How To Barbeque

Ever had that instinct after reading certain How To Barbeque books with gorgeous pictures of charred salmon, or cooked to perfection Baby Ribs, or a barbecued beer-can-impaled chicken to run out to your grocery store and start your charcoal grill while doing that?

If you are like me, you probably did so, went out, grabbed whatever piece of meat was in sight, bought the cheapest charcoal and grill available, soaked it with lighter fluid, tossed the meat on the grill only to discover that either your fire went out, your meat was raw on the inside, had a repulsive lighter fluid flavor, etc., and yes you were ready to give up. Not to mention the disastrous implications if you had guests invited for that dinner.

Things should not be this complicated. After-all our ancestors knew how to barbecue without much science. So, what does a complete blind beginner like you or me does to learn how to barbecue, not necessarily like the pros, but enough to impress your family or friends?

Yes - all of us at one point in our childhood were fascinated with fire. Some of us even successfully managed to play with fire and not burn down the neighbour's barn. If there is one talent to be requested in barbecuing, then it must be mastering your fire. I am talking mainly about managing to reach and maintain the optimal temperature in your charcoal grill.

The Chimney

I had the hardest time understanding how to light up my charcoal briquettes. I used the charcoal lighter fluid (or the Self-Starting Charcoal) that helped speed things up, but unfortunately gave a very acrid charcoal lighter flavor to the meat since I wasn't patient enough to wait for my coal to turn grey. Very bad indeed.

Later on someone introduced me to Mr. Weber Charcoal Lighter Chimney. A briliant invention to light the coals without lighter fluid! You simply load the chimney with charcoal, stuff two wrinkled newspaper pages in the bottom, light them up, and leave it burning for about 30 minutes in which time the coals at the bottom light up and start slowly but surely build up the flame evenly to the rest of them. Once you see the top coals grey and glowing, you are done. The Weber Chimney has a greater coal capacity than other types holding enough coals for a regular 22-1/2" kettle grill.

The Kettle Grill

Don't be cheap. Invest in a long lasting kettle grill like the Weber 22-1/2" diameter. My neighbour has one for at least 25 + years and going strong! There are tons of aftermarket grills out there with attractive prices but in the end they will be coming apart at the seams (literally!). Beside the fact that it's built to last, you will be able to find an endless array of accessories (some useful, some not) that will adapt to it.

So, now you have your grill with your coals hot at the right temperature, etc. What's next? How about a very simple starter recipe? You really don't need to much science here. I discovered that Shish Kabob is an easy creative delicious meal you can share with family and friends without having much barbecuing experience. Shish Kabob is one of those recipes where you can improvise using your creativity or... your leftovers. I'll share here a recipe that I am grilling frequently. The ingredients can be replaced by your meat of choice (chicken breast, beef tenderloin, etc.).

Spicy Sausage & Shrimp Kabobs

There is a contrasting taste between a mild shrimp and a spicy sausage. Added on a skewer and delimited by cherry tomatoes the transition between mild and spicy is almost mysterious. Here is a simple recipe that you can prepare quite fast:

Marinade:

• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Kebabs:

• 32 large shrimp tails removed, peeled and deveined
• 15 cherry tomatoes
• 7 ounces andouille sausage (or Italian sausage)
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Prepare the marinade: In medium size non-reactive bowl, mix the marinade ingredients. Add shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

Prepare the skewers: Place the skewers (if they are bamboo skewers) into a bowl of water so that they won't burn during grilling. Slice the sausage crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. Alternate sausage, tomato, shrimp, and on skewers (or use any order you prefer). Preheat grill using the techniques you learned above and grill the skewers over direct high heat until shrimp are firm to the touch and are turning opaque, approximately 2-4 minutes, turning once during grilling. Transfer skewers to a platter, scatter with parsley, and serve warm with any option of rice.

It is said that you never learn if you don't fail.This is applied to barbequing as well. Do not be thrown off by a bad experience. Keep insisting and you will have success. There are several books on how to barbeque that helped me discover more of the intricacies. And again, you do not need to aim high. If you have in the end pulled off a pleasant dinner with your family or friends savoring a delicious simple recipy like the one above, consider yourself accomplished. In the end cooking is fun if you share it.

An excellent book by Steven Raichlen called "How To Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques" was a very informative book for me to get started. You can learn some very basic tricks, techniques along with some excellent mouth-watering recipes - that do not look good only in the pictures but in reality as well. Not to speake of the taste. Same thing for the "BBQ Bible" and the "Mastering the Grill: The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking" by Andrew Schloss

Another ebook (or hard print) with a more advanced Southern-style grilling techniques for the more daring aspiring barbecuer is Competition Bbq Secrets. Detailed recipes, rubs, glazes, smoking wood types, smokers, etc.

But really, in the end, you do not need to have everything in order, you house clean, you kids behaving, your lawn mowed - to be able to have a delicious grilled dinner. Rocket science is not needed to know how to barbeque.