Meatopia has been one of London’s most popular food festivals since it was established in 2013, bringing the best of US barbecue culture, drinks and live DJs.
This year the “fire-powered” event returns to Tobacco Dock between August 28-31 and with it come a host of chefs, brewers, mixologists and musicians.
Here, three chefs on the roster share some of their expert tips for barbecuing at home.
Leyli Homayoonfar, Bab Haus
Polly Thomas
My top tip for barbecuing meat is always brining. Brining meat is better because it helps the meat stay juicy, tender, and flavourful, especially during long cooking times over dry heat.
- Brining involves soaking meat in a saltwater solution (often with sugar and spices). The salt causes the muscle fibers to absorb water. During cooking, especially on a BBQ, meat naturally loses moisture, but because it started with extra, it stays juicier.
- Salt partially breaks down some of the proteins in the muscle, especially myosin. This reduces toughness and results in a more tender texture after grilling or smoking.
- The brine carries salt and other seasonings into the meat, improving its flavor beyond the surface. This is especially useful for thick cuts where a dry rub might not penetrate deeply.
Understanding your fuel is also important:
- Knowing when to add meat to the is key. If the coals are too hot then it will burn quickly on the outside with the middle still being raw. If the BBQ is not hot enough then it can stick to the grill, it will take longer to achieve a good crust which will then lead to your meat being over cooked.
- Do use the best quality lump wood charcoal you can find, I highly recommend Whittle and Flame, think of the charcoal as another seasoning for your Food, the purer the coal the better the flavour – coal that is this good you can even be cooked directly on ‘cooking dirty’ giving a deeper smoky flavour to meat and veggies.
- Clean out your BBQ before each use to ensure good air flow, ash can clog up the vents which will stop air from feeding your fire.
- Make sure your meat or fish come up to room temperature before cooking on a hot grill. It’s harder to control the heat when cooking over fire as opposed to turning a knob on your hob, if the heat from your BBQ is high then the Food will look cooked on the outside can still be cold or raw on the inside as a result you’ll be forced to continue cooking – resulting in Food being burnt in order for the middle to be cooked.
- Have hotter and cooler parts of the BBQ so you can move ingredients when required.
Ruben Dawnay, Ruben’s Reubens
- Throw a wood chunk on the coals and close the lid. This will essentially smoke whatever you’re cooking.
- Use briquettes instead of charcoal for a more controlled and a longer lasting heat.
- Chimney starters are a great investment to get the BBQ going as quickly as possible.
Decatur
One tip I learned is from the masters of grilled meat in London, the Turkish ocakbasi grill chefs of Green Lanes and Stoke Newington High Street. As charcoal burns a layer of ash develops around the briquette/lump wood. This ash serves as a dampener for the intense heat of grilling close to the coals and is perfect for bringing meat up to a perfect temperature. But when you want that hard sear, char and caramelisation, disturbing the coals to knock the ash off unleashes the real intense heat of the charcoal and is perfect for that barbecue char we all love.
When you’re cooking hot and fast, the natural smoke of charcoal doesn’t have the time to penetrate the meat you’re cooking. The way to get the flavour and char on anything quickly is by letting fat hit the coals and smoke up into the meat. If you’re cooking a lean protein that doesn’t have a whole lot of fat to render, keep some olive oil in a cheap perfume diffuser from a pharmacist and be sure to liberally spray your meats on the grill to get that all important taste of the barbecue.
George Husband and George Brown, Gorka
- Our biggest tip would be to render any fat caps in a pan either in the kitchen or in pan on the BBQ before searing. This helps to reduce flare-ups during grilling. Further, we recommend to save the fat and infuse it with your favourite flavours (hard herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme; these alongside garlic and chilli work well) to be used when basting and finishing your meat.
- The attractive shimmer that you see on “restaurant quality” proteins is often a result of brushing the meat with these fats after carving.
Liam Barker, Caribbean Chef
- If it’s white meat then a brine of salt and sugar solution will ensure meat stays moist.
- Set up coals with a searing hot zone and a medium zone. Start on hot and finish on the medium.
- Do not use a BBQ sauce glaze until the last few minutes as the sugar burns quickly.
- Use a spray bottle of herbs/vinegar/water solution to keep meat from drying out.