Grilling on the BBQ is one of the best things about summer and there’s no substitute for that delicious flame grilled flavor. But are you really getting the most out of your BBQ? So many people end up putting the same store bought burgers and sausages on their grill every time they use it, which is such a shame because you can do so much more with it if you are willing to experiment and learn a few new techniques. If you want to improve your BBQ cooking skills, here are a few simple tips you should know. 

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Ditch The Gas Grill 

The beauty of the BBQ is that you get that great smoky flavour in your food, which is why you should ditch the gas grill. It doesn’t matter whether you use wood chips, charcoal or split logs, you still get that great smoke flavor. But with a gas grill, you just get the heat without any of that extra taste, so the finished product is no different from what it would be if you cooked it in a standard oven. It’s important to remember that the smoke is an ingredient in itself and it’s a vital part of the BBQ cooking process. 

Invest In Some Tools 

If you look in your kitchen cupboard, you probably have plenty of kitchen gadgets and specific utensils in there. When you are out on the BBQ, you need to take the same approach and invest in a few tools. Aside from the standard tongs that you use to flip your meat, you should invest in things like a meat thermometer so you can make sure that you cook to the perfect temperature. Meat claws are a great tool as well because they make it easier to move large cuts of meat onto the BBQ and they’re ideal for shredding meat, like pulled pork, for example. Check out this list of the best meat claws and pick up a set today. They are a simple tool but they will help you to step up your BBQ game in a big way. 

You need to think about cleaning your BBQ as well, so get yourself a good quality wire brush to scrub the grill down. If you look after your BBQ, it will serve you well for years to come. 

Use Wood From Fruit Trees 

Wood chips are a great way to add more smoke flavor to your food, especially when smoking meat. Chips from fruit trees are the best because they have relatively few impurities and they give a great unique flavor. You can use whatever is easiest to get and finding local trees will give you fresher wood chips and a better flavor. Before you use your wood chips, you should soak them in water overnight and then drain them. If you then wrap them in tin foil and put them on the BBQ, you will get a lot more smoke due to the water content in the chips, which means a deeper flavor. 

Keep The Lid Closed 

The key to cooking well on the BBQ is low and slow. You get a far more tender meat if you cook it gently and it gives more time for the smoke to infuse into the meat. A lot of people make the mistake of checking the temperature every five minutes, but every time you open the lid, you let the heat out and disrupt the cooking process. This means that it takes a lot longer to cook and the meat may not cook evenly. Just trust the process and leave the lid closed until close to the end, then check the temperature to make sure that it’s cooked through. 

Learn Some Vegetarian Recipes

When you think of BBQ cooking, it’s usually associated with cooking big cuts of meat or lots of burgers. But vegetarianism is becoming a lot more popular and many non-meat eaters feel that there isn’t really much for them when they attend a BBQ. If you are the kind of person that likes to host people and get the grill going, you can make sure that everybody has a great time by learning a few key vegetarian recipes. These great meatless burger recipes, for example, are just as tasty as the meat alternative and they work great on the BBQ. Even if you don’t have any vegetarians attending the BBQ, it still makes a nice change if you add a few vegetarian dishes alongside the meat ones. 

If you take these simple tips on board, you can improve your BBQ cooking skills in a big way.  

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This is a contributed post