General BBQ Tips
Use Jean-Christophe Novelli's top barbecue tips to get the most out of your summer weekend.
- Remember to clean your grill before you start to make sure the natural flavours from the meats and marinades come through to perfection.
- Let meat reach room temperature before beginning to cook to ensure they are in the best condition for the barbecue.
- Pre-heat your barbecue before you start to cook. The grill should be hot as the meat hits the barbecue.
- Be patient, if using a charcoal barbecue, wait until the coals are white and glowing, rather than on fire before you begin cooking. If the coals are still burning, your food will too.
- Cook any vegetarian dishes first to make sure they dont interact with any juice from your meat or poultry or leave an area of the grill exclusively for vegetarian food.
- Wash meat before cooking it to clean and remove any outside odours; this will also help pick up the seasoning you apply.
- Where possible, marinate your meat a few hours before you cook to allow time for the flavours to sink in to the meat itself. Preferably allow 24 hours for the marinade to sink in.
- When cooking, dont be tempted to turn the joints continually. Unless the recipe specifies, it will cook just as well if turning once and you run less risk of damaging the joint.
- When cooking chicken, rub some light olive oil over its skin to prevent it from drying out.
- Fat shrinks when cooking, causing some meat to curl. Prevent this by trimming excess fat off with a knife.
- Don't be tempted to use knives or forks when cooking your food. The meat will lose its natural juices and flavour if pierced and will begin to dry. Use tongs and spatulas to turn the meat to check how well cooked it is.
- Cook steaks and pork joints over a medium heat to prevent burning; cut off any charred areas of your meat and discard.
- Prepare some ice buckets to fill with Carlsberg, Carlsberg Export and Carlsberg Edge. That way your guests can enjoy a refreshing lager without having to go to the fridge.
- Keep some ice water on hand to make sure your guests stay hydrated throughout the afternoon.
- Grill some vegetables to accompany your barbecue. Cut up your vegetables and lightly coat these with a light olive oil to protect from burning. Then sprinkle with your favourite seasonings such as rosemary, garlic or pepper.
- Fillet steaks are thicker than sirloin or rump and need an extra 1 or 2 minutes on the grill.
- Learn to judge how well cooked your steaks are by touch. A well done steak will be firm to touch whereas a raw steak will feel soft to the touch. Check out our table below to see how long your meat should cook for.
- For the perfect burger, heat first in a pan or on a flat griddle and then transfer to the grill to finish.
- There is no need to spend hours planning what music to have on during your Barbie simply tune into Virgin radio for perfect bbq tunes all afternoon and evening.
- Use a jam jar to mix your marinade.
- Put meat into a plastic bag, pour in the marinade, seal it and then leave in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
Why not try some marinades and recipes from Jean-Christophe Novelli.
“If Carlsberg did. . .
Diets. . .
they would probably be the best in the world”
because you could eat what you want, drink what you want, sit down all day and still lose 2 stone!
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