Summer, sun and just itching to organise a barbecue at home with friends. Here are our barbecue tips from the Bonnin Sanso Blog:
Barbecue: portable, built-in, gas or electric, whatever type we have, the grill must always be placed more than 10cm above the embers.
Fuel: wood, charcoal or kindling? The advantage of charcoal is that it cooks more quickly but wood is always more aromatic. We always go for quality charcoal and if we have someone who can supply with some cuts of vine wood, for example, it will give us a finishing touch. In any case, we avoid using petrol to light the fire as it is dangerous and impregnates the food with an unpleasant taste. The best bet is always vegetable oil firelighters or newspaper.
Utensils: have ready some gloves, some pincers for holding the embers, another set for turning the meat over and a wire brush for cleaning the grill when we have finished but while it is still hot.
Cooking: light the grill in advance. The embers must be completely white on top, in other words, the charcoal or wood must be completely burnt. You should know that the barbecue cooks food by radiation (and not by contact such as with a stove, for example). You must balance the intensity of the radiation, placing the meat close or far from the embers. And as it is not the same cooking vegetables, a chop or fish, which has a more delicate meat, we advise you to create areas of more and less heat, piling up the embers on one side of our barbecue according to the type of food.
Finally, the top chefs recommend salting the meat an hour before so that it can be absorbed. During the cooking, brown it on either side and if there are sparks, separate the meat from the flame until it dies down again. Once cooked to taste, it is best to let it rest while keeping it hot.
