It’s Summer in Australia, and here in South East Queensland it’s a sub-tropical climate which gets hot, humid days and warm, sticky nights. Summer days like these screams for a good ole barbecue catch ups with family & friends in the balmy afternoons & evenings. Here are our five top barbecue tips to take your barbie game to the next level.
Season your meat!! Use a good quality Sea Salt such as Olsson’s Sea Salt and freshly cracked black pepper. If you like it extra smoky, you can use Olsson’s Red Gum Smoked Sea Salt for that added kick. You could even step it up a notch with a simple spice rub like the one in our Steak Taco recipe here. 
Rest all your meats, even the sausages! After the meat comes off the barbie, make sure that you rest it for at least half the time it took to cook.. the longer you leave it, the better! Resting allows the meat to absorb all the juices evenly, resulting in a more tender delicious & juicy cut of meat. If you cut into it straight after it comes off the heat, all the juice will run right out of it, resulting in a tougher and drier piece of meat.
Leave the meat alone! Don’t poke & turn the meat & sausages too much! After you slap your meat on the grill, be sure to leave it alone to form a crust before turning.. this can take anywhere from 2-4 minutes depending on what you’re cooking. After turning leave for roughly the same amount of time before turning again it taking it off. This ensures even cooking, and a fabulous smoky char, which equals flavour!
Pull your meat out of the fridge 15 minutes before you cook it! Pulling your meat out at room temperature ensures that it will be evenly cooked, instead of charred on the outside and raw & cold on the inside. Also, it won’t dry out quickly and it will actually be more tender.
Accompaniments are key!! Don’t be afraid to go to town with the accompaniments! The barbecue’s on, so why not grill some broccolini & asparagus and throw them together with some rocket, parmesan & a delicious lemon dressing. Or turn the bbq down and roast off some sliced cauliflower for a delicious charred cauliflower salad with dates, nuts, herbs & a tahini dressing. Let the imagination run wild! And don’t forget to add your favourite bottle of Sunshine Sauce to the by table for everyone to share and enjoy!
So there you have it! Follow these tips and your next barbecue catch up will be screaming success!
