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Controlling flare up
Flare-ups are caused by juices and oils from the food igniting in sudden bursts of flame that
come up over the grill. A little bit of flare up as well as the resulting smoke is a good thing. It's
what gives barbequed food that unique outdoor flavour. But if it happens too often, or if the
flame lasts more than a couple of seconds, your food will char, so you need to control it.
Some tips that help minimise flare ups:
Trim excess fat off your meat.
The burner controls may be up too high, turning them down BEFORE flare ups occur will
usually prevent it happening in the first place.
Moving the meat away from the flare up will also reduce the problem. Note that when all
burners are on, the area of grill closest to the hotplate will be the hottest part of the grill.
Some very fatty foods can only be cooked on the hotplate or indirectly with the hood closed
(see later information on indirect cooking).
NEVER use more than one third of the cooking surface as hotplate. That can be very dangerous.
Clean your barbeque after each use. DO NOT use abrasive or flammable cleaners, as it will
damage some parts of the product and may start a fire. Clean with warm soapy water.
Cooking hints
It's easy to keep your food moist and succulent on a barbeque by following these
guidelines:
Use tongs instead of a fork when turning meat and poultry. A fork pierces the flesh and
causes the juice to seep out.
Resist the temptation to keep turning meat over. Juices tend to rise to the top of a piece of
meat and then settle. Each time you turn the meat over, the juices are lost. It's better to
quickly sear the meat on HIGH each side (about half a minute) then with the burner controls
down near LOW, leave the meat cook on one side at a time, turning once only before serving.
If you like salt with your food, try adding it at the end instead of before or during cooking. Salt
draws the natural moisture out of the food and dries it out.
Baste food with light marinade or canola oil a couple of times while cooking, though watch out
for excessive flare-up if too much oil is used.
Using the roasting hood as outlined later in these instructions is an excellent way to preserve
moisture and succulence and takes the hard work out of barbeque cooking.
Although cooking on the hotplate looks easier, cooking on the grill gives you a more authentic
barbeque flavour. Natural juices drip onto the flame tamer and then vaporise, with the
vapours penetrating back into the food.
As an alternative to simply grilling, try marinating your meat, fish, poultry or vegetables first.
The longer you leave the food to stand in the marinade, the more thoroughly the flavour will
soak through. Several pre-made marinades are available and good recipes are easy to come
by. It is best to leave food standing in the refrigerator.
If you use a tomato or sugar based sauce for basting, apply it in the last 5-10 minutes of
cooking. Using these sauces over a longer period of time will result in over-browning.
To prevent meat from curling, slash the remaining fat at roughly 5cm intervals, taking care not
to cut into the meat.
Avoid burning or charring food as this has been shown to be unhealthy. Don't leave cooked
food standing for too long before eating.
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