Barbecue Basics: Heat Zones, Timing and Resting

As the weather warms up, the barbecue comes out of the shed and onto the deck. Most barbecue problems, burnt outsides, raw middles, dry chicken, come from cooking everything over the same blast of heat. A few simple habits fix almost all of them.

Set Up Two Heat Zones

This is the single most useful barbecue skill. On a gas barbecue, run one side on high and the other on low or off. On charcoal, bank the coals to one side.

• The hot side is for searing: steaks, chops, sausages to brown, burgers, and anything thin and quick.
• The cool side is for finishing: thick sausages, chicken pieces on the bone, butterflied lamb, and anything that needs to cook through without burning.

If something flares up or browns too fast, move it to the cool side. Problem solved.

Preheat Properly

Close the lid and heat the barbecue for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. A hot grill sears properly and the meat is less likely to stick. Clean the grill with a brush once it is hot.

Oil the meat, not the grill. A light brush of oil and a good season of salt just before cooking is all most cuts need.

Use the Lid

The lid turns your barbecue into an oven. Use it for anything thicker than about 3cm, chicken on the bone, whole chickens, roasts and ribs. For thin steaks and sausages you can leave it open.

Leave It Alone

Do not press burgers or steaks with the tongs: it squeezes out the juice. Give the meat time to release from the grill before you turn it. If it sticks, it is not ready to turn.

Cook to Temperature

A thermometer is just as useful outside as it is inside:

• Beef and lamb steaks: 52 to 55°C for medium-rare.
• Pork chops: about 70°C.
• Chicken: 75°C in the thickest part.
• Sausages and burgers: 75°C in the centre.

Rest Before You Serve

Rest steaks and chops for about 5 minutes on a clean plate, loosely covered. Butterflied lamb or a whole chicken needs 10 to 15 minutes. It gives you time to grill the vegetables.

Food Safety in Summer

Hot weather and raw meat need care:

• Keep raw meat in the fridge, or an esky with ice, until it goes on the grill.
• Use separate plates and tongs for raw and cooked meat. Never put cooked meat back on the plate that held it raw.
• Do not leave cooked food sitting out in the sun. Two hours is the limit, less on a really hot day.

What to Cook

For a summer barbecue, think sausages, lamb cutlets, butterflied lamb leg, chicken thigh kebabs, rump or scotch fillet steak, and pork ribs. Try our garlic and rosemary lamb chops for a quick win.

The free BBQ Guide has times and temperatures for every cut. You can order barbecue meat in the shop for click and collect.