Don’t Cook The Trees – Barbecue Safety

My first experience of a barbecue was as a seventeen year old at a friend's
house. His farther, Douglas, was an expert at barbecuing, with many years
experience, we thought! It was a hot summers day but with a light breeze, so Douglas, with all that experience, decided to erect a cardboard frame about one foot high around three sides of the barbecue. The barbecue grill itself, which was fuelled with charcoal, was positioned next to, and underneath, some trees in the back garden. Not having seen a barbecue being lit before I was keen to watch, and moved in closer. Douglas placed the firelighters in the grate, set fire to them and arranged the charcoal in a pyramid over them. A number of years later I found out that this was the classic way to light a barbecue. Now, Douglas, in an attempt to speed up the process uncovered his secret weapon and enthusiastically said "Lighter fuel, this will have the barbecue going in seconds!" With the poise of a highly trained swordsman, Douglas sent a jet of lighter fuel through the air and across the whole length of the barbecue. Douglas was right! The barbecue erupted into flame. I was very impressed. Unfortunately, seconds later so did the cardboard frame and then the surrounding trees! Luckily there were enough of us there to safely put out the flames and to carry on with the barbecue.

A few years later I began barbecuing for myself and always remembered Douglas and his flaming trees. Apart from not erecting a cardboard frame around your barbecue and keeping it well away from trees, there are some simple rules to follow to ensure that you start your charcoal barbecue in safety.

If you're setting up a barbecue for the first time, read the instructions carefully first.

Carefully choose where to set-up your barbecue. Make sure that it's on level ground and don't try to move it once it's lit.

Don't attempt to start your barbecue in very high winds. Not even with a cardboard frame!

Don't try to barbecue indoors. I know people that have tried to barbecue in a shed and in a garage! Extremely dangerous.

Use proper firelighters to start your barbecue. They're better than rolled up paper and won't fly away in the wind.

Only ever use purpose-made firelighters and fuel on your barbecue. Never use petrol, white spirit, or paraffin. Not only is it extremely dangerous but it also taints the flavour of the food.

Everyone loves a barbecue but don't forget that the grill gets extremely hot. Follow the rules above and keep safety in mind. You'll experience a great barbecue, your guests will have lots fun and you'll enjoy yourself.
house. His farther, Douglas, was an expert at barbecuing, with many years
experience, we thought! It was a hot summers day but with a light breeze, so Douglas, with all that experience, decided to erect a cardboard frame about one foot high around three sides of the barbecue. The barbecue grill itself, which was fuelled with charcoal, was positioned next to, and underneath, some trees in the back garden. Not having seen a barbecue being lit before I was keen to watch, and moved in closer. Douglas placed the firelighters in the grate, set fire to them and arranged the charcoal in a pyramid over them. A number of years later I found out that this was the classic way to light a barbecue. Now, Douglas, in an attempt to speed up the process uncovered his secret weapon and enthusiastically said "Lighter fuel, this will have the barbecue going in seconds!" With the poise of a highly trained swordsman, Douglas sent a jet of lighter fuel through the air and across the whole length of the barbecue. Douglas was right! The barbecue erupted into flame. I was very impressed. Unfortunately, seconds later so did the cardboard frame and then the surrounding trees! Luckily there were enough of us there to safely put out the flames and to carry on with the barbecue.

A few years later I began barbecuing for myself and always remembered Douglas and his flaming trees. Apart from not erecting a cardboard frame around your barbecue and keeping it well away from trees, there are some simple rules to follow to ensure that you start your charcoal barbecue in safety.

If you're setting up a barbecue for the first time, read the instructions carefully first.

Carefully choose where to set-up your barbecue. Make sure that it's on level ground and don't try to move it once it's lit.

Don't attempt to start your barbecue in very high winds. Not even with a cardboard frame!

Don't try to barbecue indoors. I know people that have tried to barbecue in a shed and in a garage! Extremely dangerous.

Use proper firelighters to start your barbecue. They're better than rolled up paper and won't fly away in the wind.

Only ever use purpose-made firelighters and fuel on your barbecue. Never use petrol, white spirit, or paraffin. Not only is it extremely dangerous but it also taints the flavour of the food.

