Barbecue Food Hacks to Try
The days are getting longer and the weather ever so warmer, so you know what that means: barbecuing season is almost upon us! Ah, we can almost smell the charcoal smoke in the air already.
We don’t know about you, but our favourite thing about summer is hosting or attending a barbecue. If you have a grill of your own in your back garden, then it’s time to break it out and put it to good use.
Try these barbecue food hacks to make your grilling a breeze this summer. Read on!
Soak Your Skewers
Perhaps you, like so many others, love a good meat or veg kebab cooked over the grill. However, you might be a bit dismayed to find that your wooden skewers are burning, drying out, smoking or even catching on fire long before the kebabs are ready to be taken off the grill.
To avoid getting charred and blackened skewers, soak your wooden skewers for about an hour before you place them on the grill. Put them in a jar or tray filled with water so they’re fully submerged. This can add some moisture to the skewers to avoid them going up in flames on the grill.
Spiral Cut Your Sausages
Here’s a neat barbecue food hack that also doubles as a fun party trick. For perfectly cooked hot dogs that look extra cool, cut a spiral into your sausages. Not only will this help the sausages cook more evenly on the grill, but the spiral cuts serve as the perfect condiment holders. Plus, there’s just something fun about eating a spiral cut hot dog, isn’t there? Proceed with caution, though, if you do this – and while barbecuing in general.
Split Up Your Coal
To control the heat on your grill, you can divide up your coals into two halves: one half can be heaped high with coals, to the point that they’re nearly touching the grill rack, and the other half has just a small one-high layer of coals. The side with more coals will cook your food at higher temperatures while the side with less coals does so at lower temperatures. With this barbecue food hack, you can say goodbye to overcooked meats and veg.
Serve Condiments in a Muffin Tin
This isn’t as much a food hack as it is a condiment hack, but we love the idea of using a muffin tin to hold all your toppings and condiments. This is especially useful if you’re hosting a barbecue party with quite a lot of guests, as a muffin tin helps keep everything organised. A muffin tin filled with condiments and toppings makes a great addition to a hot dog or burger station at your barbecue.
Make a Dent in the Centre of your Burgers
When making your own burgers, you might be disappointed when you throw them on the grill in perfectly flattened shapes, only for them to turn out ball- shaped or badly misshapen when they finish cooking. Sure, they’re edible, but they may not be cooked evenly.
To avoid this issue, use your thumb or finger to press a dent in the centre of your burgers after you’ve shaped them. This dent will help your burgers cook perfectly and avoid that dreaded puffy shape.
Did you enjoy these tips? We hope so. Happy barbecuing!
Until next time…