The art of BBQ

[Ttaskmaster]

Well, I stand corrected...

And hopefully a little horrified, perhaps even quite sickened...

Rule of thumb is that if a foodstuff exists then McDonalds will have, or have tried, a McVersion of it somewhere at some point in time. If you're lucky, Burger King will have tried it too and generally done it better!!

[delta5361]

New to this forum and this looks great! So much detail.
I have a gas BBQ but smoulder wet wood chips to create smoke (which somewhat works) and do my ribs in there. After smoking I sometimes wrap them up in foil and transfer to an oven to finish cooking, but this might be a little controversial

[spacein_vader]

I was indeed being a little facetious...

My last experience of a charcoal bbq was at a mate's house and we had an interesting mix of burnt/undercooked food...

It's certainly easier to get it wrong with charcoal I'll grant you. For some I'm sure the holy grail of BBQ sausages is one that's burnt on the outside while still frozen in the middle. I also have a friend whose rule seems to be that a sausage isn't cooked until you can write with it.

[Ttaskmaster]

I also have a friend whose rule seems to be that a sausage isn't cooked until you can write with it.

Do any of them do that £1 pack of cheap "sacrificial" sausages thing, that apparently go on first, after which everything is ready to cook on?

[spacein_vader]

I was indeed being a little facetious...

My last experience of a charcoal bbq was at a mate's house and we had an interesting mix of burnt/undercooked food...

Do any of them do that £1 pack of cheap "sacrificial" sausages thing, that apparently go on first, after which everything is ready to cook on?

Not heard of that. So do they burn them? What's the logic behind it? Getting fat on the grate?

[Ttaskmaster]

Not heard of that. So do they burn them? What's the logic behind it? Getting fat on the grate?

From what I understand, having quizzed my wife over this bizarre and rather outlandish ritual that she always suggests....

You light the braai. You burn the wood up and add to it, until you have a lovely pile of smouldering embers that are just about ready to cook. Then some English country bint will amble over and offer you the el-cheapo £1 pack of cack Richmond sausages, as 'sacrificial' sausages. You will enquire as to the exact inference of her hitherto unnoticed purchase (we have three dogs - We know when there are sausages in the house!), with as many expletives as you can muster.
She will then explain: When the braai is ready, you put the cheap sausages on first. They will burn to a horrid useless blackened crisp (which is considered perfect, if you prefer your barbecues in the British fashion), after which you then start cooking everything else. The point at which the sacrificial sausages burn is the point from which the barbecue is actually ready.... even though they'll burn just as well if the braai has only been lit for 2-3 minutes.....

Yeah.... summat like that... It's our ritual because she always suggests it, and I always decline, before going about and just cooking the things properly. I do end up putting the Richmonds on too, but they're then set aside to cool and get fed to the doggies!


To be fair, the wife is blonde... and foreign (from Kent, with a strong Danish heritage)... !!

[Jennyrebd]

OMG, why that all looks soo tasty

[Zak33]

From what I understand, having quizzed my wife over this bizarre and rather outlandish ritual that she always suggests....

You light the braai. You burn the wood up and add to it, until you have a lovely pile of smouldering embers that are just about ready to cook. Then some English country bint will amble over and offer you the el-cheapo £1 pack of cack Richmond sausages, as 'sacrificial' sausages. You will enquire as to the exact inference of her hitherto unnoticed purchase (we have three dogs - We know when there are sausages in the house!), with as many expletives as you can muster.
She will then explain: When the braai is ready, you put the cheap sausages on first. They will burn to a horrid useless blackened crisp (which is considered perfect, if you prefer your barbecues in the British fashion), after which you then start cooking everything else. The point at which the sacrificial sausages burn is the point from which the barbecue is actually ready.... even though they'll burn just as well if the braai has only been lit for 2-3 minutes.....

Yeah.... summat like that... It's our ritual because she always suggests it, and I always decline, before going about and just cooking the things properly. I do end up putting the Richmonds on too, but they're then set aside to cool and get fed to the doggies!


To be fair, the wife is blonde... and foreign (from Kent, with a strong Danish heritage)... !!

I ALWAYS sacrifice a sausage.. always. At the beginning.

but.. I wouldn't let a richmond "pink tube of nauseus mucus" anywhere near my BBQ...sacrifice means giving something of value. I'd not feed my dog with one either. Dogs have souls... and hearts.

[spacein_vader]

Easter Sunday, time for a leg of lamb right? But it's too hot for a roast and we'd all much prefer a BBQ so...

Take 1 leg of lamb, dry off any moisture with paper towel, score the surface and sprinkle with free pouring table salt and stand for one hour. This will allow the area near the skin to dry out so you get the lovely crusted surface before the juicy meat underneath (all images click to embiggen):



After the hour dampen the surface to make it sticky and add a rub, I've used a bit of paprika, garlic, black pepper and rosemary. Make sure to rub it on all sides and into any crevices or cuts you've made:



Set your BBQ up for indirect cooking (see the OP for details,) and get the temperature to around 130-150c so the lamb doesn't cook too fast. Add the lamb and check every hour, adding more coals if required. After 1 hour mine looked like this:



EDIT: 2 and a bit hours later...




I like mine rare, but having probed it theres a safe temperature throughout. Due to the tapering shape of a lamb leg rare at one end means the thinner end is more well done for those who prefer that.

[philehidiot]

I operate on one simple phrase:

"There are very few personal problems which can not be solved with a suitable application of high explosives".

This is why the missus doesn't invite people round for a BBQ any more.

Took them ages to get Miss Piggy out of the wall cavity... (her rear was propelled at high velocity through an air brick which had the effect of dicing said rear rather effectively).

[Butcher]

Got myself a barbecue over the weekend. Only done one cook on it (lamb chops, veg skewers, corn on the cob), but it was excellent. Came up to temp in about 15-20 minutes, stayed at cooking temp for a good hour and was still going when I shut the vents to damp it down. Very pleased.

Next step is to try a smoking some meat on it, and maybe getting a pizza stone in there. It came with a heat deflector, so indirect cooking is pretty straightforward.

[Moby-Dick]

I've got one of those kamado style BBQ's - they are great and very easy to do long slow cooks on - but just as easy to crank the heat up for hot and fast style cooking. They tend to work best with lumpwood charcoal, rather than briquettes. When you are smking with it, the bottom vents really only need to be open a tiny crack, it'll hold 250F for hours. Get hold of a decent wireless thermometer too.

[buenavides1]

Thank you for sharing this recipe I will give this a go on weekend.

[spacein_vader]

Quick discovery from the weekend, which oddly doesn't contain any meat.

1. Soak some corn cobs with the leaves on in water for an hour.
2. Chuck on BBQ.
3.?????
4. Profit!

The water steams the corn, the leaves trap the moisture in and prevent the corn from burning and the end result is juicy sweetcorn with a slightly smoky taste.

Dead easy and goes well as a starter or a side to go with chicken.

[Saracen999]

Ageeed, spacein. Done that too and the results are superb.

[Zak33]

Here goes the controversial recipe favourite

I LOVE a little gem lettuce on a BBQ!

Cut in half, drizzle with oil and a grind of salt on the cut surface, then face down over the coals... and cook until lightly charred.

I adore half a cooked lettuce