How to light the barbecue ?
Grill, griddle or barbecue: the difference lies in the middle
We all agree: to cook excellent grilled meat and master the art of barbecue you need to have professional equipment such as knives, grill or barbecue to focus on fire and flame. The essential characteristics of BBQs move away from the aesthetic aspect since it must be functional and effective, not necessarily beautiful. Every self-respecting barbecue must allow you to obtain meat that is flavoured, succulent and slightly smoked. Especially if you choose to use a BBQ with a cast iron lid and grill.
The reason is simple: cast iron is a material that manages to maintain a uniform heat and the lid is essential for obtaining soft, juicy and tasty meat. Some also use a slate plate to accommodate the meat on the fire, this is because, being compact, it manages to give very uniform cooking of the meat and with a very particular taste: try it to believe it.
Off topic: the electric grill
Some might turn up their noses when they hear an electric grill, but not all of us have a nice ready-to-use BBQ at our disposal. This is where the electric grill comes into play which, despite lacking smokiness and that tone that only wood can give to meat, still manages to give satisfaction to those who want to cook meat but only have this tool at their disposal. In this case, you just need to turn on the button, oil the grills and wait for it to reach temperature: the result is fast and guaranteed.
The perfect base: wood and embers
Lunch is still a few hours away, and every good griller knows this, but you are ready to start with the main phase of a real barbecue: the grill! If you choose to use charcoal (or charcoal), place small pieces of wood on the bottom of the BBQ. Add a few strips of paper or cardboard, then the fragments of charcoal piled in the center of the brazier and you're done. More practical and quicker, charcoal can also satisfy the needs of last minute grillers.
As we have seen with charcoal, another valid choice is to use pure wood, which offers the possibility of using a 100% natural material to transfer suggestive aromas typical of the varieties of trees that we will use in cutting meat for barbecue we chose. Beech, oak or chestnut are favourites, remember to discard cheap wood with possible nails and fruit crates - yes, we all do it -. Remember that wood needs a lot of patience, both to reach the ideal temperature and to make cooking meat satisfying.
In addition to the classic form of firewood, wood briquettes are a valid alternative and - they too - burn at a lower temperature than ready-made charcoal, but last for longer. They are therefore preferable for slow cooking, especially if you intend to cook particularly large cuts such as Florentine T-bone or Porterhouse .
Some precautions
Light the fire without using chemical accelerators - such as diavolina so to speak -: however convenient they are, they risk leaving traces in the embers, and consequently in the meat you are going to cook. Whether you use wood or briquettes, remember to place the materials on the bottom of the brazier, together with pieces of paper or cardboard to help the flame grip. The method of arranging the materials in a pyramid in the center is the best solution in any case: it ensures that the flame surrounds and penetrates between the layers of charcoal or wood, burning them evenly.
When all the pieces have caught fire and are extinguished, distribute the charcoal and embers over the entire surface of the brazier, to ensure that the heat is distributed evenly. Furthermore, try to keep the temperature constant because temperature changes during cooking affect the final result. For example, when cooking ribs or chops , a sharp increase in temperature risks burning the meat in an instant. Generally, it takes around 40 – 60 minutes to obtain good embers with charcoal or wood: take these preparation times into account when organizing a barbecue.
The protagonist of the barbecue: meat
Whether you eat it pure, to enjoy the ancestral flavor of the cut, or whether you choose to marinate it with seasonings such as RUB , the meat remains the absolute protagonist of the barbecue. Each cut has unique characteristics given by the animal, the part used, the breeding method and the percentage of fat present which is released in the most unique and true way when cooked on the barbecue.
The smoking phase that occurs during cooking is the most delicate but offers a strong flavor and an intense aroma. It seems counterintuitive, but making even just a small mistake at this stage means ruining the whole dish! For this process, prefer pork ribs or shoulder which will allow you to give added value to your dish, transforming it into a fabulous dish.
Choose to amaze guests by adding products from the BBQ Box to the classic barbecue: sausages, salami, ribs and ribs, to enjoy the traditional barbecue with quality meats. If, however, you want to focus on more refined products, the international meat section offers cuts of meat such as Fiorentina Sashi Gold Dry Aged , Picanha Sashi Freygaard Diamond or Costata Sashi Gold Dry Aged : particular and unique in their kind.
Barbecue, grilled meat or on slate, however you cook it, grilled meat is an explosion of flavors and aromas that are released by the cooking method. Salami , skewers , beef ribs but also Fiorentina T-Bone and porterhouse are the perfect cuts for a real barbecue, if we then add a few friends, a good farm beer or red wine and a swimming pool the fun is guaranteed!
