With BBQ season in full swing with this amazing weather this past week, it’s time to hone your grillin’ skills.
We’ve got some ingenious tips to make your barbecue better than anyone’s (we’re not smug).
Here are 10 BBQ hacks to help you make this year’s BBQ the best ever.
1. Add ice to your burgers
Try this simple trick at your next summer BBQ. Make a small dent in your burger, add a small piece of ice, and voilà, enjoy a seriously juicy piece of meat!
2. Fire it up before your guests arrive
Don’t wait for hungry friends and family to arrive before lighting the BBQ. It always take longer than you think to get the heat just right. Our advice? You can never start too early.
3. Stop fish sticking to that grill!
Place your fish of choice in a dish with slices of lemon or lime before you pop them on the grill. Not only will this stop it sticking to the grill, it’ll also add an extra touch of flavour to your meal.
4. Not cooking for a big crowd?
Instead of lighting the entire grill, light only half of it. That way you’ll have one side for cooking, and the other half for keeping your food warm while you continue to cook the rest.
5. Marinade, marinade, marinade
Everything tastes better when it’s marinaded. It’s science. Plan in advance and leave your meat of choice soaking up the flavours in the fridge the night before you fire up the barbie.
6. Forget wooden skewers, use rosemary instead
Take your BBQ kebabs to a new levels by popping your meat and veg on a sturdy rosemary sprig. Expect an explosion of flavour as the juicy meat combines with the rosemary.
And if you’re throwing pineapple, peaches or strawberries on the grill, why not create fruit kebabs using cinnamon sticks. Tasty.
7. Clean your grills with an onion
Who knew? Scrub a halved onion on the heated grates to get rid of the grime and grease instead of the usual Brillo pad. Affordable and natural. WINNING.
8. Avoid potentially friendship-ending mix-ups…
Get the right burger to the right people by writing R for rare, MR for medium rare, etc. in ketchup or mayonnaise on the burger buns.
9. It’s not all about meat…
Chargrilled veggies can often be the unexpected hit of a barbecue. Drizzle in olive oil with some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper and cook on the highest heat for a couple of minutes to get the charred effect, then move to the cooler part of the grill to finish cooking.
10. Scatter herbs on the barbecue
The only drawback to having a BBQ is the potentially smoke-filled garden. By simply adding some aromatic herbs like sage, thyme or rosemary to the grill, it’ll not only make the air smell nice, it’ll also give your food more flavour.
