Is your BBQ Summer Ready?
April 29, 2016 | Cooking & Kitchen | No comments
When the sun is shining and summer is in full swing, there’s no better time to crack out your barbecue and grill up an outdoor feast… but hold your horses! You’ll first need to make sure your appliance is ready for action, so read on for all our advice and guidance on getting your barbecue into suitable summer shape.
How Clean Is Your Grill?
First things first, a clean grill is essential for an unhindered barbecuing session. Scrubbing burnt on grease and food off your grill is very labour intensive, so we recommend investing in some specialist BBQ cleaner to make the job easier. Some cleaners work better than others so it’s worth reading customer reviews and trying different types if you’re still finding the chore excessively difficult. Make sure to always buy a cleaner suited to your type of barbecue too.
If you find barbecue ash a challenge to clean an ash vacuum cleaner is a handy appliance to help. It’ll suck up ash left over from your previous grilling sessions and also has a blow setting to help you light your barbecue.
Don’t Forget the Outside of your BBQ
If your barbecue has been exposed to the elements all winter it’ll quite possibly be dirty or rusty come spring and will need a clean. If you use a wire brush to clean your grill this is also a great tool for removing rust on the outside of your barbecue.
To avoid rusting and keep your barbecue cleaner during the winter months you could also consider buying a BBQ cover.
Avoid Uneven Cooking
If your gas barbeque is cooking unevenly we recommend lava rocks. Pop them in your barbeque and they will cook your food more evenly, stop flames from flaring up when fat or juices drip and give your BBQ the authentic smoky taste of a charcoal barbecue.
Charcoal grills will naturally cook a little unevenly but you can keep the heat distributed better by spreading the coals out evenly. When you get to cooking, make sure the coals have a coating of grey ash over them showing they’re ready and keep moving your food around the grill for even cooking.
Have You Got the Right Utensils?
Every chef needs his utensils so if you fancy yourself as a BBQ master you need the right tools for the job. Here are some essentials for your barbecue tool kit:
Tongs
One of the most important additions to any barbecuing kit, it’s worth shopping around to find a great pair of tongs that work with different types of food.
Metal spatula
The greatest pair of tongs won’t do the job of flipping a burger as well as a trusty spatula.
Basting brush
If you want to add oil, sauces or marinade onto your meat whilst cooking it a basting brush is a must. (But add sweet sauces when the meat is nearly cooked so that they don’t burn.)
Fork
Useful for turning sausages or pricking meat to make sure juices run clear.
Fish basket
If grilled fish is the best part of the barbecue for you, a fish basket lets you easily transfer fish on and off the grill without it flaking or falling apart.
Once you’ve got your barbecue clean and cooking evenly and you’ve got your armoury of grilling tools sorted, you’re ready for the sunshine. When it starts to look like barbecue weather make sure to get to your local supermarket or butchers so you get first pick of the burgers and sausages!
Tags: barbecue, cleaning, Cooking Tips, grill, maintenance