Nothing Says Summertime like a Tasty Outdoor Barbecue Cooked Meal

As far as summertime cooking goes, there is simply nothing like that great, smoky taste you get from barbecuing your food. Whether you prefer steak, ribs, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs or even scrumptious Mongolian barbecue cuisine, there are plenty of different types of food which you can slap on the grill to enhance their flavors tenfold. Unlike other styles of cooking which may involve using a skillet, wok, or your oven, barbecuing is one of those great methods that require fairly minimal preparation, not too much cleaning and an automatically great meal without too much effort. For most types of food, all you have to do is marinate a few hours beforehand and simply stick the food on your grill with a little bit of oil and your favorite barbecue sauce. Barbecuing really is that simple.

This being said, it is important to monitor the barbecue carefully, as a barbecue tends to cook food faster and more unevenly than an electric oven, which heats evenly. This is even more true if you are using a charcoal grill, which can not only burn your food faster than you anticipated, but it can also spill embers onto the grass or dry leaves, starting a fire. For these reasons, it is crucial that you at least keep an eye on the barbecue when it’s operating.

Now, no matter what type of grill you have, be it a built in barbecue, a charcoal barbecue or a gas barbecue, most of the tips and techniques you should be familiar with are the same – although, as mentioned above, a charcoal grill will be somewhat less predictable. While traditional chefs prefer to stay in the confines of their kitchens, more and more celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay have opted to head towards the outdoors for their cooking styles. If you are looking for a quick and easy reference for all things barbecuing, as well as a plethora of great recipes, then check out one of Flay’s bestselling books. His barbecue tips can turn even the most novice griller into a seasoned professional in a few short weeks.

People across America have their own take on what constitutes the best barbecue. The two best selling styles are certainly the classic charcoal barbecue and the barbecue gas grill. This is because the classic charcoal grill provides what is arguably the best, woodiest flavor; and the barbecue gas grill is by far the easiest to control, making it the best grill for harder-to-cook dishes and wings, which you must flip constantly and monitor. However, what many people do not realize is that there are many other different types of barbecue available for purchase.

For example, the barbecue pit and the barbecue smoker grill are two versions of grill which nobody (aside from professionals) really seems to talk about. These styles are not available to purchase in stores like Home Depot or Lowes, but they are undoubtedly a great way to cook your favorite type of meat, even if you don’t have quite as much control as you would with your current gas barbecue grill. Unlike traditional charcoal and gas barbecues, smokers and pits give you a way to add a multitude of different barbecued tastes to your food, as they help trap in all of the wonderful aromas to give your favorite meat an amazing smoky flavor. When cooked in a pit or smoker with your favorite barbecue rub massaged into the meat, you will be delighted with a delectable treat that is far superior to anything you could hope to eat at a restaurant – or, for that matter, anything you could cook with a charcoal grill.

5 Ways To Enjoy a Barbecue

Since Americans in the South began publicly roasting pigs at parties and get togethers, Barbecues have been a common item in the lives of North Americans.

For most of the population using a grill is a essential part of cooking and for the hard core barbecuers once the summer comes in it’s barbecues all the way.

Every barbecue is always a good fun family event. Here are 5 ways to make your routine evening barbecue a more unique experience:

1) Who said you have to only barbecue meat? There is quite a lot that can be done with bread or fruit and veg over a naked grill. One way to make barbecues and grilling more fun to the whole family is to use pastry cutters for what ever it is you are grilling. It is up to you or your kids what design and type of food you use.

2) Try some of those foil packed recipes which cook in less than 20 minutes which are very handy and clean and kids will also love the surprise element. Combos can be great fun as you can mix it up any way you want and it makes a great game for the kids mixing different items of bread, fruit and veg.

3) They say variety is the spice of life so if you only ever cook the same old sausages and steaks why not try something different like a nice bit of cod or a juicy bit of venison. Similarly, try to mix it up with condiments and seasoning.

4) Barbecues should not be rushed, they are supposed to be fun, many of the die hard barbecue fans out there will state that broiling is an insult to the barbecuing criteria. Barbecues should represent a process of slow cooking on low to high heat and while you wait for the food to grill its a great opportunity to have a good laugh with who ever is in your party be it friends and family.

5) When we were all small children are moms told us never to play are food, well there is an except to every rule isn’t there? Barbecue games are a great way to have really good fun while cooking. In the game Glutton, every player gets either mashed potatoes, turnip or mac cheese, then they must pick at random a utensil from the kitchen and eat and the first person to eat all of their dish wins.