a great atmosphere into a pity party. Don't let this be you!
We all love a good kabab/skewer, but not when it tastes funky thanks to the black burnt wooden skewers. When they are done right this classic treat satisfies almost every picky eater at the table. Soaking the skewers in water will slow down the process of the wood burning, meaning you've got more time to evenly cook your skewers without rushing to get them on and off before the skewer turns into charcoal.
If you are lid flipping addict, step away from the grill. Have trust in yourself and your meat cooking skills and resist the temptation to continuously flip the lid open and closed checking to see if the meat is done. Every time you open the lid on a gas grill, you'll lose heat, meaning your meat wont cook consistently and it will take longer to cook. We don't want that now, do we? Hungry guests are dangerous.
You might want to jump the gun and lather up the meat early but we are urging you to please not. You know that burnt, bitter taste that you might have experienced before? That my friends can come from basting the meat far too early. Instead of warming up, the sauce ends up burning on the meat giving it a funky taste that no one enjoys. So, stick to basting meat in the later minutes of the cook, in particular, sweet sauces that contain sugar. The sugar ends up caramelising and ultimately burning if its put on any sooner than the last 10 minutes of the cook.
Not even chefs can look at a steak and say Yes! That is exactly medium rare. You can not trust sight, so most people simply give it a poke and decide that the meat is done. There's got to be a better, more efficient and accurate way to check right? We are glad you asked because, yes, yes indeed there is. Its called a meat thermometer. This clever invention stops you from having to gouge a hole in your steak to check its doneness. All you need is a quick prod and BAM! you've got the answers you need. Depending on the type of meat the internal cooking temps will be different, just check out its instruction manual for all the numbers.