BBQ Tips from a French Chef

Gourmandize

Article Author: Pascale Weeks

Translated by Jill Greve and Rachel Dignam

Edited by Gitanjali Roche

I must confess that at home, we are not always very adventurous with food on the barbecue. To get some more original recipes, I asked Chef Christophe, who always impresses me with his clever and budget-friendly ideas.

His tips are summarized in the guide below. Have a look!

Meat

The grill is perfect for large cuts of meat, such as a leg of lamb, lamb shoulder, etc. Cook the meat the day before in the oven at a low temperature (so as to avoid giving the meat any color) and finish cooking it on the barbecue. Do not hesitate to brush your meat during cooking with a mixture of oil and spices, or even with a bit of honey, for a delicious glaze and nice flavor.

Braising 

Braising is a nifty idea because there are some particularly budget-friendly recipes that are great for the summer. For example, the day before eating, you can poach some ribs in the oven and finish them up on the BBQ.

You can do the same for pork belly by cooking it at a low temperature in the oven and then grilling it up on the barbeque.

Seafood

Try mussels! They are absoluetly unforgettable when cooked on the barbeque! Place your cleaned mussels on an aluminum tray on the rack of your grill. When the mussels open up, they’re ready. The mussels will remain soft without any added fat. Cool, huh? Serve 'em up with chives and lemon juice.

Alternatively, crush crab claws and cook them on the BBQ for an original twist.

For small things that are hard to flip all at the same time, like shrimp, try using wooden skewers. Soak the skewers in cold water for 30 minutes beforehand so that they don’t burn. Then, thread the shrimp onto the skewers. Simply turn them once to cook the shrimp on both sides.

For fish, because the flesh is fragile, it’s best to cook it in foil.

Potatoes and Vegetables

Potatoes are delicious cooked on the barbecue. Don’t peel them - just poke multiple holes in them with a fork before wrapping them in aluminum foil and putting them directly on the coals.

You can proceed in the same way with small raw beets.

Tomatoes and mushrooms are perfect for the barbeque because they cook so quickly.

Cheese (YUP - it’s possible!)

Try grilling some Camembert in its wooden box for an original French touch. To do this, remove the cheese from its box and then soak the box in cold water for 30 minutes. Dry it off, then put the cheese back in the box before placing it on the grill.

Fruit

The classic: bananas cooked in their skins.

Melon, watermelon and pineapple also give very good results. Slices of about 1.5 cm usually work great.

Tell us about your own barbeque experiences! Do you have any secrets that make you a grill master?

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