Can anyone help a novice learn how to BBQ?

[Justonethingi]

I know it sounds silly but my exH was controlling and abusive so I was never allowed to touch the BBQ. Iv now bought myself a lovely new gas one … but I have no idea how to successfully bbq… that’s really embarrassing! It has a large area and a little sort of grill/shelf above it. Can anyone kindly give me a bit of a step by step guide?

I am a competent cook on the kitchen so I’m hoping it’s more or less the same? I will be cooking meat as well as vegetarian stuff… I’m thinking of cooking vegetarian first and then put it on the shelf thing and then meat or just keep the meat one side and vegetarian the other? (I’m the vegetarian no one else so it’s only me to worry about) also thinking of fish… so I use the bbq like a grill in the oven? What are timings like on a bbq, is it the same like an oven or do you need to add time? Do you leave the lid open or shut?!

also then cleaning… I have some specific cleaning things for it… is it easier to just scrub the grill shelves on the kitchen sink? Do I need to clean inside the rest of it??

sorry I know these are stupid questions but I need to learn!

I can’t help you with the cooking I’m afraid but to clean it, I heat it up slightly, then cut a lemon in half and stab it onto a fork. Then just rub the juicy side up and down the grills. Honestly it is magic! Plus no cleaning products on your food.

You need less coals than you think! Just a thin layer really. I'd have filled it up to the brim if DH hadnt stopped me.

Some things need to be cooked directly over the heat, others need to be indirect (which is when I tend to keep the lid down). For anything veg that goes on skewers I keep to one type of veg per skewer to control the cooking and then mix them on a serving dish after cooking. Genivieve Taylor has some brilliant BBQ books which explain the whole process much better than I can. I have her veggie one Charred and my omnivore friends have Foolproof Bbq (which also has lovely veg recipes)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foolproof-BBQ-Simple-Recipes-Barbecue/dp/178713671X/ref=mpssa111?crid=HIISMPN4I9Z5&keywords=foolproof+bbq&qid=1659886125&sprefix=foolproof+bbq%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-1

As a Texan living in the UK, I have found here most that BBQ serve undercooked or burnt meats and if I can give one bit of advice, boil until cooked any meat first so that what you are doing with the BBQ is adding the smoky flavour & the sauces to get grilled into the meat. Meat is always tender and tasty, faster cooking times and never a worry of undercooked or tough BBQ.

Cook with the lid down for the best smoky flavouring and to keep the food cooking at a more consistent rate. I keep adding sauces & turning the meats to make sure that that each side is coated & to keep from burning. If food is close to done I rotate to the top shelf. For fish, I put in foil with lemon slices covering the bottom & on top of the fish with a dab of butter & salt & pepper. Won't take long to cook in the grill this way and the lemons add flavour and keep the fish from sticking to the foil.

If putting potatoes or corn on the cob on the grill, I again boil first and then finish off in around 20 minutes on the grill.

ok thanks this one is going to be quite small just a few of us so hopefully I’ll work it out… I guess it’s timings I need to be careful of… do you close the lid when you are doing the veg? I just want to reiterate this is a gas bbq not charcoal…

OP, can you get a BBQ cookbook, and have a little practice or two? Nothing wrong with BBQing your own midweek dinner, experimenting with veggie burgers, veg skewers, halloumi.

IMO cages and racks are good for veggie skewers as veg often falls off skewers.

Most BBQ mistakes involve putting stuff on when charcoal BBQs are much to hot, and burning the outside. You have far more control with your gas BBQ.

While grilling chicken or meat you can spray it with a little water while it is cooking to stop it burning.

I agree with boiling things like ribs before BBQing: it was a revelation when my American IL did this. I wouldn’t be boiling steak though!

BBQs are quite social and informal: you could always invite the meat eaters to take charge of cooking their own bits, and watch what they do.

Good for you, anyway, busying through the controls your ex tried to impose.

Mine is a gas bbq and I find it easier than charcoal because you have more control. If you have more than one burner it also makes it easier to move things on and off the heat. I usually put the lid down in between turning veg unless it's a very quick cook with lots of basting. I normally use a medium heat with the lid down to warm it up then drop it to a low heat while cooking. It's easier to quickly char it at the end when it's cooked than try to save burnt yet raw veg.

I made this last night. It's one of our favourites www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/harissa-potato-halloumi-and-asparagus-with-coriander-and-lemon-oil-a8934896.html?amp

I did the asparagus on a cast iron griddle because it's a pain to skewer if thin (can replace with tenderstem or purple sprouting brocolli instead). The halloumi and potatoes were cooked on separate skewers because the halloumi chars faster and sometimes I need to move it to the top rack while the potatoes finish.

Thanks everyone for not being condescending, yes just trying to take a bit of control back in my life!

So this one is only small so will be a practise run, I’m thinking veg kebabs, halloumi, aubergine slab type things and then meat wise either burgers or sausages, kids prefer burgers so prob them and what fish cooks better on a bbq, salmon or maybe seabass? I sometimes do salmon in the oven wrapped in foil etc..: is that ok on the bbq or do you wrap in foil on a bbq too?

Stick to one type of food at a time and practice that, you'll get the hang of using direct and indirect heat as well as timing.
You can get lava stones for a gas barbeque, they hold the heat like charcoal does.

It sounds a bit complicated for a first attempt.
Stick to two or three components and a side or two that aren't BBQ'd and then work from there. Burgers are easy enough to do with two other things (you can buy a cheap meat thermometer and Google correct cooking temperature if you're unsure, my DH often uses one). For fish, foil is best to avoid sticking. @callkiki 's method sounds good. I'm a vegetarian so can't help with type I'm afraid! If you're the type to eat fake meat the Linda McCartney mozzarella burgers cook really well on the bbq, beyond burgers go very dry.

A very easy cooked side I do is new/ Charlotte potatoes in the oven. Cut the potatoes in half or thirds if large, toss in a bowl with some oil and a crushed up veggie oxo cube (I don't know any other brands that crumble so well) and then roast at 180c for 20-25 minutes until golden. If they're done too soon for the bbq food I just turn the oven off, open the door for a few seconds to let some heat out and then leave them in there for another 10-15 minutes. They don't burn but if you need longer than 15 minutes they hold their heat for a while out of the oven too.

Still trying to get good at BBQ cooking, but the one thing I would say is get yourself a thermapen to check the temperature of the meat. It has so improved my meat coming, both in the kitchen and on the BBQ.

I think this one I will keep to mainly vegetarian so vegetables with halloumi and do some burgers on the side for the kids. I can so side dishes easily before I bbq so that’s fine

How did it go @Justonethingi ?

Yes, I close the lid on my gas BBQ and check regularly to ensure things are cooking well. If you can cook in the kitchen, you can cook on a BBQ. The skills are transferable. 👍

Thanks all. Not bad but I got a little stressed… the meat burgers kept getting stuck and then created mini fires where the fat dripped down… then the vege kebabs took ages… maybe the heat wasn’t the best plus I kept the lid up as I didn’t think about closing it but lessons learnt I guess!

We often use the BBQ to cook tea just for the 2 of us. So salmon I often do from frozen - the fillets straight on the BBQ take about 15 to 18 minutes. Fresh fillets take about 8.