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

Barbecue Basics for all

Since the Stone Age, man has been perfecting the art of cooking using a direct flame. If you were to ask someone about the history of barbecue, you would most likely get a response similar to the
statement above. However that would not be quite right as there is a fundamental difference between simply cooking with a flame and having a barbecue. If you don't add some sauce, to the direct flame method, you are grilling, not having a barbecue. To truly barbecue is to baste and slow cook meat 5 or 6 hours at a low temperature (around 200 degrees), over wood or charcoal.

Today when you think of going to a barbecue, you may conjure up the idea of a hamburger or steak, so big and juicy, it melts in your mouth. Alternatively, perhaps a hot dog grilled to perfection with all the toppings. The phrase barbecue has evolved to mean either the meat served or the social event where the meat served
has been specially prepared to represent a
barbecue taste. Regardless of which area of the US you choose as your favorite for barbecue, the barbecue is an American Tradition, handed down from generation to generation. There's no chance the barbecue party will lose it's appeal anytime soon.

While there's no question that the barbecue is an American delicacy, there are many different theories as to where its origins lie. The state of Texas, Virginia, the Carolinas, or Georgia, each
area has it's own definition and history of
barbecue. It may well be that each area has it's own rightful claim to the barbecue history as each uses different methods and sauces to make their own unique barbecue.

And there would be no BBQ without a Texas barbecue sauce, which is thick and sweet with a rich tomato flavour. Texas sauce also uses a dry-rub mixture of seasonings which is applied to the beef and then the meat is hung over the BBQ to slow cook.

The southeast barbecue sauce, is a thinner sauce, with more of a vinegary taste. Their meat of choice is likely to be pork. The method used here is to`use a pit or enclosure to concentrate the cooking heat and smoke around the meat whilst it is being prepared.

Almost every family has their own unique taste and method used to get just the right barbecue. At your next barbecue, if you want to rev up the conversation between barbecue connoisseurs, just casually ask, Do you know the difference between barbecue and grilling? Or, where did the barbecue originate? Of course, it may depend upon the number of drinks you have served as to the answers you get. But the responses are sure to be varied and interesting.

About the author:
Laura Kjer is the webmaster of
Shop Barbecue which is a
premier source of information about Barbecue. For more
information, go to: http://shopbarbecue.com