Tuffers Top BBQ Tips
One of the most surreal emails I have ever read came through yesterday. Apparently the quality Pork Standards people have set up a site called LovePork (not as kinky as it sounds) where Phil Tuffnell gives us his Tuffers Top Tips on how to cook the perfect piece of pork.
Before we get onto Tuffers Top Tips, LovePork is also searching for the country’s best BBQ-ers to share their barbecue trade secrets for the chance to win a luxury portable BBQ set consisting of a funky bucket BBQ, BBQ King Chef’s hat, apron and glove. There will be one winner each week from the start of the ashes (8 July), right through to the end in August.
The best tips will feature on LovePork.co.uk
Moving on to Tuffers Top Tips - here goes…
- Don’t rush - all BBQ’s need preheating, whatever the type. It helps the meat to cook more evenly and will prevent the burning you get from cooking over high flames. Rule of Thumb: Gas 10mins, Charcoal 30 mins, Disposable 15 mins
- Nice n Slick - Oil the grid lightly to stop the meat sticking
- Stay on the ball - once the meats on the grill let someone else sort the beers
- Keep it cool - Don’t leave raw meat warming in the sun at the side of the barbie! Stick it in a cool bag with ice packs until you are redy for it
- Keep it cleam - have a bowl of soapy water on hand to wash your hands and utensils after handling raw meat
- Check it out - prod sausages and burgers (with seperate prodders mind) before serving them up - up they are cooked the juices will run clear
- Be a pro! If you want to impress your mates and make sure your meat’s cooked to perfection, get yourself a meat thermometer! For medium you are looking for around 70deg in the middle
- And finally… Use your head! Keep raw and cooked meat seperate you numpty!
So there you have it… Tuffers Top Tips for BBQ’ing.
What do you think about Tuffers top tips? Why not post a comment below…
brush pork lightly with reggae reggae sauce, never lets you down, a treat for evry one.
Using a water spray is a cool way of keeping the flames down. But filling it with Apple juice [or orange, or whatever takes your fancy] keeps the flames down and gives a great glaze to your pork.
Leave wooden skewers to soak in water until you need them. Stops them from burning
Use a water sprayer to keep the flames down, cook with the heat, not the flames.
Water sprayer can also be used to fend off other males wanting to invade the alpha male’s BBQing.
(Did you know, men only BBQ because its a form of cooking which leaves one hand empty for a beer!)
Dont forget the veggies! nothing wose than a huge pile of burgers and sausages when you don’t like/want them!
If you are marinading meat, keep some aside to brush onto the meat when cooking - this will keep the meat moist.
Always make sure the beer’s cold before you start!
make sure the coals are nice and grey and pour some beer onto coals gives meat a luuuverly flavour !!
Use aluminum foil. Make tiny holes in a piece of foil and place it on the grill underneath your meat. The holes let the fat drip down, and the foil reduces the amount of smoke the billows back up. Wrapping the meat completely with perforated foil is an even better idea
When BBQing Sausages I always glaze them with apple sauce before putting them on the bbq. It gives them a really yummy sticky sweet taste when cooked.
Use Pork tenderloin, sliced to make pork kebabs. Slice of meat folowed by onion, pepper, courgette, then repeat. You can marinate the tenderloin. Prepare a bulk load of kebabs marinated, wrap with cling film and freeze. The marinate will have plenty of time to infuse when the meat defrosts.
Have a back up plan for food in case it all goes horribly wrong!
PART COOK EVERY THING IN YOUR OVEN BEFOREHAND TO SAVE TIME
Honey on ribs is what I usually do. Leave meat to marinate overnight, so it has flavour. With lamb, use balsamic vinegar, mint, garlic, lemon juice, a little sugar, and olive oil to top, and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
If its a BBQ for lots of people and your cooking for a long time keep a tee shirt on or you get a very warm, red tummy. my dear husband has done it and didnt have the tee shirt
veggies love bbqs as well, spare tongs and fork make it much nicer
My best bar-b-que tip….Never try to clean your motorcycle chain by boiling it in oil on the bar-b-que. A friend of mine tried this and when it caught fire, he tried dousing the flames with water. The resulting fireball was seen from 3 gardens away. He was left with no facial hair at all!!
Don’t forget to grill haloumi cheese and veggies brushed with some olive oil and herbs, these two will compliment all the meat being cooked on the barbie.
Remember that if you have spicy marinades on your meat they can be rather strong flavours so remember to have an accompaniment that compliments the meat. I find a great cooling sauce is mixing natural yoghurt, mint, chilli powder, paprika and garlic.
Make sure all your meat is thoroughly defrosted as you will end up with burnt on the outside before the inside is cooked and, in the case of chicken, a case of food poisening.
I marinate Quorn with lemon, tandoori paste and yogurt and the BBQ and bbq a roti or Chapati, I do the same for my husband with chicken, it’s really tasty and much healthier than a takeaway
Never ever boil ribs first. Everyone always tells you that and effectively you’re making a pork broth, taking out all the flavour from the ribs!!
What you really want to do is sort of roast the meat. BBQ is a low heat method of roasting, and by dry roasting will concentrate the great flavors of the meat. Grill them slowly and lowly!
Don’t keep piercing the meat on the BBQ - all the juices will run out!!!
I love marinating pork overnight in apple juice before bbq-ing - makes it sooo tender!
After you have BBQed your pork chops use the tasty sauce:
On the hob use 2 tablespoons of blackcurrant jam with 3 teaspoons on cider vinegar, have this over your chop with some fresh new potatoes it’s gourmet food! and really cheap
the best way to have pork is to make pork and apple stuffing kebabs,
just maranate the pork in 1/2pint of cider with 2tablespoons of honey for at least a hour {over night is better for flaver}make suffing as per the pkt and leave to cool
when ready for the bbq slice 4 apples and 4onions both cut into quaters {cut out core} and then roll stuffing in to balls ,
then arrange on a skewer {if using wooden ones the soak in water a hour befor hand to stop it burning}
then arange pork apple stuffin and onion on the skewer{you can also add mushrooms or peppers}
then bbq for 15/20 mins turning often,
theses are yummy yummy
forgot to say brush the honey mix while cooking
Rub your pork with some garlic infused oil beforehand
If you tie a bunch of herbs such as rosemary, sage, mint, on the outside of your BBQ as it warms up it gives off a lovely aroma.
Put some sweet potatoes wrapped in foil in the coals while you are cooking your pork - they go really well with pork ribs and gammon and only take about 20 to 30 minutes.
Be adventureous! Don’t forget to experiment! We often do Pork chops cubed with aubergine, courgette, pepper chuks, onions on soaked skewers, we alternate between, honey, mustard with cheese marinade to sweet chilli marinade!!!
We accompany with some stuffed chiili pork rice peppers which are finished off on the barbie!
When making homemade burgers after you have added all the ingredients before making them into patties mix it all up with lots of tomato Sauce to hold them together,the taste is awesome!Make sure you use minced pork!