Are you longing for a tasty aromatic barbecue with friends to celebrate the end of summer?
We’ve got barbecue tips and marinade recipes that began with Jamaica’s Arawak Indians and a pimento lattice 2500 years ago and famously evolved into Jerk courtesy of the Maroons in the island’s Blue Mountains. A succulent barbecue composed of vegetables, meat and fish is simple just remember: delicious marinades, good grilling techniques and having the kitchen to hand.
Marinade your Food
- Prep ingredients by removing excess fat on meat, seasoning and marinating or drying rubbing seasoning which will help to improve their taste and counter flare-ups which can make food taste bitter and carcinogenic.
- Plunge wooden skewers into cold water and freeze them to make late kebab making easy.
- Cut vegetables into wide, thin slices to maximise their surface area for fast cooking and enticing grill marks.
Medium Heat Grill
- Start your barbecue with a clean oiled grill that is on flat, stable ground to ensure an even cooking heat which counters food from sticking.
- Always build a bigger fire than think you’ll need so that you have plenty of extra heat for barbecue ‘gifts’, however leave an unheated space under the grill where you can place cooked foods or move something that is cooking too fast.
- Lump charcoal is not only easier to burn, it is hotter and produces the least ash whilst containing none of the additives that briquettes contain. The charcoal is ready and a perfect medium heat when it has a red glow and two-thirds are covered in ash, and you can hold your hand 7 cm above the bill for 5 seconds.
2 Heat Zones
- Move your charcoal to diffuse the heat and give 2 heat zones to barbecue with by piling your charcoal into one half of the grilling area to give two heat zones: direct – where you can barbecue on top of the heat source, indirect – the other cooler side part of the grill.
Sear and Sauce
- To sear the food make sure you keep it static and uncovered and do not brush on a sauce until a few minutes before the end of cooking to create a colourful tasty glaze whose sweetness doesn’t burn.
Tools
- Healthy grilling means no smoke and not charring meat don’t puncture it with a fork use tongs instead to turn meat over.
Perfect Barbecue Fish
Choose a hearty fish that takes well to grilling like Snapper, Tuna or Mahi Mahi. Generously rub olive oil into the skin and then cook quickly on the ‘direct heat’. To test if the fish is done, insert a metal skewer into the thickest part of the body of your fish it should meet no resistance and come out warm.
Perfect Barbecue Chicken
Everyone is agreed that chicken is the hardest thing to barbecue, the skin often burning before the meat is cooked through, here’s our barbecue tips to guarantee crisp golden chicken. Start all parts of your chicken on your direct heat, skin side down to crisp. Move drumsticks, breasts, and thighs onto your ‘indirect heat’ to cook through positioning the thicker ends closer to the ‘direct heat’ zone. If the fire flares up remove chicken until flames subside. Never marinate your raw chicken in a barbecue sauce, brush it on when your chicken has almost finished cooking so that it doesn’t burn. When done, each piece’s juices should run clear when the meat is pierced.
Perfect Barbecue Steak
Brush some olive oil onto the side of the steak that you will lay flat on the grill and sprinkle a little salt on the upper side after you have placed them on direct heat. Do not move the steak whilst it cooks as it will keep it from searing. Once the salt crystals start to melt turn the steak over. Thicker steaks will need to finish on indirect ‘heat’ Start steaks on direct heat. Some thicker ones finish on indirect heat. You’ll be able to tell if the steak is ready by pressing a clean finger into the middle of the steak, if it feels soft and mushy it is very rare, slightly springy and firm it is medium rate, if it is very firm it is well done or overcooked! Always slice steaks against the grain.
Perfect Pork Chops
We suggest barbecuing bone-in pork rib chops that have a little more fat to add flavour and moistness to what can otherwise end up a very dry meat to barbecue.. Brining the meat is additional work but can help. Grill pork chops over direct heat.When the pork chops are done, the exteriors should be lightly golden with hatch marks. The interiors should be juicy and just barely pink.
Marinade Recipes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped scotch bonnet pepper
- Combine all ingredients until mixed well.
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp chopped spring onion
- 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Combine all ingredients until mixed well.
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chopped chilli pepper
- Combine all ingredients until mixed well.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Combine all ingredients until mixed well.
- Makes about 180ml
- 6 spring onions
- 1-3 scotch bonnet peppers (use 1 pepper if you don’t want it seriously hot!)
- 2 tsp allspice berries or 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or ½ tbsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup cane vinegar or distilled (white malt vinegar
- 1 tbsp oil
- The traditional method is to crudely mash all the ingredients up with a mortar and pestle and use to marinate the meat,
- Discarde any large bits of spring onion, etc, before cooking.
- To make it easier you can use a blender or food processor to reduce all the ingredients to a thick paste.
- 3 large lemons
- ¼ cup/60 ml fresh rosemary (2 tablespoons dried rosemary)
- ¼ cup/60 ml olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons/10 ml salt
- ½ teaspoon/2.5 ml white pepper
- Cut lemons in half and squeeze out the juice into a non metal bowl.
- Add in remaining ingredients, mix well.
- Marinate chicken or pork for 1-2 hours in mixture.
- • 1 cup/240 mL crushed pineapple
- ¼ cup/60 mL soy sauce
- 2 tblsp /? mL honey
- ¼ cup/60 mL cider vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper deseeed and finely chopped/minced
- 1 teaspoon/5 mL grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon/2.5 mL powdered cloves
- Mix all ingredients together and use immediately or store in airtight container for up to 7 days.
- • 2 cups/475 mL dry red wine
- • ½ cup/120 ml olive oil
- 1tblsp/? mL soy sauce
- 4 scallions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon/15 ml brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon/15 ml Worcester Sauce
- 1 teaspoon/5 ml fresh ginger, grated
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- Let boil for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool.
- May be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
- ⅓ cup/80 mL orange marmalade
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup/60 mL white rum (genesis or similar, or Scotch bonnet rum for a kick)
- 1 tablespoon/15 mL olive oil
- 1 tablespoon/15 mL cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon/5 mL Worcester Sauce
- ½ teaspoon/2.5 mL soy sauce
- Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- Simmer on low heat until marmalade has thinned and all ingredients are combined.
- Allow to cool completely before using as a marinade.
- ¼ cup/60 ml olive oil
- ¼ cup/60 mL white wine
- 2 tablespoons/30 mL fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon/15 ml fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon/15 mL fresh rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons/10 mL lemon rind
- Combine all ingredients until mixed well.
- Use right away or place in airtight container and store in fridge.
- • 1⁄4cup cider vinegar
- • 3tablespoons whole grain mustard
- • ⅟4 cup tomato sauce
- • 3cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper deseeded and minced
- 1lime, juiced
- 1⁄2lemon, juiced
- 1⁄2cup brown sugar
- 1 1⁄2teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- ground black pepper
- In a large, non-reactive container, whisk together ingredients beginning with cider vinegar through Salt then whisk in olive oil and pepper.
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