Avoid burning or charring food as this has been
shown to be unhealthy.
Don’t leave cooked food standing for too long
before eating.
Keeping your food moist
It’s easy to keep food moist and succulent on a
BBQ by following these guidelines:
•
Use tongs instead of a fork when turning meat
and poultry. A fork pierces the flesh and
causes the juice to seep out.
•
Resist the temptation to keep turning meat
over. Juices tend to rise to the top of a piece
of meat, then settle. Each time you turn the
meat over, the juices are lost.
It’s better to
quickly sear the meat on both sides (about
half a minute) then with the burner controls
down low, leave the meat cook on one side,
turning only once before serving.
•
If you like salt with your food, try adding it at
the end instead of before or during cooking.
Salt draws the natural moisture out of the food
and dries it out.
•
Baste the food with light marinade or canola
oil a couple of times while cooking, though
watch out for excessive flare-up.
How covered cooking works
Place the food you wish to roast on one side of
the BBQ. Turn on the burners that are not directly
underneath the food. Make sure the burners that
are directly under the food are turned off. This
way the food receives no direct heat.
Moist, hot air rises from the burners and circulates
around the food, trapping the juices and flavour.
Best results are achieved by using a roasting rack
and drip pan.
Cooking times
Keeping the hood closed traps the heat, moisture
and flavour that is normally lost on an open top
BBQ. The result is that food cooks considerably
faster, using less gas, and with a juicier, more
even finish. Foods require less attention and less
basting because the heat is less intense and
moisture is more easily retained.
Grilling
Food may be cooked in about 3/4 the usual time,
producing well browned surfaces while still
maintaining the foods natural juices.
Roasting
Larger joint of meat achieve similar results as in a
conventional oven, except in about 2/3 the usual
cooking time due to the natural convection effect
created by the hood.
Rotisserie
This method of cooking is terrific, producing moist,
evenly cooked meats and poultry in about 2/3 the
usual cooking time.
Do not allow the temperature to exceed 250ºC.
Approximate Cooking Times:
Beef 30
–50 minutes per kg
Lamb 40
–50 minutes per kg
Veal 40
–50 minutes per kg
Pork 50
–60 minutes per kg
Poultry 40
–45 minutes per kg
Fish 30
–40 minutes per kg
Times will vary depending on size and shape of
meat, initial temperature, and how well you like
your meat cooked.
Cooking with your BBQ
Tips
Although cooking on the plate looks easier,
cooking on the Grill gives you a more authentic
BBQ flavour. Natural juices drip onto the flame
tamer then vaporise, with the vapors penetrating
back into the food.
As an alternative to simply grilling, try marinating
your meat, fish, poultry or vegetables first. The
longer you leave the food to stand in the
marinade, the more thoroughly the flavour will
soak through. Several pre-made marinades are
available and good recipes are easy to come by.
It is best to leave food standing in the
refrigerator.
If you use a tomato or sugar based sauce for
basting, apply it in the last 5
–10 minutes of
cooking. Using these sauces over a longer
period of time will result in over-browning.
To prevent meat from curling, slash the
remaining fat at roughly 5cm intervals, taking
care not to cut into the meat.
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