Speaking to FEMAIL, Mursal Saiq, co-founder of the wildly popular Guyanese Afghan barbecue specialists Cue Point, and her head chef, Josh Moroney, revealed how to avoid a grill disaster.
‘It’s a common misconception that barbecue is all about pork, country music and beer. It really isn’t anymore,” Mursal, who runs a restaurant in south London, told FEMAIL.
‘We founded Cue Point to shake up the barbecue scene. We don’t serve pork, we’re fully inclusive of Muslims and Jews, vegans, dairy intolerant, and our food is made in small batches with big flavors.’
Here, she tells FEMAIL her best barbecue tips, from preparing a good marinade to keeping the fire under control…
DON’T FORGET TO MARINATE
‘Marinating is an important part of barbecue, but you can take it too far with excessive seasoning, brining, and rubbing.
‘There’s nothing wrong with creating a dry rub and putting it on meat, fish or vegetables, right on the barbecue.
Remember to marinate! Mursal told FEMAIL: “There is nothing wrong with creating a dry rub and putting it on meat, fish or vegetables, right on the barbecue.” (archive image)
“We think white meat needs to be marinated, but beef can be cooked with a little herbed salt and is just as juicy and flavorful.
“Lamb, on the other hand, because it’s juicier, really benefits from a good marinade.
PREPARATION IS KEY
‘Set up your trays, tongs and tea towels on the side of the barbecue so you’re ready to serve. Preferably with a cold glass of something nearby.
KEEP YOUR FIRE UNDER CONTROL
Burn marks do not mean the food is cooked!
‘Many people assume you can only cook with white charcoal, but you can slow cook using less charcoal by making sure you don’t overload your BBQ, slow cook with black coals instead of searing hot white coals, making sure meat in particular is cooked. from within and everywhere.
Don’t be afraid to cook on low heat! Mursal explained that slow cooking with less charcoal works well (file image)
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR MEAT ON THE GRILL WHEN IT IS OFF
‘Imagine the scene: you have a barbecue in the garden or in the park, the fire has died down a bit, so you fan the embers with a piece of cardboard and, before you know it, the ashes have gone all over the house. food, drinks and all your clothes. Don’t be lazy!
“Take the time to remove the food from the barbie, ask everyone to move out of the way and start fanning safely.”
ALWAYS WEAR AN APRON
It’s a dirty business! Always wear an apron when barbecuing and wipe it clean after cooking (stock image)
Barbecuing can be tricky business: they’re never totally clean when you start out, so put them on the heat and then invest in a good barbecue cleaning brush and scrub it down.
‘If you’re really organized, you might as well clean it up after your barbecue!
BUY A THERMOMETER
‘BBQ is really a scientific process and people don’t realize that!
‘Meat acts in different ways and under different conditions. Just because you’ve always cooked things a certain way doesn’t mean it’s going to come out the same way every time.
The darker meats that we smoke, like brisket, should come out around the 88 to 92 degree level.
‘This works for any meat you want to melt in your mouth.
‘The steaks would be around the 55º mark level, so they come out juicy and beautiful.
It’s a science! Mursal said using a thermometer is key, and beef should be between 88 and 92 degrees (file image)
COOK YOUR VEGETABLES BEFORE THE MEAT
‘Sounds simple, but other people always forget.
‘Always cook vegetables before meat, so vegetables can be eaten without a load of meat juices all over the place!
And don’t be afraid to boil the vegetables, so they won’t be stringy or tough. This works particularly well with corn on the cob, beets, and asparagus. Vegetables can often be tightly wrapped in aluminum foil.
Always cook vegetables before meat, so the vegetables can be eaten without the meat juices getting all over the place. Stock Image
DISPOSE OF YOUR BARBECUE IN A METAL BUCKET
‘You have to think about where you will place your barbecue.
Do not put it next to your rose bush because the heat and ash will spoil it.
‘Buy yourself a metal ice bucket, put some water in there and then dump the charcoal in so you can dispose of it safely.
