Can you teach me to (gas) barbecue?

[Flummingbird]

Hello! I have a big gas barbecue in my garden left behind by my XH. I'd like to learn how to use it because I never have. I've given it a good clean and worked out how to light it so I'm off to a flying start...

He used to turn it up high and leave the lid down I think to heat up before cooking, is that right? Before closing it down do I just scrub it with a wire brush? Anything else I need to do?

Any tips for good cooking et cetera?

I know I sound like an idiot, but if I don't ask here I won't ask anyone and it will just rot away...

You don’t sound like an idiot at all.
I’m not a pro but this is what I do: on high, lid down for about 5-10 min so it heats up and any germs get killed (I start with a clean bbq but I am convinced mice travel around there)
.
Lift lid, lower heat between mid and low, put meat on top , lid down, check every few minutes and turn over with tongs until it looks cooked - I usually take a piece of meat and cut through it to check it isn’t raw in the middle).

My repertoire is quite limited but I do kebabs ( piece of chicken, or pork, chorizo or normal sausages and tons of vegetables like pieces of peppers, mushrooms, quarte onions, courgettes, anything), chicken filets, sausages, sirloin, burgers. Marinating pieces of mat for at least a few hours seems to help. You can also do corn on the cob.

After I remove the food, I turn off the heat, leave lid off to cool down, then put lid down over night. I aim to clean it the next day if I can.
I use a tiny bit of wire from a wire brush to poke through any blocked holes from where the flames come out. I take the grill bits off and clean them with hot soapy water and a scrub sponge thingy wearing gloves - it’s a messy job. Putting them in the dishwasher doesn’t seem to work that well.
It’s all a bit of a faff that’s why I never graduated to more adventurous recipes.
Enjoy!

That's amazing, thank you!!! Mine has lava rocks so can't really get to where the flames come out without a big faff... may have to invest in a big bucket for cleaning the racks in... they never got washed until today and now they're almost sparkling.

What do you use to marinate? Anything good that you've found? I'm ok with a basic soy or a yoghurt style one, assume they'll transfer fine to bbq.

That’s amazing that you managed to clean them so well! My racks are in sections so they sort of fit in the sink and I turn them around to wash each half of the them. I use either washing up liquid or Elbow Grease spray and lots of rubbing. On an older model years ago I used to wash the rack on the ground in the garden with a bucket of hot soapy water then hose it down then lean against a wall to dry. A stiff plastic brush was good but made a lot of mess.

I just make a mix of oil (any kind), lemon juice, crushed garlic, dry herbs (any kind), any bits of sauce I can find like sweet chilly sauce. Mix the lot, pour over meat in a container or tray, cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for a few hours And turn the meat around if you remember. I sometimes cut slits in the meat so it cooks faster and the marinade goes more inside the meat. There are some nice ready made marinades like the ones from Nandos but I usually forget to buy them. Or you could cook the meat and brush a bit of extra sauce towards the end (you’d need to save a bit pre-marinade so it hasn’t touched the raw meat).

If it wasn’t for the cleaning aspect, I’d probably use the bbq more often. And of course it’s usually last minute so I never learned how to do fancy recipes but there are lots online. I keep meaning to try fish but I still haven’t done it.

You’ll also have to be mindful that the gas might run out so look around for a place where you can change the canister so you are prepared for the future. Some petrol stations or camping shops do it. There might be an online service as well? To me it happened once halfway through cooking so I transferred everything to the oven.

In all honesty, by the time you finish cooking everyone will be starving so they’d appreciate any taste you managed to create. You can fine tune it as you go along

Good luck and enjoy! 😁

I quite often put stuff in tin foil dishes on the racks - cubed potato, then some bacon and finally a bit of cheese once it's almost ready, onions, tomatoes etc. Saves a bit on the washing up and expands the options! I just save the dishes from ready meals, carry out etc. I put them through the dishwasher and get multiple uses

They all sound great, thanks! I took a wire scourer to the racks after a good soak in the sink, they are almost like new it's amazing. It must be 2 years since it was used so I'm impressed it started straight away. Gas is ordered for delivery and to collect the almost empty canister, fingers crossed... there's only me and a 3 year old to try out on u til the world reopens, I may just stick to feeding me after she's gone to bed for now, to be safe..

Scotinoz that’s a brilliant idea. Thank you for sharing. I’ll start doing that. It would definitely save on washing up and all the trips between kitchen and bbq! Mine is right at the back of the garden.

Flummingbird it sounds like you are all set! Best time to experiment then. As long as you don’t forget it’s on (it happened to me once!) then you’ll be fine.