Cleaning Your Barbeque Or Smoker

Cleaning a grill or smoker is no fun. Ok, now that we agree and have gotten that out of the way, let’s see why it’s important to do it anyway. Then we can examine how to do it as painlessly as possible.

Most food will expel grease and carbonize to some degree in a barbeque or smoker. Fats drip into the pan, smoke rises from the surface. The result? A black, crusty compound gets deposited on the interior. That compound is mostly carbon, with some unburned grease thrown in just to make the clean up that much more difficult.  Read more... (537 words, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)

Barbeque Grill Add Ons

Basic grill types range from charcoal to propane to natural gas, and sometimes even electric. The add-on features available with one model may help tip you toward one over the other.

Some propane grill models, for example, offer a side burner. That burner, typically about the size of an ordinary gas stove burner in your kitchen, can be a big convenience. It allows cooking vegetables, sauces and other parts of the meal while the main dish is grilling.  Read more... (571 words, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)

Cooking Brisket Outdoors

Brisket is a cut from the breast, usually the lower part. It commonly refers to beef, but can mean chicken, pork or other animal meats. Though a badly made brisket can certainly be tough and unappetizing, if well done they can be highly tasty.

One key to cooking a brisket is the necessity to do so very slowly. Throwing even a small brisket cut of beef onto a grill for twenty minutes is almost to guarantee something that would be better regarded as beef jerky. But slow cooked, in a smoker or brick oven, sometimes for even as long as 24 hours can produce a tender, mouthwatering meal.  Read more... (551 words, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Tools For The Barbeque

BBQ – Tools for the Barbeque

Which tools you find essential and which merely ‘nice to have’ depends on the type of barbecuing you plan to do. But there’s a list of tools that most backyard chefs will find come in handy much of the time.

Sometimes it’s best to start with the end in mind and the end of every barbeque is the clean-up phase. Some grill models can be a nightmare but with the right tools it can be relatively painless.  Read more... (519 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Outdoor Cooking Without Bugs

Every backyard chef has had to contend with insects interfering with the pleasure of a barbeque. If they don’t actually get in the food, they can still often annoy the cook. Here are a few effective, food-safe tips for how to deal with creatures who have rightly earned the name ‘pest’.

Depending on species and season insects are attracted to heat, carbon dioxide, meat and other triggers produced by a barbeque. Spraying them with commercial insect killer or repellent may be effective for bug control but not very pleasant near food. Other methods for control are preferred.  Read more... (526 words, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

Types Of Barbeque Grills

Barbeque grills come in three main categories – charcoal, gas and electric – and each type will appeal to a slightly different customer.

For decades the only type available was a charcoal grill, and this style is still very popular. Chunks of black carbon are arrayed in a familiar pyramid and ignited, usually with the help of BBQ lighter fluid. Once the briquettes start to glow red, they’re spread around and they make for a hot fire that adds a special taste to the meal.  Read more... (660 words, estimated 2:38 mins reading time)