Barbecues seem to have a primeval appeal for men, yet many women of my acquaintance dread the onset of summer and the burnt offerings that they are forced to endure, while appeasing the caveman in their partners. Design and Interiors editor Harjit Gammon investigates how to produce edible results while allowing the hunter gatherer in your male the satisfaction of not only catching the food (a trip to the supermarket) but then cooking it to rapturous applause. Leaving you free to enjoy the results of his endeavours
The pleasure of eating food outside is undoubtedly heightened by the heat of the fire and the smell of food sizzling on it. Seeing the embers dance and the charcoal glow is for many a quintessential part of summer, our all too often brief escape outdoors in the English climate. Barbecue aficionados will tell you that you can cook anything from roast duck to bananas with melted chocolate, breakfast to a full three course meal. This versatility has an obvious charm if you are seeking to have a long, languid summer where food preparation is as much a part of the experience as the long lingering meals themselves.
Equipping your Outdoor Kitchen
First it was the swimming pool and then it was the hot tub; now it seems the latest must-have is the outdoor kitchen. Really enthusiastic barbecuers quickly work out that having more than one type of barbecue - one gas, one for briquettes - means you can slow cook roasts on the charcoal barbecue, while the gas version fosters spontaneity - no waiting around for coals to heat up. A gas barbecue also makes it fast, easy and more economic to barbecue small portions. If you are having a party the briquette version can be used for the slow cooking while you do the potatoes, vegetables and even an entrée on the gas one. A large grill area on one of the barbecues means you can prepare many things at the same time. This way everyone gets to join in the fun, instead of one person labouring over the stove in the kitchen.
Barbecuing on the go
Smaller models are portable, so you can take them to the beach or camping. If you buy one with a lid it can protect food from wind and flying sand and water. Choose a gas operated model and it has the added benefit of being easy to light and you don’t have to lug around briquettes and lighter cubes. And as if that were not enough, you save around 25-30 minutes in waiting time. To add a little jollity to a beach side picnic or camping supper portable barbecues are available in a range of bright and subdued colours and styles.
Weber Barbecues
Weber barbecues are widely acknowledged to be the Rolls Royce of barbecues. Heralding from Chicago, the Weber BBQ was born one summer’s day in 1952, the brain child of George Stephen, the inventor of the kettle barbecue. A keen barbecuer, he wanted something which would allow him to control the temperature, tame the ash and flames, and capture the distinctive barbecue taste.
Although greeted with laughter initially, his weird contraption – made from cutting a harbour buoy in two and adding legs and a handle - soon convinced people when they tasted the food. Requests for similar barbecues poured in from his friends and family. The news quickly spread and he was soon selling to many stores in Chicago, in spite of being much more expensive than the alternatives available. An open barbecue cost around seven dollars in the early 1950s, and George sold his for almost 50 dollars. The rest, as they say, is history. George bought the Weber Brothers Metalworks where he had originally conceived the idea and renamed it Weber Stephen Products Company. During the 1960s and 1970s it became a nationwide sensation, available in stores all over the USA. George’s travelling demonstrations and recipes started a BBQ revolution, creating the modern BBQ culture the USA is renowned for, and which has firmly entrenched itself in the British male psyche. Today Weber is an American icon renowned the world over.
So it had to be a Weber for me. The One ‘Touch’ Gold to be exact. The fact that Lambs has the largest stock of barbecues, including Weber and Beefeater (an Australian brand) for 23 miles was even better. I love the sight of glowing coals and a challenge (mastering the art of lighting a barbecue), so a charcoal model was high on my list of must haves. But because the ash has to be emptied I wanted one with an easily emptied ash tray. And being an aesthete it had to sit harmoniously in my garden, so sage was my colour of choice. The porcelain enamelling of the lid and bowl not only gives a great finish and depth to the colour, but means that together with the sturdy design it will maintain its shape perfectly, ensuring that the lid and bowl seal properly even after a decade of use, I’m assured. The added advantage of this sturdiness is that there is no need to drag the barbecue in during the wet and winter months – terrific, significant factor on my big bore list. Now, if we feel like it, we shall be able to enjoy roasting chestnuts in the autumn as we rake leaves or even a barbecue on a snowy winter’s day as we warm ourselves at this fireplace outdoors. Idyllic. I could become a barbecue bore; robot welds, rustproof aluminium vents, triple plated grates... I’m definitely warming to the subject. The males in my company may have to fight me to it.
I quickly discover that there are different techniques for cooking on a barbecue (listen up boys). Being able to cook pizza on the barbecue particularly caught my eye.
Direct Cooking Method
• Ideal for small pieces of meat, E.g. Chicken fillets, steaks, burgers
• Spread briquettes evenly across grate once glowing and covered by light grey ash
• Keep lid on to keep in the steam. Result juicier, tender and tasty meat
Indirect Cooking Method
• Perfect for large joints, whole chickens
• When the briquettes are hot place equal amounts either side of the grate
• Place a drip tray in the middle to collect juices. Place food on grill directly above
• Put lid on barbecue, for fan oven effect. Air humidity results in a juicer, tastier result
50-50 Cooking Method
• Best for food which needs to be browned, before cooking for a long time to cook through e.g. chicken drumsticks
• Place hot coals on one side of grate and a drip tray with some liquid in it as before, on the other side
• Start by browning meat. Then move to other side to finish cooking indirectly. Meanwhile cook vegetables of your choice, e.g. Peppers, potatoes, corn on the cob, over the hot coals
Circular Cooking Method
• Ideal for really large joints, whole turkeys and pizza
• Arrange coals all round the grate
• Place drip tray in middle. Add a little liquid to the tray to stop the meat juices from burning and giving the meat a burnt sooty taste
• Place food on the grill rack directly above drip tray
SOURCING THE KIT
Lambs St Peter’s Street, Stamford. 01780 763250
Vast range of charcoal, gas &electric Weber and Beefeater barbecues. Also charcoal from local sustainable source. Great knowledgeable service.
John Lewis Queensgate Centre, Peterborough. 01733 344644 www.JohnLewis.com
Barbecues and picnic ware.