The Summer of Barbecue – Dani Valent

Chatting BBQ and lard-rubbed lettuce on ABC News Breakfast. Not sure why Michael Rowland had to bring in the brown banana though…

I love cooking and eating outside but I hate dirty, greasy barbecues and burnt sausages. Here are my tips for a clean and easy cook, plus a few favourite recipes to kick off a succulent summer.

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TIPS

  • Cleaning your BBQ when it’s hot is MUCH easier than when it’s cold, so give it a good scrub and light coating of oil after you finish cooking for the day. If you didn’t get around to cleaning it after your last cook, then you can do it before you start cooking next time
  • Let the grill get very hot before you start cooking (for at least five minutes on high heat; you can then turn it down to cook, if necessary)
  • Flames are not your friend; don’t incinerate your dinner
  • Oil your meat not your grill. Alternatively, keep beef or pork fat in the freezer to rub a light coating of fat on the grill before you turn it on.
  • Cook one type of meat at a time so you can concentrate on getting it perfect
  • Use a meat thermometer if you’re not sure whether something is cooked, though remember that protein will cook a little more as it rests (see below)
  • Rest your meat for half the length of time it’s been cooked so the muscle fibres relax and the moisture is retained. Your meat will continue to cook a little off the heat so feel confident in taking it off the heat just before it’s reached the desired cooking result.

TRY THESE RECIPES

Jamie’s BBQ prawns
jamie's prawns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yotam Ottolenghi’s BBQ beetroot

This shellfish salad with orange and honey vinaigrette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Alexander’s slow-cooked, then BBQd pork

Grilled watermelon

And bonus Gordon Ramsay getting very upset about grilled lettuce.

2018-06-06T10:51:41+10:00

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