Do you always write your barbecue wrong with a q? Then know that it was originally written that way. Indeed, the origin of the word is very French. The French loved roast boar a long time ago. They rained the beast “from beard to tail” on a roasting spit. In French, this is: barbe (beard) et (en) queue (tail), pronounced barbékjeu. The English found the French barbecue queue a difficult word and made a barbecue out of it. And even the French have now taken over. But in short, we write bbq again. Whichever way you write it, it's still a strange word. Who's coming in tonight's beard and tails?
Barbecuing is extremely popular on all continents. In some countries, whole pigs or sheep are traditionally still roasted on a spit over an open fire. In the Netherlands, we usually stick to a handy model of charcoal barbecue. Although the easier gas barbecue is gaining ground. People who swear by gas barbecues especially praise the shorter cooking time, the ability to control the temperature and the ease of cleaning. While coal lovers, of course, go for the authentic smoke taste and atmosphere. In addition, a charcoal barbecue is much cheaper to purchase than the gas variant. You can even have a disposable BBQ with coals for just a few euros.
If you want to make your beard and tail a success, make sure you are well prepared. And for nice weather, although unfortunately you can't order it. Here's what you need for a good game of barbecue:
- Steel brush for thorough cleaning of your grill. Heat the grill first, so it's easier to brush off the dirt.
- Long pliers, indispensable if you don't want to get burned fingers turning your meat, fish or vegetables.
- Tassel, preferably one with silicone bristles, to coat your meat, fish or vegetables with oil or marinade while grilling.
- Water sprayer to extinguish emerging flames quickly and thus prevent your food from burning.
- Apron and fireproof oven mitt to protect yourself from splashing fat. You have special long “oven gloves” for barbecuing.
- Bucket of water next to the barbecue, should the flame really go out of the cue. But it's also useful to rinse or cool your hands quickly after an unwanted touch with the grill.
Everything is ready. On to step 2: light up the barbecue and ensure a well-glowing barbecue. If you want to appear a bit adept at your bbq party, follow these tips:
- Briquettes or coal? Charcoal burns faster, blazes more and reaches a higher temperature than briquettes. Charcoal is therefore more suitable for direct grilling on an open barbecue. If you use a barbecue with a lid and you want to grill indirectly, briquettes are better. You can also slowly cook your meat on briquettes and then add some charcoal to finally sear the meat.
- Coconut briquettes are preferred. Not only are they durable, but they burn cleaner, ignite less quickly and can reach higher temperatures than conventional briquettes.
- Creation booklets are useful for getting a fire quickly, but use cubes made of natural material. Those containing paraffin are chemical and give off a foul smell.
- One Fire starter, a handy tool that you can have at home for less than ten euros. It is a round vessel with a handle, in which you light your coals or briquettes. When they glow, pour the coals into your barbecue.
- No spirit! Never light your flames with spirit or other flammable liquids. Dangerous!
- Spices provide a lovely scent, so feel free to throw herbs or scented wood chips between your glowing coals. Or let yourself be surprised by the aroma of dried ones.
- Grey is the color of your coals when they are ready to grill your delicious food. So be patient! Count on 20-30 minutes from lighting to grill-ready.
Okay, the coals are glowing and grey. Now comes the real work. With these tips, you'll become a real barbecue pro.
- Use flat metal skewers to string up your meat, fish and vegetables. With a round skewer, your meat does not rotate while turning. If you want to use wooden sticks, soak them overnight in cold water to prevent burning.
- Oil or marinade is not only good for the taste of your grill dish, it helps prevent it from drying out. So always marinate or coat your meat, fish and vegetables with oil. Also, keep brushing regularly while grilling.
- Cut one fat edge cook your meat before you put it on the barbecue to prevent it from curling up.
- One cool zone is a place on your barbecue where there is less coal. In this zone, you can keep things warm that are already ready without them continuing to fry.
- One grill clamp offers a solution for grilling fish, because it easily falls apart as cooking increases. Such a clamp is also useful for small sausages or vegetables that can fall through the grate.
- Packing is a fun way to prepare delicious dishes. For example, in aluminum foil or a banana leaf, but a cabbage leaf also works great. Especially suitable for fish and vegetables.
- blanch hard vegetables before you put them on the grill, so they stay nice and juicy on the inside.
- The regulate temperature is only possible with a bbq with a lid. The further you open the air supply, the hotter it gets inside.
- With a half a lemon you can quickly clean your grill between two dishes and prevent one from tasting like the other.
With these tips as a basis, nothing can actually fail. Stick with it for the best results, because burnt food is not only dirty, but also very unhealthy. Do you feel like you haven't got the hang of it despite all the tips, don't you have a barbecue or just don't feel like grilling for hours while the rest of the company is having a drink? Then a perfect barbecue is still possible: have your entire barbecue catered! It also saves dishes. Ideal for having your bbq catering arranged during your birthday, company party, wedding or other occasion.
Did you know that Alvida Catering & Events can provide you with a complete bbq with live cooking at your location? Complete with decor and staff. Feel free to request a quote call or call 023 822 3113.
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