The Times Australia
Google AI
The Times Food and Dining

.

Barbie brilliance: 5 top tips for cooking a mouth watering BBQ

  • Written by NewsServices.com

Well, it’s just about that time of the year in Oz. That time when we say goodbye to wintery meals like soups and stews opting instead for the legendary barbecue with some summer salads!

But, despite what your old man might have told you, there is a big difference between cooking a delicious barbie and something a bit how you going?

Luckily, the big difference lies in a few small tips. You’ve got your world class barbie, you’ve picked up the best BBQ covers for sale, now it’s time to put these handy little tips into effect to cook up an absolutely succulent barbie…

  1. Only cook fresh food

Sure, it might be tempting to pull out those chicken drummies or snags that have been in the freezer since some time around last summer, but those meats have long since lost their top quality freshness.

Sure, you may still be able to cook them, but that doesn’t mean they are going to taste any good. Be sure to pick up fresh meat from the butcher or market the morning of your barbie - it will make a world of difference.

  1. Don’t over do it

A top class barbie doesn’t have to be complex. In fact, some of the world’s best barbecuing nations like Argentina rely on nothing more than quality meat, a bit of salt and a really good flame.

You may want to try to marinate your meat in something wild and out there, but remember that one of the best ways to make a top barbecue is to allow the flavour of the meat to be accentuated by the barbie itself!

What’s more, you don’t want to take away from the meat being the star of the show, so just serve up a couple of little side salads that, along with the meat, make up a mouth watering flavour combination.

  1. Preheat your barbie before cooking

There is nothing worse than throwing meat onto a cold barbie - it just won’t cook the way you want it to! Instead, you have to ensure that your barbie is nice and hot before you go throwing any meat onto it, so turn it on and allow it to preheat with some oil on before going to work (making sure to wipe down the plate after preheating with the oil!).

  1. Manage the heat situation

No one wants to eat meat that is overcooked on the outside and red raw in the middle, and this is where managing the heat comes in handy. All you have to do is turn the heat up high when preheating your barbecue before turning it down a little when actually cooking.

Also, don’t be afraid to cook meat a little off the centre of the grill, as it is generally cooler to the sides and won’t overcook your meat on the outside whilst keeping it raw in the middle.

  1. Bring meat to room temp prior to cooking

When meat is taken from the fridge and put straight on the plate it tends to cook unevenly because it is shocked by the sudden change in temperature. To get a nice, consistent cook, you want to take the meat out and allow it to come to room temperature before you put it on the barbecue.

See, there wasn’t much to it: the Aussie BBQ is a summer staple, but it can be made better by just these few simple tips - enjoy your barbie!

Food & Dining

98 Lygon St Melbourne’s New Mediterranean Hideaway

Brunswick East has just picked up a serious summer upgrade. Neighbourhood favourite 98 Lygon St Bar and Bistro has unveiled its refreshed courtyard and it already feels like the city’s newest Mediterranean escape. To welcome the warm weather, the...

How healthy are the hundreds of confectionery options and soft drinks

Walk into any big Australian supermarket and the first thing that hits you isn’t the smell of fresh bread or the neatly stacked veggies – it’s walls of chocolate bars, lolly bags, energy drinks and two-litre bottles of cola staring you down from ...

Menulog is closing in Australia. Could food delivery soon cost more?

It’s been a rocky road for Australia’s food delivery sector. Over the past decade, major platforms and a smattering of daring, minor players have been jostling for market share. That’s brought rapid change – and also seen several high-profile bus...

Restaurants to visit in St Kilda and South Yarra

Here are six highly-recommended restaurants split between the seaside suburb of St Kilda and the stylish inner-east locale of South Yarra, Melbourne — perfect if you’re planning a food-lovers outing. I’ve included details about what makes each sp...

Times Magazine

Australia’s electric vehicle surge — EVs and hybrids hit record levels

Australians are increasingly embracing electric and hybrid cars, with 2025 shaping up as the str...

Tim Ayres on the AI rollout’s looming ‘bumps and glitches’

The federal government released its National AI Strategy[1] this week, confirming it has dropped...

Seven in Ten Australian Workers Say Employers Are Failing to Prepare Them for AI Future

As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates across industries, a growing number of Australian work...

Mapping for Trucks: More Than Directions, It’s Optimisation

Daniel Antonello, General Manager Oceania, HERE Technologies At the end of June this year, Hampden ...

Can bigger-is-better ‘scaling laws’ keep AI improving forever? History says we can’t be too sure

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman – perhaps the most prominent face of the artificial intellig...

A backlash against AI imagery in ads may have begun as brands promote ‘human-made’

In a wave of new ads, brands like Heineken, Polaroid and Cadbury have started hating on artifici...

The Times Features

Worried after sunscreen recalls? Here’s how to choose a safe one

Most of us know sunscreen is a key way[1] to protect areas of our skin not easily covered by c...

Buying a property soon? What predictions are out there for mortgage interest rates?

As Australians eye the property market, one of the biggest questions is where mortgage interest ...

Last-Minute Christmas Holiday Ideas for Sydney Families

Perfect escapes you can still book — without blowing the budget or travelling too far Christmas...

98 Lygon St Melbourne’s New Mediterranean Hideaway

Brunswick East has just picked up a serious summer upgrade. Neighbourhood favourite 98 Lygon St B...

How Australians can stay healthier for longer

Australians face a decade of poor health unless they close the gap between living longer and sta...

The Origin of Human Life — Is Intelligent Design Worth Taking Seriously?

For more than a century, the debate about how human life began has been framed as a binary: evol...

The way Australia produces food is unique. Our updated dietary guidelines have to recognise this

You might know Australia’s dietary guidelines[1] from the famous infographics[2] showing the typ...

Why a Holiday or Short Break in the Noosa Region Is an Ideal Getaway

Few Australian destinations capture the imagination quite like Noosa. With its calm turquoise ba...

How Dynamic Pricing in Accommodation — From Caravan Parks to Hotels — Affects Holiday Affordability

Dynamic pricing has quietly become one of the most influential forces shaping the cost of an Aus...