Barbequing can be so much more than the boring fishball, crabsticks and hotdogs affair.

Make a trip to your neighbourhood supermarket and be surprised by the variety of meats and vegetables which can be barbequed for a satisfying meal. Ready to become the toast of every beach or pool side BBQ party? Let this guide serve as an inspiration for you to enjoy great barbecued meats. BBQ can be split into the basic 3M’s; Meats, Marinades and Methods.

Meats
When using chicken, try using the whole chicken, instead of just the chicken wings. Ask your butcher to cut the chicken into twelve parts as smaller sizes would take a shorter time on the barbeque. If you are using beef, don’t trim all the fat away; a little bit of fat makes the meat juicier, as the barbequing process
caramelises the fat. It’s important to remember that when using meats, it must be thawed completely for even cooking. Be adventurous! Almost any kind of meat can be used on the barbeque – shrimp, lamb, pork or fish. Balance your meal by throwing in some vegetables as well. You can try grilling corn, peppers and eggplants, which will go well with all your grilled meat.

Marinades Using the normal barbeque sauce will cause your meats to burn easily. Try dry rubs for chicken, which uses mainly dry herbs. Marinating meat can be made easier when you use Ziploc bags – simply toss all the ingredients into the bag and leave in the fridge for a few hours. Never leave overnight as this will lose the flavour of the meat itself. It’s also best to wear gloves when handling meat, and not to handle different meats all at the same time as this ensures that the meat will not be contaminated. Lastly, keep the marinade used for basting separate from the portion used in the Ziploc bag as this prevents the marinade from going bad.

Written by Stella Ong
Article Contributed by the Asian Food Channel (AFC)

Whisper “Iron Chef Party” and the layman will immediately conjure images of world class chefs frantically yet somehow in full control moving around a kitchen arena, stirring up culinary masterpieces in a less than an hour. Cue a toad-in-the-well moment as one realizes that the Iron Chef (IC) Party is nothing like that in TV Land. Before you plead ignorance, an IC party is essentially a ‘potluck’, with a main ingredient announced 24 hours before the party, accompanied by prizes for best dishes. For party hosts who have grown weary of the usual curry chicken / potato salad party or tired of flipping through catering menus of dubious standards, this is the party for you!

Web lore has it that The Iron Chef Dinner Party was originated by David J. Cavuto, an avid Iron Chef fan who was blown away by the response to his first IC Party. The “Cranberry Battle” evoked entries that ranged from the exotic squash soups with cran crème fraiche and cranlava to the eyebrow-raising cranberry salmon croquette and cranberry curry, ubiquitous cranberry sangria and giggle-inducing cranberry nut tatties. Expect to be similarly blown away by your guests’ creative culinary skills or potential as cafeteria ladies (mystery goop dish experts).

Over the years, this idea has gained great popularity with Americans; some have even attempted to respect tradition and execute IC competitions at home. The IC Party even has its own spinoff in Australia – the Champion Chef Game Pack, complete with game cards with secret ingredients, costumes, tear-as-you-use invitation, score sheet and instruction pads. Here’s an introductory timeline to help you along. Please note that this list is by no means exhaustive, and if you want extra frills to placate the workaholic in you, kindly add them in.