Top restaurant chef shares his top spring BBQ secrets - and why you should NEVER cover your food in oil before cooking
A chef who only uses fire to grill, smoke and bake his produce has offered his best barbecue tips as the southern hemisphere enters its summer months.
Lennox Hastie, owner and head chef at Sydney restaurant Firedoor, has made a living out of cooking succulent meat over an open flame - and wants Australians to have the same success when creating a BBQ family dinner at home.
From how much oil to use on your steak to where you should purchase your cuts, the UK-born, Europe-trained cook has spilled his secrets.
Lennox Hastie , owner and head chef at Sydney restaurant Firedoor, has made a living out of cooking succulent and tender meat over an open flame
1. Don't flame-grill your meat
The moment you see black charcoal marks appearing on the outside of the flesh, you've gone too far.
'Nothing should ever be grilled on flame,' Hastie told news.com.au. 'You should never subject an ingredient directly to the flame because it's a completely different flavour - it's more astringent and bitter.
If you're using a gas barbecue - as most will be doing at home - you want to put a campfire grill basket between the flames and your meat to avoid over-searing it.
As gas barbecues don't heat up as much as firewood barbecues do, he also recommends only cooking a small amount of produce at a time - with all of the burners turned on.
If you fill the BBQ space up with vegetables and meat they won't all be getting the amount of heat they deserve.
The moment you see black charcoal marks appearing on the outside of the flesh, you've gone too far
2. Don't oversaturate with oil
While most BBQ cookbooks will remind you to 'brush' your meat with oil, Hastie actually uses a cooking spray so you're not lathering on too much.
'If you have a spray, you can load it up with whatever you want - the majority of what we use is grape seed oil because it can withstand a very high temperature and has a neutral flavour profile,' he told the publication.
The oil on the outside will just cause the skin to burn and blacken, so a light misting is crucial.
While most BBQ cookbooks will remind you to 'brush' your meat with oil, Hastie actually uses a cooking spray so you're not lathering on too much
What are Weber grill expert Laura Romeo's best tips for cooking on the barbecue?
1. Preheat: It is always important to preheat your barbecue before throwing food on. It burns off any leftover food and nasties, makes it easier to clean with a wire brush, and importantly caramelises and sears the food instantly.
2. Keep the lid closed: All Weber barbecues are designed to cook with the lid closed. Your food will have the most amazing flavour as the smoke is trapped in by the lid, cooking your food in a cloud of flavour. Your food is cooked evenly and quicker as the lid keeps the heat inside the barbecue and protects the food from the elements.
3. Time and Temperature: Get to know what how long the food should take to cook, what temperature to have the barbecue set at or what temperature should the food get to will help you become a better barbecue.
3. Buy your meat from a farmer's market
While most people will head into their closest supermarket for a pork chop or sausage, Hastie recommends making friends with a local supplier.
'You can look them up online, they're around, there's good people there. And you can visit them locally, have a chat to the farmers as well. No one knows more about the ingredients than they do,' he said.
While it may not necessarily be the cheapest option, it will likely be the most flavoursome because additive chemicals supermarkets use to store meat for longer won't be used.
While most people will head into their closest supermarket for a pork chop or sausage, Hastie recommends making friends with the local supplier
While owning a barbecue might be more convenient, the best food is always cooked over an open fire made with bricks and logs of wood, according to Hastie
4. Build your own fire pit
While owning a barbecue might be more convenient, the best food is always cooked over an open fire made with bricks and logs of wood, according to Hastie.
He described it as a beautiful process that brings people together, and the wood becomes a 'flavour resource' at the same time.
The role of a fire is not only to cook the food but also to provide a space for people to gather around it and 'solve the problems of the day', the chef explained.