Are you sick of serving sad sausages and soggy potato salad at your BBQ? Do you have the eyes of an annoying neighbour or your martyr mother-in-law judging you every time you switch on that grill? The Owton’s team say, no more! It’s time to claim back your BBQ rights, wow your guests and sit back smugly this summer!
Our team consider ourselves as somewhat BBQ experts, I mean, we spend a large quantity of our day handling meat and dreaming up new recipes, so we think you’re in safe hands.
Our team have collated our 8 favourite tips to becoming the sort of BBQ master which has your pesky co-workers trying to invite themselves round for a bite to eat… (Maybe you had better keep it quiet at work.)
Tips for the best BBQ
On your marks, get set, grill!
Tools
A poor workman always blames his tools, so make sure you don’t get caught out! A long-handled pair of tongs means you can get heavier bits of meat flipped over with ease and protects from burns. If you don’t want to give your guests a bad belly, a meat thermometer gives you peace of mind that everything you served is completely cooked all the way through.
Be prepared
The team would consider having too much food as more of a success than not enough. We hate waste, so make sure you have some space in the fridge to polish off the rest as a midweek dinner. Guests always appreciate having some bits to take home, and if all else fails you could make your dog’s day! Our sauces, rubs and marinades give a bit of extra kick to your standard sausage and means you have a flurry of flavours to choose from. Meat is king, but side salads, potatoes, cold meats, cheeses, and bread are always a winner to snack on throughout the afternoon.
No one likes soggy on the inside!
Putting your meat on the grill immediately after you remove it from the fridge means there’s a high risk of your meat burning on the outside whilst not being cooked on the inside. Pop your meat on the side to come to room temperature around 20 minutes before cooking time. This is especially essential with meat like chicken, which needs to be cooked more cautiously.
Charcoal chat
Lump charcoal is fast lighting with a burn time of around an hour which works better for a larger meat variety. Briquettes on the other hand, can burn for up to three hours at a consistent temperature, so use these for grilling roasting joints. Different woods create charcoals that impart different flavours within your protein, for example Oak Tree Charcoal gives your meat subtle smoky caramel tones. Experiment to see which one you like the best!
Cooking technique
You don’t need to be Jamie Oliver to know that different cooking methods make for different tastes on a BBQ. Direct cooking is when the meat is placed directly over the heat source, ideal for thinner cuts of meat which taste great seared. If you’re a cooking whizz, indirect cooking is a little more advanced, but makes roasting joints incredible!
Give it a rest!
We know by this point your guests will probably be ravenous, but the final touches make all the difference. Resting your meat for a few minutes allows it to reabsorb the juices and become oh so tender. A rule of thumb will be the bigger the meat slab, the longer to rest it!
Whatever the weather
Now you’d be silly to host a BBQ and not be prepared for adverse weather. If it’s a larger guest list, a gazebo goes a long way – or clear a space inside for wet weather. Have your kitchen pans and plates on standby, to finish off any meat which might get rained off!
The final sausage
And if all else fails, stock up on plenty of ice-cold beers, enough of these and your meat will taste magic whatever happens. Instead of trawling around the busy supermarket on a summer’s day, save the hassle and order with Owton’s online. Our BBQ pack contains everything you need to fill grills, rolls, and mouths! All this with next day delivery, we really are spoiling you this year!
