Barbecue tips from meat masters
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Kintore based Royal Warrant holding butcher Donald Russell has partnered with barbequing guru, Christian Stevenson AKA DJ BBQ to share his top tips, hacks, recipes and for the ultimate lockdown BBQ.
From tips on how to grill steaks and making your own marinade to finding the perfect BBQ-themed playlist, DJ BBQ is here to show you how to host this summer.
Your guide to hosting the ultimate lockdown bbq:
Set your grill up for goof proof cooking, leaving a ‘safe zone’ on the grill.
The easiest way to set up your grill is the half and half technique by putting charcoal on one side and no charcoal on the other.
By doing this, you can get a good charred colour on your food over the direct heat, but if the heat and flames are too intense, you can move your food to the more indirect side.
This is also a great way to ensure that your meat is cooked all the way through.
Putting the lid on your cooker turns your outdoor grill into an outdoor oven. Great for cooking chicken.
Before grilling steaks, make sure you take the meat out of the fridge for at least half an hour beforehand so it can get to room temperature.
Steaks are a muscle and need to relax to be nicely tender and juicy – so make sure you don’t shock a cold steak with hot heat.
However, make sure you leave burgers and sausages in the fridge until used, so they retain structure!
Don’t use chemicals to clean your grill – elbow grease and a little acid work best.
Get a wire brush and fire up some coals underneath your grill to make it easier to clean before rubbing half an onion or lemon onto the grill and working the brush to clean it.
To create deep, intense and flavorful grilled food, use seasoned fruit woods when grilling or smoking.
You can also make fresh charcoal to add more flavour to your food by cooking the wood down and then grilling over the coals.
The best woods to use are wild cherry, birch, orange, beech, and sweet chestnut.
Avoid elderflower or pine wood as they let off an acrid smoke, but most importantly use what’s local – there’s no need to import seasoned woods.
Make your own rubs and marinades.
The classic rub contains five main ingredients: sea salt, cracked pepper, onion granules, garlic granules, and brown sugar. Or get adventurous and add dry herbs to the rub, such as oregano, coriander, cumin, chilli powder, or paprika.
Always add BBQ sauce near the end of the cook, because it contains sugar and when sugar hits the heat it can burn easily.
The best lockdown bbq tips…
Virtually together
Synchronise your cooking with friends and loved ones who can’t join on the day and host your BBQ over a video call.
Perhaps choose different cuts of meat and flavoured sausages and burgers, such as Donald Russell’s delicious new steak, bacon and cheese burgers or chipotle and cheese pork sausages and run your own BBQ taste test over video.
You can do it indoors
No outdoor space? No problem.
Become an indoor grilling expert and use your oven and grill pan to create tantalisingly chargrilled food.
Whilst you may not be able to replicate the exact same BBQ charcoal taste, you can pre-heat a cast iron grill pan over the hob to get a nice searing on the meat’s surface and create great-looking grill marks - a technique that adds a real professional look to steaks!
Make a meal of it…
Create a theme for your BBQ and choose music, drinks, and tableware to suit the occasion.
For example, throw a Spanish fiesta – create different Basque-style rubs for your meat and enjoy your meal with a jug of Sangria!
If music is the centrepiece, try one of Spotify’s ‘Summer BBQ’ playlists for inspiration…
Make the meat the main event
For a lockdown lunch to remember, choose quality cuts of meat from a butcher, and experiment with something you haven’t tried before, as almost 72 per cent Brits said they were keen to do in a recent Donald Russell survey.
Aside from supplying a range of classic DJ BBQ recommended steaks, burgers and grilling joints, Donald Russell are there to advise on what might stretch the norm in an exciting way.
Be inclusive and help others in need
Donald Russell has also teamed up with the UK’s largest food redistribution network and food aid charity, FareShare to launch a new FareShare BBQ Selection Box for only £40, available until May 31.
Ideal for barbequing and packed full of premium-quality hand cut steaks, sausages and burgers, the new charity box will feed 20 people, and give £5 back to the cause from every box sold.
If you’re still looking for BBQ inspiration, DJ BBQ has also created two bespoke recipes using quality meat produce from Donald Russell’s craft butchery.
To find out more, visit www.donaldrussell.com/djbbq or @donaldrussellbutchers.
