Fathers have a real challenge on their plates, and part of that challenge is to put great food on the plates of their families. This means not only going out and earning a great a salary, it means learning to cook. While most modern families share cooking duties inside the home, it is the outdoor cooking that is typically done by none other than good old dad. The problem is that not all families pass on the barbecuing gene and fathers tend to be too busy to teach their sons just how to master the grill. Fear not the BBQ fathers! Here are some basic tips on how to grill and BBQ and get great results:
• A Real Trial By Fire – Grilling and barbecuing are really a trial by fire affair, but approaching the situation and solving problems with common sense actually works. If the meat did not cook all the way through, then it was not cooked long enough or the lid was open on the grill too long. If the meat was cooked too thoroughly, then it is a lesson learned. Either way, remember that learning lessons is what is important. People will forgive and forget your early culinary transgressions and mishaps so long as the result is a father that can one day BBQ like he has Bull’s-Eye sauce flowing through his veins.
• Try, Try, and Try Again – Before feeding any of family or even friends, do a few practice runs. Sometimes people can be their own worst critics, and that is a valuable skill that has helped mankind improve itself in many ways. One of those ways is the myriad of sauces and techniques used by fathers across the globe.
• Learn to Select Meat – Meat selection is a vital part of making the best BBQ or grilled food. Different animals have different cuts and each cut needs to be prepared and cooked in its own way. Don’t worry, this is really more of a ‘right tool for the right job’ kind of equation so start with just a few common cuts such as baby back ribs and T-bone steaks and work on those before moving on to other cuts. Find a good butcher and ask for their advice when selecting new cuts for the best results.
• Eat Your Veggies Dad – Grilling vegetables can be a delicious treat. Thin-cut vegetables need moderate to low heat and will sear easily. Consider cooking vegetables wrapped in tin foil for great results, but it might be worth searing them just a tiny bit on the grill without the tin foil just so everyone can tell that they were indeed the product of grilling.
• Gas, Charcoal, or Wood? That is the Question – Gas is quick and easy, but it is certainly not the tool used by a true professional. Do not be intimidated by the selection of charcoals or woods, they are easy enough to master. All that is important to understand is how the heating stack or arrangement of wood is important and when to start grilling or barbecuing. In most cases, once the wood or charcoal is glowing internally, it is time to get cooking. The closer the meat and veggies are to the source of heat, the hotter they will get. Controlling the distance from the source of heat and the meat being cooked is important because it allows for searing or deep cooking of thicker cuts.
• Rome Wasn’t Built In a Day – While it takes time to learn how to BBQ or grill, the one thing to remember is that fathers across the country that are truly passionate about their BBQ and/or grill cooking know that nothing beats home seasoning. Find recipes online or in cookbooks but then change them little by little to make them truly unique. Change only one thing at a time and sooner or later the recipe will be perfected. Remember that salts and seasoning should be applied before grilling and possibly at the last stage, but most BBQ sauce will not actually be absorbed though the meat unless it is really thin. Some fathers choose to mix BBQ sauce with generous amounts of oil to help it set into the outer layers of meat and the result is usually a caramelized glaze-like appearance that is absolutely delicious.
Remember, nobody was born a BBQ pro and the next generation really does need to learn how to carry on this proud culinary tradition or it might eventually be lost. Good fathers can grill and BBQ with the best of them, but great fathers do that while teaching their children what they have learned in their years of experimentation.