1. Wood Chips
Soak your mequite or hickory wood chips in water for an hour and then place them on a sheet of aluminum foil. Close the papillote and pierce it a few times with the point of a knife. Place this in an aluminum packet under the grill, with cover closed.
2. Temperature
Every grill lover needs to pick up a meat thermometer. No need to worry about proper cooking with such a reliable companion.
3. Rest in peace
Too many people forget to calculate the resting time after cooking. Once done, meat should be placed on a plate and covered with aluminum foil. A few minutes of rest allows the blood to be evenly distributed.
4. Bruschetta Simplicity
Grill one side of some slices of good bread. Lightly rub this side with a garlic clove and drizzle some of your best olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of fleur de sel.
5. Add vegetables!
Traditional kebabs that alternate meat and raw vegetables are attractive, but often deceiving, because these foods require different cooking times. The solution: blanch onions, peppers and zucchini in boiling water for a few minutes or in the microwave before skewering.
6. Not too much!
So delicate, fish and seafood should be marinated no longer than 30 minutes, or the marinade’s acidity will begin to “cook” their fragile flesh.
7. Lifeline
Cedar or maple planks are still the trend in cooking on the barbecue. It gives fish and meat a lightly smoked flavour. As an added bonus, it prevents fat from feeding the flames and noxious compounds. Soak it in water for several hours before cooking, ideally all night. You can freeze a plank swollen with water in a plastic bag. Thaw it in hot water for 10 minutes.
8. Marinade bath
If the goal is to tenderize meat (flank, round), you absolutely need an acidic ingredient: lemon or orange juice, vinegar, yogurt or buttermilk, wine… The meat should marinate at least 24 hours to get the tenderizing effect. On the other hand, if the goal is to add a bit of flavour to a food or tender meat, 30 minutes will do.
9. Minute Sauce
Recover the rest of a marinade that has been in contact with meat or poultry by letting it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. You can then serve it as a sauce. And avoid basting your food in the last five minutes of cooking.
10. Adios Bacteria!
E.Coli O157 : H7 bacteria is the main reason you can get sick from eating hamburger and ground bovine meat (beef, veal), lamb and other red meat such as moose. Avoid it by cooking your ground meat well until no pink remains.
