Our 7 tips to know for sure successful barbecue grilling!

57473 Views 30/04/2023 0 comments Posted By: Emmanuel Poulet-Harmel In: Blog of gourmets

 With the return of sunny days, the barbecue is out !
 This quick cooking method, which gives a delicious taste of embers to food, is however not suitable for all products... Before you improvise master grilling, follow our precious advice.

 A good barbecue in the garden, and it almost feels like summer already... But beware, among the meats, fish, sausages and vegetables that we like to put over the embers, not all are not suitable for cooking on the barbecue...

 Meats: avoid veal, chicken, ground beef
All slightly fatty meats go relatively well on the barbecue. With a few exceptions, however: Veal, like flank steak or tenderloin, prefers gentle cooking, otherwise it dries out.
Chicken also tends to become dry and rubbery. To cook a good chicken, you have to baste it regularly with cooking juices, which is impossible with the barbecue. Also avoid burgers, which will fall apart, and thick cuts, which will burn on top without cooking inside.

 Choose your fish wisely or cook it whole
In general, we do not recommend the barbecue for fish. Except for tuna, mackerel or swordfish steaks, this cooking method is much too aggressive for fish whose flesh is delicate.
A salmon fillet will not only dry out but also crumble into pieces. On the other hand, it is possible to barbecue a whole fish with the skin and scales, as is the tradition in the islands or in Africa. In this case it will have to be prepared once cooked, which is a bit tedious.

 Sausages: to prick them or not ?
Sausages may be the stars of the barbecue, but not all of them are suitable for this method of cooking. It's good for the sausages, , the chipolatas Or Toulouse sausage. But not for snack-type sausages, which largely prefer to be boiled in water...

Should they be bitten or not ?
No: This removes all the grease that will ooze on the embers and risk triggering a fire or projections. Moreover, they will shrink. Others recommend on the contrary to pierce the skin to prevent the risk of bursting.

 The Skewers Paradox
Another barbecue classic, skewers are not easy to cook evenly, especially if they include very different ingredients, such as vegetables and meat. It is physically impossible to achieve satisfactory cooking for everyone. By the time the pieces of beef are well grilled, the tomatoes and onions will have completely burnt !

 The pizza, especially not !
Pizza must be baked in an oven, period. The barbecue only heats from below, which means that the ingredients on top will remain raw while the dough will completely dry out. Unlike the oven, the heat will escape into the air without properly cooking the ingredients and the dough will lose its softness and moisture. No good melted cheese and melting tomatoes... In addition, the dough of a fresh pizza placed directly on the grill will tend to "stick".

 Vegetables: pre-cook them before putting them on the grill
As with meat, not all vegetables are suitable for barbecue cooking. In general, favor those that are rich in water, such as vegetables for ratatouille (tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini). But even in this case, the barbecue will only be used to give a nice grilled mark to the slices: they will therefore first have to be pre-cooked in a pan or in the oven.
Forget potatoes, carrots and root vegetables that require long cooking times. Be careful with vegetables marinated in oil, which may produce projections when it runs over the embers.

 Tip for gentle cooking
To prevent fragile products from burning, you can cook en papillote, for example by wrapping the fish in aluminum foil. For skewers, an aluminum foil placed on the grill will also allow the food to cook more evenly. This of course takes away a bit of the flavor but it is also healthier.