| I'm never more delighted than when I get | | | | |
| invited to a barbecue cookout at a friends | | | | 1. Give it time and gas on full whack to get |
| house, not only because it's my way of | | | | the coals up to temperature. |
| cooking but also because it's a great | | | | |
| opportunity to have a chin wag and a glass of | | | | 2. When the coals are hot and you're ready to |
| "pop" with people that I maybe only get to | | | | cook, turn the gas down just to maintain the |
| see once or twice a year. | | | | temperature in the coals and keep them well |
| | | | away from the food. |
| I'm really fortunate to be part of a great | | | | |
| bunch of lads, one group from my school days | | | | Despite me saying be patient, gas is still |
| and another set from university and everyone | | | | wonderfully quick and convenient to have a |
| gets on really well together. We all live at | | | | barbecue but never should it be instant. |
| opposite ends of the country so it's | | | | |
| difficult to keep the contact and a barbecue | | | | For charcoal barbecue grills there's a |
| cookout in the summer sure helps. It keeps | | | | certain knack to preparing the fire:- |
| all the kids outdoors as well which saves on | | | | |
| the clearing up! | | | | 1. Pile up the charcoal to get it all burning |
| | | | at the same pace |
| Friends for over twenty years, barbecue | | | | |
| parties every summer yet still no one can | | | | 2. Coals are ready when they are white (not |
| cook a decent grill. I'm delighted to attend | | | | black) |
| but as I turn up my eyes suddenly dilate with | | | | |
| horror seeing chicken wings dowsed in flames | | | | 3. Before cooking, spread the coals out and |
| and worst of all, one of my friends expecting | | | | don't worry, they will still give off heat. |
| me to eat them! | | | | |
| | | | 4. Start off with the food rack on its |
| It's probably no wonder that as soon as I | | | | maximum height and bring it down gradually. |
| turn up I wrestle the tongs off him and get | | | | |
| the whole food rack far away from the grill | | | | 5. If you're cooking on a kettle, remember to |
| for a good 15 minutes and let everything | | | | reduce the aperture of the bottom draft. |
| settle down. | | | | |
| | | | Not only does it take patience to get the |
| The flames arrive because the coals are not | | | | perfect BBQ but it also takes time and |
| ready, fat starts to drip and up it goes! The | | | | experience - some of my friends clearly |
| more flames, the more fat and the more fat, | | | | haven't mastered it after 20 years! So please |
| the more flames. Food black on the outside, | | | | don't give up, it really is worth the effort |
| raw on the inside. Have you been there? Well | | | | when you get it right. |
| here are my recommendations so that you never | | | | |
| have to go there again. | | | | One final tip whilst you're in training - put |
| | | | your food in a barbecue rack. If you do get |
| Whether it's a charcoal or gas barbecue grill | | | | some flames you can lift large quantities of |
| it's all about patience and the preparation | | | | food simultaneously off the grill without too |
| of the coals. In a gas grill, the flames heat | | | | much hassle. |
| up the lava bricks and it's the bricks that | | | | |
| radiate the heat to cook the food so the | | | | So now you have the barbecue smoker recipes |
| simple tips for gas:- | | | | for success enjoy your BBQ this summer! |