COOKING METHODS
COOK YOUR FOOD TO PERFECTION
Once you've decided what to cook, the next step is to set the barbecue up for Direct, Indirect, Circular or 50-50 cooking. This is a critical decision because it will mean the difference between perfectly cooked and perfectly disappointed. Let us explain.
Direct
Direct cooking is perfect for small pieces of meat that only need to be barbecued for up to 15-20 minutes, e.g. steaks, tiger prawns, meat patties and chicken fillets.
Light up your chimney starter and spread the briquettes evenly across the entire grate after 20-25 minutes – once all the briquettes are glowing and covered by a thin layer of grey ash.
The even distribution provides uniform heat under the grill and all the food is barbecued directly over the glowing briquettes.
You have almost certainly tried out this method before in a normal open BBQ, but in a closed Weber BBQ you get a much better result. When you use the lid, you keep in the steam from the food, making it softer and juicier, and more tasty.
You cook directly on a gas BBQ by placing the food directly over the burners. You can even control the heat very precisely by adjusting the regulators up or down.
Indirect
The basic indirect cooking method was developed by Weber-Stephen in the 1950’s. Being able to BBQ turkeys, legs of lamb and large beef roasts that needed more than 20 minutes cooking time caused a sensation at the time.
One of the first and most widespread indirect cooking methods is as follows: When the briquettes are ready, place them on each side of the charcoal grate in equal amounts. There should be no briquettes in the middle of the grate. Place a drip tray here to collect juices from the food, which you place on the BBQ grill directly above the drip tray. Remember to put the lid on the BBQ immediately. The ingenious thing about the Weber® BBQ is that it is not just a BBQ, but also works like a fan-assisted oven. And because the BBQ is outside, where the air is more humid, the food ends up being much juicier and tastier, so you get the authentic Weber experience.
Using the Weber® Q™ series, you cook indirectly using gas by turning the middle burners of your Weber® Q™300 right down. With the smaller models, you cook dishes requiring more than 20-25 minutes by turning the heat right down.
Circular
This method is perfect for really large pieces of meat, such as whole turkeys. It’s also perfect for pizza, bread and cakes.
Arrange the hot briquettes in a ring, all the way around the edge of the charcoal grate. Prepare your pizza for barbecuing on a piece of baking paper. Place the pizza on the BBQ and give it 3-4 minutes with the lid on. Then pull the baking paper out from under the pizza and barbecue it directly on the stone for 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick the base is. If you barbecue more than 2-3 pizzas in a row, you need to change the stone. Otherwise it gets too hot and will burn the pizza base.
Remember to put a drip tray in the middle of the grate, so juices from the food do not drip onto the grate. It’s a good idea to place some liquid in the drip tray, so that juices from the meat do not burn black and give the food an unpleasant sooty taste. Place the food on the grill, directly over the drip tray.
50-50
This method is perfect for food that needs to be browned first, and then barbecued for a long time to get cooked right through.
Once the briquettes are ready, place them on one side of the charcoal grate. Place a drip tray on the other side of the grate to collect juices from the meat. It’s a good idea to place some liquid in the drip tray, as this prevents the juices from the meat from burning black and give the food an unpleasant sooty taste.
Begin by browning the meat, e.g. chicken drumsticks or pork tenderloin, directly over the glowing coals. Then move the meat over to the other side of the grill, above the drip tray. Finish cooking it here using indirect heat. You can cook side vegetables over the briquettes – such as potatoes, capsicums and corn cobs cut into pieces. Barbecued nachos with cheddar cheese and chilli salsa also tastes great, and can be cooked in a Weber® poultry roaster. Put it over the briquettes for 4-5 minutes to create a delicious snack for family and friends.