In this article I am going to pass on some “game changers” that will save precious time and essentially accelerate your outdoor cooking experience – meaning barbecue can be an after weekend sport or even an after work activity.
Charcoal chimney starters are an absolute “must have” in my opinion. A chimney starter is the easiest and fastest method for lighting your barbecue fuel (briquettes or lump charcoal), which means plenty of time savings in the long run. The method to get your fuel humming quickly is simple, add the desired amount of charcoal into the chimney and apply heat/fire from underneath until the coals are ashed-over and glowing hot. Once lit, you add the coals to your barbecue and you are ready to start cooking!
There are several ways to do this – at a pinch fire up scrunched up newspaper underneath the coals, use natural fire lighters or my recommendation is deploying a propane or LPG flame thrower!
LPG flame throwers are the quickest and most efficient way to get your fuel lit. Available from Team BBQ War and Barbecue BOI locally, flame throwers provide an almost instant solution to getting the fuel ready for introduction to your barbecue. With a bit of Kiwi ingenuity set your chimney up so you can aim the flame from the thrower from underneath (see image) and hit the coals full-force with the flame for a couple of minutes. Stand the chimney upright and leave for around 5 minutes till the coals are glowing hot – simple as that!”
A decent set of sharp knives that have been crafted for purpose is another time saver, from trimming hard fat and silver skin from the proteins that you are barbecuing to breaking down larger cuts to slicing up your finished briskets, having the right tools for the job, not only will you save time but are also less likely to do yourself any injuries in the process. Have a decent sharpening system on hand and regularly maintain the blade edges.
Instant Read Meat Thermometers are simple to operate and provide an instant snap-shot of how your barbecue or indeed any cooking that you are doing is progressing. Readings from instant read thermometers not only provide an indication of “doneness” but also ensures that food safety temperatures are adhered to. If you don’t have one, you should.
Using a quality tinfoil that is thick enough to not tear or rip when wrapping your protein to achieve tenderness is a must. Look for a tinfoil that is a minimum of 25 microns thick, this will ensure when the protein is wrapped up tightly you won’t be losing precious moisture and drying out your meat. Once the desired doneness has been achieved, I open the tinfoil wrap and allow the bark/crust to reset ready for slicing and serving.
Until next time, I hope Santa has brought you some cool barbecue pressies and you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas with friends and whanau!
Cheers
Kezza