Everyone loves a barbecue but don't forget that the grill gets extremely hot. Follow the rules above and keep safety in mind. You'll experience a great barbecue, your guests will have lots fun and you'll enjoy yourself.

Les runs The Barbecue Hut website that provides useful information about barbecue grills and smokers, and also includes a wide selection of recipes.
He is also author of The Char Grill Chat newsletter.
Website:
http://www.barbecuehut.com
Newsletter:
http://www.barbecuehut.com/chargrill_chat

Eastern North Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce

1 c White vinegar 1 tb Tabasco sauce
1 c Cider vinegar Salt -- to taste
1 tb Sugar Freshly cracked black pepper
1 tb Crushed red pepper flakes To taste

Once again, folks, just mix 'em together. Keeps 2 months covered.

Grab more free recipes at http://recipe-directory.net

The Right Grill for your Barbecue

Barbecue is a mix of talents. There is the choice of meat (or in some cases vegetables), the creation and choice of sauce, and of course the flame. Once the components are gathered together, then the real talent starts with the maintenance of the flame, smoke, turnings and sauce applications.

We are going to focus on the flame, and the types of flame sources for our barbecue. There are basically three main sources in use today: Wood, Charcoal, and Natural gas or propane.

Natural gas and propane

Gas grills are easy to light. The heat is easy to control (via knob-controlled gas valves on the burners), so the outcome is very predictable. They result in a very consistent and tasty result, although some charcoal purists argue it lacks the flavors available only from cooking with charcoal. Advocates of gas grills claim that gas cooking lets you "taste the meat, not the heat" because it is claimed that charcoal grills may deposit traces of coal tar on the food. Many grills are equipped with thermometers, further simplifying the barbecuing experience. However propane and natural gas produce a "wet" heat that can change the texture of foods cooked over such fuels.

Gas grills are significantly more expensive due to their added complexity, and higher heat. They are also considered much cleaner as they do not result in ashes (which must be disposed of) and also in terms of air pollution. Proper maintenance may further help reduce pollution.

Charcoal

This generally begins with purchasing a bag of processed charcoal briquettes. A charcoal chimney starter is a traditional (but generally underused) method for getting a consistent heat from your coals. Alternatively, they can be lit in a pyramid directly inside the charcoal grill after presoaking with lighter fluid.

After all coals are ashed-over (generally 15-25 minutes), they are spread around the perimeter of the grill, and the meat is placed in the center for indirect cooking. For additional flavor and attractive appearance, thicker cuts of meat may optionally be seared over direct heat (outer perimeter of grill) prior to indirect cooking in the center. Water-soaked wood chips (such as mesquite, hickory, or fruit trees) are often added atop the coals for an extra smoky flavor. The temperature of the grill is controlled by the amount and distribution of coal within the grill and through careful venting.

An alternative to charcoal briquettes is lump charcoal. Lump charcoal is wood that has been turned into charcoal but unlike briquettes it has not been ground and shaped. Lump charcoal is a pure form of charcoal and is preferred by many purists who fear that artificial binders may be used to hold briquettes in their shape.

Wood

The choice and combination of woods burned result in different flavors imparted to the meat. Different types of wood burn at different temperatures. The heat also varies by the amount of wood and controlling the rate of burn through careful venting.

The type of wood chosen is really what sets this method apart from the others. This is where the gourmet can really experiment. Let's go through some of the woods available to get a feel for the differences we can expect.

Golden Birch is very delicate & slightly sweet, typically used with fish, pork, lamb, goat, poultry, and light-meat game birds. As a smoke source Golden birch would be used to smoke Salmon.

Wild Apple is slightly sweet with a fruity smoke flavor. Used mainly for beef, poultry, game birds, and pork (particularly hams).

Sugar Maple has a mild smoky, sweet flavor. Good with lamb, goat, pork, poultry, cheese, vegetables and small game birds.

White Cedar has a fine light smoke, and doesn't add much in the way of other flavors. Ideal for cooking fish, beef, and pork.

Wild Black Cherry, is hard to get a hold of but offers a distinctively sweet and fruity smoke. Great with beef, poultry & game birds.

Jerry Powell is the owner of a popular site known as Gourmet911.com. As you can see from our name, we are here to help you learn more about different kinds of Gourmet food and Wines, Coffees from all around the world.