1) Open the lid before lighting the barbecue- pretty self explanatory but lets just say the result is fireworks and singed eyebrows (yes I learned this the hard way!)
2) Watch your temperature- I really found low temperatures worked much better than hotter temps. I found the more you flip your food (steak, chicken etc) the dryer it got. If you have your barbecue temperature around 300-350 degree Fahrenheit you don’t have to worry so much about burning it if you flip it less. You know when to flip it when it no longer sticks to the grill- if it sticks it’s not ready to be flipped. So keep the flipping to a mininum it will keep the juices and moisture in.
3) The top rack isn’t just for warming- I used it to grill vegetables in a pan, bake chicken fingers, bake potatoes- etc. To bake my buns I placed a cake pan upside down on the grill and then stuck my pan of buns on top- and they baked awesome!
4) Plan ahead and marinate, it is so worth it and I couldn’t believe how much better my meat tasted. For steaks I typically mixed steak spices i with a bit of BBQ sauce, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, as well as equal parts of vinegar and oil. For chicken you can use apple juice, wine if you have any on hand, lemon juice, soy sauce, Italian salad dressing, as well as equal part vinegar and oil. Experiment with marinades- my marinades vary depending what i have in my house.
So these are a few things I have learned in the short time I started barbecuing- and I am sure there will be more I will have learned by the end of barbecue season. Here is my favorite barbecue recipe passed down from my hubby’s family.
Camping Potatoes
6 large potatoes- diced
half an onion- diced
1/4 cup butter
1 cup corn (or any vegetable of your choice)
Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a disposable tin pan or wrap in tin foil, place on barbecue and flip or stir often until fully cooked. Great served with steak or burgers.
Do you have any barbecue tips you’d like to share? or recipes? If so I would love to hear about them!
One Cluttered Brain
Friday 16th of April 2010
Mmm. Yum. BBQ food. Delish. I linked over to YOU in my AFTER party post. You guys ROCK!
Shelagh
Friday 16th of April 2010
I love these ideas and I will definitly be trying baking buns in the BBQ, that is neat! Thanks for this post!
Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog
Friday 16th of April 2010
I sooo agree with you on #4. Makes a HUGE difference!! :-)
The Sunshine Crew
Friday 16th of April 2010
Those potatoes sound yummy! We will have to try them.
Arizona Mamma
Thursday 15th of April 2010
Have you ever checked out my Tasty Tuesday features? Recipes every Tuesday, and several weeks back I did a cooking tips one. Included were a couple about grilling. Would go great with your tips here.