Top 10 Tricks of the Trade by Marcus Bawdon
- When resting meats, think of it as an opportunity to add another level of flavour with compound butters/fats/bone marrow.
- Try to think outside the box, combining techniques and ingredients that don’t usually go together. Be bold and give it a go. My recent bone marrow fondue came out of these experiments.
- Most people know direct and indirect, but there’s a special place just on the edge of the direct zone where you can place food to crisp up as with direct, but without worrying about fat dripping on the coals.
- Cook fire food from around the world. Seeing how other cultures approach fire cooking will open you up to new ideas and flavours.
- Go BIG or go home. There’s nothing like cooking a whole beast – a lamb or pig – to push yourself. You need to get your fire control on point, but it’s a real achievement.
- Aim to use all parts of the fire: direct, indirect, in the coals, with flames, with embers and in the ash. Combining techniques will give your cooking that extra edge.
- Although technology is great for getting some food cooked well when you’re learning, it’s good to go back to a minimal approach every now and then to build your fire cooking instincts.
- Trust yourself. You know what to do, so just do it, without questioning yourself. Think about the piece of meat in front of you and the fire you have. Cook with these philosophies in mind and not constrained by generic rules.
- Cook with others. Sharing the experience is what BBQ is all about. Find a few buddies to cook with and challenge each other to step up a gear each time you cook, looking for small improvements every time.
- Have fun. It’s BBQ. Life’s too short to stress about stuff and the more you enjoy your barbecuing, the more your creativity will flow.
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