Over Christmas I bought a Big Green Egg I read all the marketing blurb in the brochure and it captured my imagination, I’ve already written about how good it is and published some kamado barbecue recipes but I was still intrigued to find out more about the origins of such a versatile piece of cooking equipment

This Christmas will be the biggest ever for online shopping despite the doom and gloom predictions of the retailers Consumer confidence may have disappeared from the high street but it’s the online sector that’s set for bumper Christmas sales

“Going out to Spain again How wonderful

The technique of indirect cooking is essentially a slow roasting process which guarantees a tender result When you think about it it’s pretty logical

I’ve seen many lists about wood chips and what meats best accompany them and it’s always struck me that this is approaching the problem for the wrong side The wood chip is choosing the food and in my book it should be the food choosing the wood chip

The first meat that I ever wanted to cook on a barbecue was a chicken using the rotisserie and I’ve never really stopped to think about why I guess it’s down to “the boy with a new toy” mentality in that the BBQ spit came in the pack with the grill and a rotisserie cooking process adds dynamism

Before firing up the BBQ smoker, many chefs will either cure or brine the fish or meat as a way of adding extra flavor Curing and brining however have been traditional methods of preserving food for donkeys years and in today’s refrigerated society the techniques and skills have been on the wane

Writing a website full of BBQ Smoker Recipes is a time consuming business even at the best of times I take pride in ensuring that the pictures I put up on my site are of food that I have cooked and not some glossy template purchased on the internet and I also want my recipes to be innovative

It’s interesting to note that before Henry Ford made the BBQ grill popular by link selling it to his cars with the vision of day trips and pic-nics, charcoal was nothing but a waste product left over from the recovery of acetic acid and methanol In the early 1900’s after more efficient and less expensive methods were developed for synthesizing acetic acid and methanol, charcoal production declined only to be revitalized by the development of the briquette for recreational cooking

Many friends and work colleagues have phoned in sick because of food poisoning and followed it up with something like “I had a BBQ at the weekend, and I must have eaten something not properly cooked” To be honest I think some of them probably just drank too much but clearly there’s enough of a belief out there that food hygiene is a problem at a barbeque for either a genuine day off work or a cast iron excuse

Clay vessels have been used by humans to cook food for many thousands of years Clay cooking pots have been found in every part of the world and some of the earliest dated by Archaeologists to be over 3000 years old have been found in China

Not so many moons ago I wrote an article entitled “How To Have The Perfect Barbecue” in which I lambasted most of my friends for burning food on the BBQ and shared my essential tips for ensuring a perfect barbecue every time An alternative way to put it is “How to BBQ without flames” because the secret to charcoal cooking (and indeed gas barbecuing) is sizzle and not flames

The history and tradition of charcoal burning goes back thousands of years and there’s something magical about cooking on a charcoal barbecue grill Charcoal is the traditional fuel for barbecues because it produces a hot, long-lasting fire that is virtually smokeless

It amazes me how many great chefs can cook fantastic dishes yet fail to be able to write recipes in a clear and concise way that makes for easy reading and understanding Many could do with working in manufacturing industry for a number of weeks and learn the skill involved in preparing a bill of materials for a product because in this way they would get to understand how certain ingredients can be grouped together to make a “sub assembly” before the preparation into the final assembly

Do we believe the hype I’ve read the brochure, visited the website and watched all the DVDs

Here’s the enigma of the barbecue grill…

Outdoor cooking on the barbecue and smoker is now becoming a serious leisure pastime Certainly in England where the weather is not altogether reliable, the advent of wonderful contraptions such as umbrellas and patio heaters has made outdoor cooking an extremely pleasurable recreation

I went into my local garden centre recently to find that the whole place have been completely re-vamped and a massive area dedicated to barbecues and smokers What did this tell me

BBQ salads are the easy accompaniment to an outdoor cookout and do work really well but sometimes I like my barbecue menu ideas to be a little different In fact, not just different, something that can become a bit of a talking point too

A good barbecue isn't easy and there's no substitute for experience but we've all got to start somewhere so if you're a BBQ novice then read on Below are plenty of fantastic barbecue tips and menu ideas for the grill so if any ladies out there have read my article entitled “Modern Man And The Barbecue Grill” you’ll already be on the road to converting your man from the fire pits to the BBQ King with some easy BBQ recipes