BBQ Tips & Facts
- Spring Tune Up. To keep your barbeque looking and cooking like new, take the time to clean and tune it up before the start of each season. Follow Fiesta's maintenance instructions.
- Rub some flavour into your food! Dry rubs enhance flavour as opposed to tenderizing. A rub is usually a mixture of fresh or dried herbs and spices, sometimes mixed with an oil, crushed garlic or mustard, which is rubbed into the surface. Recommended for meats that require only a short time for cooking. Allow meat to cook for about 1/3 rd to ½ the total time before applying any basting sauce so you don’t “wash off” any of the dry rub seasonings. More on flavoring »
- Get your cooking grids hot! To do this, have the burners set at high for at least 10 minutes. By pre-heating the cooking grids, they will sear the meat to give it nice grill marks, but more importantly, it will keep the meat from sticking to the cooking grate.
- Low heat output. Follow the lighting instructions as outlined on your barbeque console decal or in the Use & Care manual. If the heat output from the burners on propane models seems abnormally low, the flow-limiting device may have been activated for safety. More on Care and use of your bbq »
- Keep your roast juicy! When rotisserie cooking, use a spray bottle or basting brush to baste the meat or poultry as it turns on the rotisserie spit. Experiment with different liquid combinations such as soy sauce, sherry, fruit juice, chicken or beef broth.
- Keep it Sanitary. Do not allow raw meat and fish to come into contact with other foods. Use separate cutting boards, or thoroughly sanitize the one you are using. Wash with hot soapy water, spray with a 5 % solution of chlorine bleach, and air dry. Plastic cutting boards can also be sanitized in the dishwasher.
- A little fat for flavour. Leave a thin layer of fat on steaks and roasts during cooking to preserve juiciness. Trim the rest of this layer off after cooking.
- Cooking with the lid down. The temperature of your barbeque changes each time you open the lid and even the best temperature gauge will not react instantly. For the best cooking results, try to cook with the lid down as much as possible.
- For extra flavour and moisture. When rotisserie cooking, place a heavy duty disposable foil drip pan with herbs, apple juice, beer or wine on your cooking medium directly beneath the area of the grid where you will be cooking to catch any drippings and to infuse the meat with added flavour and moisture.
- Go easy on the ground beef. Do not over-mix or compact ground beef as this will result in firm dense burgers when cooked.
- and aluminum don’t mix. When using an acid-based marinade, be sure to use only containers made of glass, ceramic or stainless steel, and NOT aluminum, which creates a chemical reaction that can darken the food and the aluminum container. Try using food-safe plastic zip-lock bags.
- Insects not allowed! Clean your venturi tubes at a minimum of once per year. Insect nests are the number one cause of gas barbeque fires. Click here for more on the caare and use of your bbq »
- Choosing your beef. Select beef with a deep red colour, without any grayish or brown blotches. Look for beef that is firm to the touch. Check that the package is cold and has no holes or tears and doesn’t have excessive fluid.
- Cool Canada. Barbeques made in Canada generally have a higher BTU rating than barbeques made in the U.S. because Canada enjoys a cooler climate than the United States, requiring more BTUs per square inch to maintain proper cooking temperatures. This is especially important for those of us who barbeque during the winter months.
- Pre-cook no more! Instead of precooking foods such as ribs, chicken legs or sausages, start them on the main cooking grid to sear in the juices and get the grill lines and then move them up to the warming rack to ensure the meat will be thoroughly cooked.
>> For more helpful hints and tips, check out www.fiestabbq.com
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