Monday, March 2, 2009

7 Ways to Make Your BBQ a Success

By Saun David

Barbequing brings to mind sunny days, savory aromas and great food. An outdoor barbeque is the perfect way to enjoy the nice weather while preparing fine food. In some areas, you can only enjoy this pastime for a few months of the year. So make the most of it with these great BBQ tips.

1. Start by selecting the right kind of BBQ grill for your needs. There are charcoal and electric grills, as well as those that use either propane or natural gas. You can buy barbeques in a variety of sizes, some of them portable and others permanently installed. You can get all sorts of extras like side burners, drip pans that can be removed for easy cleaning, and built in thermometers. A smoker is best for tougher cuts of meats that require a long period of cooking at low temperatures.

2. Enhance your enjoyment by learning more about BBQ rubs, sauces and woods. These are all great ways to improve the taste of your food, no matter what it is you're cooking.

3. Get the right barbeque tools that will make your job a pleasure. The right kind of spatula can make flipping a burger seem effortless. To measure internal meat temperature, a good quality BBQ thermometer is a must.

4. Now consider how your food should be prepared for best results. There are two styles of BBQ, slow cooking or grilling, which is faster. Slow cooking in a smoker is best for cuts such as brisket. Slow cooking a hamburger will be a disaster. The cooking style should suit the ingredients.

5. Don't ruin your outdoor cookout with poor safety habits. For starters, there's a lot of heat coming from your BBQ and you can easily get burned. However, it's also possible to sustain an injury from your barbeque tools. Stay alert and keep a firm grip on your tools so you don't ruin your good time.

6. Insects are an annoyance that can get in the way of enjoying your BBQ. There are some easy solutions for keeping bugs away while you're cooking. Keep a garden hose handy to spray them away. A hair dryer is also useful for chasing them off. Even a simple fly swatter can keep bugs from ruining your party. Don't use bug spray in the area where you're grilling. You don't want all those chemicals mixing with your food.

7. Having the right tools available for cleanup will make the job easier and motivate you to actually do it. Oven cleaner is very useful for cleaning up a messy grill. There are also barbeques that have easy clean features. If you clean your grill after each use, your food will taste better.

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