BBQ Advice

thegoth

Hi All,

Myself and my girlfriend are having a bbq in a few weeks. Both of us are useless at cooking. I was wondering what should we cook ? What sort of salad should we have? Is there somewhere we could buy the salad makeup already ?

We really have not a clue about these things. All suggestions more than welcome.

Oirthir

What you cook depends on who's coming, but you can't get more simple than well made burgers from your butcher.

If you're REALLY bad at cooking, i'd avoid chicken, you're up sh1t creek if you undercook it.

In terms of salad, you can get them pre-made in most places, but I can't speak to the quality. If you just buy some prepacked stuff, then a few pre made vinagrettes, you'd do well to fook up.

Also, for the carbs, you can do baked spuds or baby potatoes, check the recipe board for suggestions of how to cook them.

Bluefoam

Go to superquinn, get beef burgers, sausage burgers, fat sausages, some marniaded chicken, some wings, and some ribs, no need for expensive meat if you arecrap at cooking. Also prepare some pasta dishes, easy to prepare and can be served cold... remember some light snacks for later on & sausages always go faster than you think, also sauces. Once people have a couple of drinks they will stuff their faces with anything.

Just remember when cooking, not to burn everything, put it on a slightly lower heat and cook it a little longer.

BTW. keep a bucket of ice beer near the BBQ as you are likely to be standing at it for a long time...

Mr Magnolia

One option to avoid food poisining is to cook the food in the oven as per guidelines on packet, then stick it on the bbq for 5-10mins to add the flavour.

Sausages and the like you can cook out on the bbq, if they're cooking too quick raise the grill from the heat to cook slower. I'd be proficient enough on the bbq but I wouldn't cook chicken with out using the oven for part of the process.

Don't try and cook everything at once, cook the food then keep it warm in the oven

Do a search here and you might find some ideas

olaola

My personal faves are - fillet steak in a roll and chicken thighs/shoulders.

The fillet is easy to cook - and you don't need a knife to eat it. Just lash it in a bread roll with some chopped tomatoes.
Pre-cook the chicken in the oven & lash it on the BBQ for a bit'o-flavour.

FOGOFUNK

few things,

when cooking the meat,DONT squeeze the juice out of the meat with spatula! nearly everybody does this but it makes no sense!! the juices give most of the flavour!

If your doing sausages, boil them beforehand till they split, then put them in marinade, then put them on the grill to give them the flavour. This elimnates the chances of food poisoning.

If your set on doing chicken make sure to cook it on middle heat for long time +45 mins to be sure, then cut through the middle to make sure its cooked!

have a good time!

watna

The best bbq food I ever made was my own burgers. Add some herbs (parsley/rosemary whatever you like best) to mince meat... add an egg and some american bbq seasoning (you can buy it in the supermarkets) Make the mince into a burger shape and in the centre of each burger... (inside the meat) add a cube of cheese. The cheese then cooks inside the burger as you bbq it. mmmm! I also reccommend the jumbo sausages from superquinn, they are amazing. Drool!

Potato salad is also great to make because it's a salad and carbohydrate in one. Just add lots of mayo to boiled potatoes, scallions and salt and pepper. My bf puts eggs in potato salad too but i wouldn't reccommend it! The one you make yourself is far nicer than any you'd buy.

The Hill Billy

Get a sheet of "baby-back" pork (not bacon) ribs from your butcher.
Put in a large pot of water, bring to the boil & simmer for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, mix 2 dessert spoons of marmalade, 2 or 3 finely chopped chillis, 3cm ginger finely chopped, few dashes of soy sauce (preferably dark), few dashes of chilli sauce (eg, Tabasco).

Lightly score the flesh on the cooked ribs & rub the marinade in well. Cover in cling film & refrigerate for a couple of hours.

BBQ for 3-4 mins on each side.



Note: Cooking times are for baby-back ribs. For spare ribs, double the cooking times just to be on the safe side.