BARBEQUE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

What to look for in a barbeque

Size of grill
The best way to determine this is to stand in front of the grill and visualize what you usually cook, and decide if this grill going to be big enough for what you usually grill. If you are looking at the basic 2 burner gas barbecue, most manufacturers offer 2 sizes, one bigger than the other by about 20 to 25%. If you are looking at multiple burner BBQs, you have greater choices for size. I used to think the 4 burner was a great size for the average family. Then 2 friends of mine purchased 5 burners and I grilled on them in a real life situation and I was surprised at how easy the extra size made the whole experience. Cooking for 5 adults and 3 children, the entire meal came off the grill at the same time.

Basically keep in mind how many people you usually cook for and what you usually cook. If you grill lots of foods that require indirect cooking, you may require a larger grill than if you exclusively grill foods using the direct method.

Grill surface
The cooking grills typically are made from either chrome plated steel, porcelain coated steel, cast iron, porcelain coated cast iron and stainless steel. The chrome grills are found on lower end grills and are used to keep the price down. They are harder to clean than a porcelain coated grill and tend to rust fairly easily. Porcelain coated steel grills resist rusting and are easy to clean. Cast iron grills hold the heat extremely well and heat very evenly, but must be kept seasoned with cooking oil to avoid rusting. This can be a challenge on a grill that is used and stored outside. Porcelain coated cast iron has the benefits of cast iron wrapped in an easy to clean and maintain package. If you get grills with porcelain coatings make sure to only use a brass bristle brush to clean the grills as the brass is relatively soft and will not scratch the porcelain off of the grills. Stainless Steel grills will last a very long time, but don't hold the heat or sear as well as cast iron. If you are buying a barbecue with stainless steel grills make sure the grill rods are thick and heavy if you like to sear your steak so that it is left medium rare in the center, or if you grill fish fillets, which also should be seared. If most of what you do is cooked indirectly or relatively slow (chicken, pork, roasts), then stainless steel would be an easy to maintain, long lasting choice.

Burners
If you are going with a typical 2 burner grill, make sure the burners are in an "H" shape and not an "I". The "H" burners spread the heat out more evenly across the expanse of your grill. "I" shaped burners tend to heat only down the center of the grill. Stamped stainless steel burners will last longer than aluminized steel burners, cast iron longer than stamped steel, cast brass longer than cast iron, and cast stainless steel longest of all.

Pre-Heating
Pre-heating brings your grill up to the desired temperature before the actual cooking process begins. With all burners lit, close the hood. Watch the temperature gauge and allow the BBQ to heat up to the desired temperature as you would your oven before you use it.

For direct grilling set all burners on high for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the temperature gauge reaches 550 degrees. For indirect cooking allow 3 to 4 minutes for pre-heating. Smoke and rotisserie cooking require no pre-heating.

Cook with the hood closed as much as possible, this will trap the heat allowing it to circulate. Cooking with the hood down will also conserve gas. It is important to note that there is no thermostat in the BBQ. You are in control of the temperature and may adjust the heat by turning the heat control knobs to low or even off, using the temperature gauge as your guide. While the control knobs are marked only 'hi' and 'low', there is a full range of flame height available.

Think of your BBQ as an "outdoor kitchen oven", use it accordingly.

Direct and Indirect cooking are the two most common methods of cooking on the grill.

Direct Method
With direct cooking, or grilling, the food is cooked directly over the heat. This method is used for searing and for foods that don't require prolonged cooking times - steaks, fish fillets, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fillets, vegetables, etc.

Searing is done quickly (one to two minutes) over high heat, sealing the food, trapping in the juices and flavor. Steaks, fish fillets and hamburgers are best when seared first. With some foods, depending on your preference of doneness, searing is all that is needed to grill the food. Usually foods are seared and then finished off either over a lower direct flame or with indirect heat.

Indirect Method
Indirect cooking is used when lower temperatures - 300 to 400F - and longer cooking times are desired and when cooking foods that are prone to flare-ups. The food is not cooked directly over the heat, instead it is placed over the unlit center portion of the grill with the heat generating from the outside burners. If your gas grill has only 2 burners, light only one and place the food over the un-lit burner. Indirect cooking enables you to use the grill as a regular oven. The heat will circulate around the food, cooking it slowly and evenly. Food will be cooked all the way through, not just burned on the outside while being left raw and uncooked in the middle.

This method is used for large cuts of meat, roasts, ribs, poultry pieces with skin and bones left intact, whole chickens and turkeys and for baking. Roasts, ribs and chicken pieces are sometimes seared first over direct heat, sealing in the juices, and then finished off with indirect heat.

Slow cooking with lower temperatures and longer cooking times results in more tender food by dissolving the connective tissue that makes some meats tough. Slow cooking is the only way to get meat to literally fall off the bone.

Bon Appetit!