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Text Nur Amsani Yusli
Article Contributed by the Asian Food Channel (AFC)
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. |
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Method
Now that you’ve gotten your various meats and marinated them, it’s time to grill! It’s important to thoroughly clean your grill before using. Having a water bottle spray will come in handy too; especially when the flames are too big to handle – a light spritz is all it takes to calm the flames. Decide which sides of the grill are the ‘very hot’ and ‘medium heat’ sides as this determines where different meats should be placed. Meats with bones typically go onto the medium side as it takes longer to cook; while others belong to the hot side. Here’s a handy timing guide for steaks – for a 160g, 1-inch thick steak, rare steaks cook for about 4 minutes on each side, medium for about 5 minutes and well done goes for about 6 minutes on each side. And lastly, when using wooden skewers, soak in water and cut off the tips first to prevent them from burning or simply wrap them in tin foil. Most importantly, be sure to have fun and don’t let your fear of burnt, bland tasting grub stop you from having a great day of fun by the grill.
For more sizzling tips on barbecuing, tune in to Licence to Grill with Chef Robert Rainford on AFC on Astro Channel 703!
