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Fire up the grills! Secrets for a gourmet barbecue.

The summer brings with it the desire to eat outside, to grill meat over the coals, and to enjoy special moments with friends or family in contact with nature. In every group of friends, fortunately, there’s always the grill master or the barbecue king. In fact, grilling meat isn’t something everyone can do; it requires a certain level of skill. Therefore, to help more people discover the secrets of grilling, we will unveil a series of important tips for you to start becoming grilling professionals.

Let’s start with the type of meat that is usually used: typically, at least two types of meat must not be missing, beef and pork. Then, for lovers of white meats, there’s chicken in all its forms or, during Easter, lamb ribs. If you find yourself in particular places like Puglia, you must try grilling the legendary “bombette,” or if you are by the sea, nothing beats freshly caught and pounded grilled octopus. Once you gain some experience, you can try your hand at the king of grilled meats, the beef fillet, which should ultimately be particularly tender and creamy on the palate. Finally, for a truly Tuscan barbecue, you cannot overlook the iconic Chianina IGP Florentine steak grilled “standing up.” For pork, always look for ribs or spare ribs that have a noticeable amount of fat. If you take them too lean, you’ll end up with a dry and flavorless result. Lastly, in a respectable barbecue, you must not skimp on the various types of sausages. They are the queens of the coals.

Once you’ve chosen the meat, think about tenderizing its fibers for a softer and more flavorful cooking experience: perform a marinade, especially for white meats and especially chicken. The marinade should be rich, oily, spicy, and slightly acidic. Have fun with the spices and look for a marinade that closely resembles your favorite flavors. Use good lemon and Extra virgin olive oil. Make sure to do this! The marinade will also determine the flavor of the meat, so, depending on the size of the cut and the type of meat, it should be left in contact with the marinade for different times. Typically, the average time is 4 hours for beef, and between 2 to 4 hours for chicken and pork.

During the marinating time, you have all the time to prepare the coals. Naturally, if you are using a wood barbecue or a traditional grill, it’s quite different; however, if you are using a gas barbecue, you won’t have these problems, but you’ll lose a considerable amount of that precious smoky flavor, which is the added value of grilling. If you’re using charcoal: around 3 kilograms is suitable for a barbecue for 4 people, while 5 kilograms is for more than 5 people. If you’re using charcoal, it should be laid down to a depth of about 3-5 cm, and then place small dry twigs on top to ignite them. It’s better to avoid lighter fluid if you can. If you have a lot of meat to grill, remember to occasionally replenish the coals from a separate grill you have prepared.

Meat should never be salted, or rather, it should only be salted if you want to, and a good while before cooking. The salt helps form a tasty crust on the surface that enhances its flavor. For cooking thinner cuts, like cured meat and chicken slices, it’s best to stay very close to the coals. For thicker cuts, like steaks or Florentine steaks, indirect cooking is preferable, raising the grills and the distance between the coals and the meat.

You must not overheat the piece: if it happens, the liquids tend to escape from the fibers, leaving you with tough and fibrous meat. You’ll also lose all the minerals and vitamins that are the nutritional elements determining the choice of this cooking method. The meat should be turned as much as possible to monitor its cooking degree and process. Turning the meat means ensuring a more even cooking and greater tenderness when cut. Always remember that a properly cooked piece of meat should have a slightly crispy surface, a browning crust, and finally a more rosy center.

Do you want to try grilling vegetables? Always do so by marinating them well and especially choose a thickness of at least one centimeter. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a pile of charcoal. If the thickness is less, always choose a part of the grill far from the coals and that heats less. It’s always better to prepare them simultaneously with the meat so that they can be served together.

Grilling fish is simply magic! Be careful that the cooking times are significantly reduced, as the amount of collagen denatures at a lower temperature and the much shorter fibers cook faster. So watch out for burning and excessive drying. Use aluminum foil or leaves if you can. If you’re using cuts like swordfish, always cook with the skin side down. This way it cooks more evenly, and the skin itself becomes crisp and golden.

Bernardo Pasquali

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