BBQ Tips: The Top Ways To Prepare Meat – A Guide For Everything You Must Know About Grilling Your Meat

BBQs are a great way to enjoy some outdoor cooking with family and friends. However, how the meat tasted will also define how good the session was. There are many things you need to know about grilling, right from the way you fuel the BBQ to the sauces that go best alongside. Below are some top tips that can help you take your barbecuing labours to another level.

Take your barbecuing to the next level with these tips

Right Type Of Fuel

This is the most basic thing that you need to prepare for when you want to BBQ your meat. Many factors considered together ensure that the final result of the meat is juicy and succulent to taste. Using the right wood, smoke and meat will enhance the flavour dramatically. You can use lump wood charcoal that has no chemicals in them. Adding different hardwood chunks like those of oak, apple, or cherry tree can bring out more personalized flavours to the meat. Having a range of woods to be used for cooking and smoking the BBQ is worth all the effort. To make sure your food doesn’t taste tainted, avoid using any type of charcoal that has the smell of petrol in it.

Carefully choose your fuel

Prepare The Grill

For the meat to cook evenly without becoming too dry or burnt, the grill needs to be hot but not too hot. If you are unable to stand near it due to the heat, then you should not cook on it. Lighting the grill early will allow the flames to die down before you start cooking on it. Check if the charcoal has been burned down and you can see a coat of white ash on the top. You will need to season the meat properly in a way that the meat sticks.

Let the fire die down a little bit before putting on the meat

Select The Right Meat

The meat of course will matter the most when it comes to barbecuing. To understand how to select good meat, you must know the role of collagen in it. Prime cuts are called so as these are usually more tender. This is because these are meats from muscles that do very little work and therefore have less connective tissues and collagen. Cheaper meats will be tougher as they have more connective tissues and collagen. Cook the meat at even and low heat when you are using a lump of collagen-rich meat to make it juicy and tender. It will moisten the meat from the inside. This way you can use cheaper meat cuts and still enjoy the features of a prime cut.

It is important to know your meat before you start grilling

Season It Well

The meat should be dry before you start to season it. You can use a kitchen towel to absorb all moisture from it. Wet meat can give an unpleasant smell and flavour. When seasoning meat, use BBQ Rubs generously to give it a rich flavour. Some readymade seasoning already includes salt so make sure you read the label properly. It is also important to make sure that the meat is at room temperature when you start to season it. Invest time in your marination process so that you can get a rich flavour in the end.  Allow the meat to marinate for a few hours so it can absorb all the flavours.

Seasoning is so important

Use The Space Wisely

By overcrowding the grill you will stop the oxygen from reaching the charcoal. Leave space between the meats that you have laid out so that the oxygen can easily reach the charcoal. The time needed for grilling each meat will depend on the thickness of the meat as well as the type of animal it comes from. When you lay down the meat on the grill, leave it undisturbed for a minute. Turn the meat after every minute so that you can caramelize it evenly on all sides. If the yellow flames seem to be erupting, then move your meat away from them as the fat can catch fire. This can make the meat taste way too smoky.

Don’t overcrowd your grill

Control The Temperature

The temperature must be kept in control at all times. Do not worry about it by holding timers next to it. With practice, you will know how to keep it stable. As you practice, you will know the hot and cool spots and the time it takes for the coal to reach its optimal temperature. The amount of coal you will need and how long it will last are things you will learn over time. When you are using tough meat, push the charcoal on one side and put a lid with the vents open. This will allow the air to pass through it and is known as roasting.

Control the temperature and let your meat rest for about a minute before flipping it over

Let It Rest

As your meat continues to cook in the residual heat, you will need to let it rest. As you put the meat in the smouldering charcoal or wood, make sure you are moving it fairly quickly. Once it looks like it is done, move out the area where the heat is not direct. Leave it there to finish cooking properly and rest. This will let the tissues relax and bring that juiciness and tenderness to the meat.

Add some sides to your meat

Keep Some Sides Ready

While the meat cooks, you can grill some nibbles on the side to munch on. The good thing about a BBQ is that when it comes to sides, the sky’s the limit. Almost everything goes with it. A nice tossed corn salad or potato salad can team up wonderfully with smoky tender meats. These can be nice fibrous raw vegetables served with a good dip. Meanwhile, you can also prepare a dip for your barbecued meat. The store-bought barbeque ketchup is way too sweet and can mask the natural flavour of the meat. You can make some nice homemade dips that can be stored for weeks.

Accompanying your all-time favourite barbeque with some mouth-watering sides can make sure that it is set off on a good note. BBQ is all about having a relaxing time with friends and enjoying the slow cooking process. So put on your chef hats and get ready for the next backyard barbeque with your best foot forward.