There’s nothing more enjoyable than having friends and family 
gathered around amidst the wonderful smells of charcoal-grilled 
prawns, vegetables and selected favorites. Barbecuing is one of 
those time- honored rituals that go hand in hand with summertime. 
Whether you’re in your backyard or at you’re favorite camping 
site, barbecuing is a pleasure to be enjoyed by the whole family.

Barbecuing has never been more exciting; with the endless designs
of barbecues available and the myriad of barbecue cookbooks and 
cooking shows it really does take barbecuing into a whole new 
realm. With recipes for everything from grilled bananas to 
peaches and dry rubs for ribs, barbecues aren’t just for cooking 
steaks and burgers anymore. With all the available barbecuing 
options it helps to know a few of the barbecuing terms and 
barbecuing utensils that are used.

Firstly, barbecues come in a wide variety of options; there are 
propane, natural gas and the standard barbecues for use with 
charcoal. Barbecues can come with range style one, two and four 
burner options along with rotisseries. There are even barbecues 
that have coolers built right into the bottom! Barbecuing has 
never been quite so convenient.

When you’re using your barbecue it really helps to have the right
utensils and barbeque accessories, this will make your barbecuing
experience easier and more enjoyable. Long handled tongs, basting
brushes and spatulas are quite helpful. Heavy -duty oven mitts 
can also be useful. Of course you don’t want to forget the proper 
wire brushes and scrubbers (crumpled foil even works well) to 
remove build-up, keeping your grill racks clean.

Foods that are tender such as fish, vegetables and some burgers 
can benefit from cooking in a special grill basket (this way you 
aren’t loosing any of your meal into the barbecue). There are 
also special racks available to be used with corn, potatoes, 
ribs and meat.


An excellent barbecue accessory is the grill wok, with this you 
can make you’re favorite stir fries and vegetable dishes; the wok
has small holes throughout that allow heat and smoke to penetrate
the food. Another great grill accessory is the grill pizza tray 
used mostly for grilled pizza. Other grill accessories include; 
( http://www.best-bbq-online.com/grill-accessories.htm )
the grill topper used for fish and vegetables providing an even 
cooking surface, which prevents foods from falling through the 
grill rack; you can never have too many skewers in assorted 
lengths which can be used with a skewer rack for grilling your 
favorite marinated vegetables and meats; smoker boxes for gas 
grills filled with soaked wood chips add a wonderful smoked 
flavor to foods. Lastly foil packets are available or simple tin 
foil to wrap foods, just remember that you may be sacrificing 
the grill and smoke flavors when foods are wrapped tightly.

After you have the utensils and proper grilling accessories 
needed for you’re barbeque experience you’ll want to familiarize 
yourself on the different types of grilling processes and terms 
to find the ones that work best for you and to know exactly what 
has to be done. To start, basting is probably the most familiar 
of barbecuing terms, a simple brushing with a seasoned liquid 
adding both flavor and moisture to your food. A brochette is 
just French for a kabob, or simply food cooked on a skewer. A 
glaze is a glossy, flavorful coating on food as it cooks as a 
result of regular basting.

Three very popular methods of barbecuing are the direct grilling,
dry smoking and indirect grilling methods. Direct grilling is 
probably the most popular grilling used, it is when food is 
placed directly over the flame. It is a fast method because of 
the intense heat and allows for browning on the outside of foods.
This process works best for food requiring short cooking times 
such as burgers and steaks, you must remember to turn food over 
to allow cooking on both sides. The dry smoking method is 
achieved by placing a grill rack indirectly over the heat source 
with the barbecue lid down, this allows the flame to burn thus 
creating smoke which covers the food, giving you a smoky flavor. 
Lastly the indirect grilling is a slow process of cooking because
of less heat, it is done by surrounding a drip pan with the coals
and putting the food over the pan, so the hot air circulates 
around the food (similar to a convection oven). It is wise to 
check with your barbecue owner manual for indirect grilling 
specific to your barbecue, roasts work well with this method.

After you’ve acquired the barbecue and all the necessary cooking 
utensils and accessories you’re ready for the best part of 
barbecuing and that is the cooking of the food. Sauces, marinades
and rubs are popular cooking ideas when barbecuing. The sauce 
can be said to define a great barbecue. Whether you use a little 
or a lot is a matter of preference. A sauce often includes sugar,
honey or preserves, which can cause the sauce to burn when 
cooking; a suggestion is to brush your sauce on in the last five 
to ten minutes of cooking. There are a wide variety of sauces 
and glazes to be made ranging from apple butter barbecue sauce 
to raspberry piquant sauce.

Marinades are used for soaking your choice of meat, tofu or 
vegetables. ( http://www.best-bbq-online.com/marinades.htm ) 
The marinating both tenderizes and permeates the food with 
flavor, adding flavor and promoting crisp brown exteriors, 
changing an otherwise average dinner into a great one. Marinades 
are virtually fool proof and can be made in advance refrigerated 
in an airtight container for up to a week. The three basic 
ingredients in a marinade are; flavorings such as herbs, spices, 
sweeteners; oils which keep the food pliable and give a crispy 
crust; acids such as citrus juices, wines, vinegars and yogurts 
used to balance the sweetness. It is suggested to use the acids 
sparingly on fish and poultry, as they will soften the flesh 
when used.

A virtually fat free and easy way to add flavor to food is by 
using a variety of bold seasonings in a rub. The food is rubbed 
with spices prior to grilling, the rub transforms into a crunchy 
brown crust that seals in the juices and enhances the flavors of 
the food. The spices should be generously applied coating the 
entire surface of the food; the food should then be covered and 
put in the fridge for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Simplicity is the 
key for making rubs, salt and sugar are two of the main 
ingredients and the rest are up to you.

Whatever your barbecuing specialty might be barbecues can be 
both a fun and convenient way to make dinner. Summertime needn’t 
be the only time of year that you’re barbecuing, if weather 
allows you can barbecue all year round. The options have never 
been more exciting, and the variety of foods and recipes never 
more abundant.