Kitchen Essential

Considering the sociability of the barbecues and the fact that you don’t have to clean the kitchen afterwards, it’s brilliant! It’s less fuss, more fun. We recently went for what we thought was a traditional (in the sense of a fire) barbecues at a friend’s house. When the fire was still not lit an hour after we got there and there was no sign of wood or charcoal we were getting a bit edgy, only for the hostess to nonchalantly stroll outside with the extension lead and her new electrical barbecues. Fair enough, it is easier, but lighting the fire and enjoying that delightful smell that stays in your clothes and hair for the remainder of the evening certainly adds a little je ne sais quoi to an evening under the stars.

So if you haven’t defected to electricity, read on. Barbecues can be quite involved and you certainly need to know your stuff when barbecues for a group of friends, 20 of them. You will need a decent pair of tongs, a large stainless steel bowl or two and a couple of helpers to ensure that the barbecuer has a cold drink in hand at all times. The variables are almost countless, but it all comes together after a while.

Wood vs Charcoal

The first thing you need to decide is whether you will be a wood or a charcoal barbecuer. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, but are suitable for all kinds of barbecues. A wood fire is usually ready within an hour or two, depending on the type of wood and the size of your fire. So allow enough time in your planning to get the fire ready. Make an extra fire on the side to ensure that you don’t run out of coals. There are few things worse that having cooked half the meat and then having to start all over again — you might find your guests wandering off to the local take-away (we have, of course, experienced this).

If you live in the city you often don’t have much choice in the type of wood you will be using, but it is nevertheless interesting to take note that various kinds of wood deliver varying degrees of heat in the coals. Leadwood, karee and ironwood (wild olive) give hot coals.

Karoo-thorn (sweet-thorn), sambreeldoring, hook-thorn and rooikrans make hot to moderate coals and wingerdstompies render moderate coals.

Wood also adds flavour to the meat (and your clothing). Place a couple of sprigs of rosemary on the fire for that extra touch. For the exact reason that wood adds flavour to your barbecues, you should never barbecues with pine or blue gum — the result will be enormously unappetising.

Then of course there is the sociability of the fire, especially in the evening. There are few other things that will get all your guests out of the house and therefore prevent them from making a horrible mess that will be left for you to clean the following morning.

Charcoal fires are ready within 30 to 45 minutes and are cheaper and generally more reliable than wood fires. The greatest advantage of charcoal is that it gives sustained heat over a longer period of time. But let’s be honest, it’s no fun in comparison with a wood fire. You could go for the best of both worlds: have a social wood-fire, and a charcoal cooking-fire.

Mobile Barbecues

If you have a steel mobile- barbecues, place a layer of sand in the bottom as this protects the metal and will absorb dripping fats. You can also cover it with a layer of foil, shiny side up. This assists in creating more heat.

Lighting the Fire

When lighting a wood fire it is compulsory to use a combination of dry twigs and crumpled newspaper simply to get the full experience, but considering we live in the 21st century firelighters are a slightlymore viable and easier option. Place the twigs on top of the crumpled newspaper and light the paper. Pack a few pieces of dry wood, either in a stepped square or in pyramid form. In windy conditions it is better to stack a pyramid, as it will protect the budding fire inside. Do not start with too many pieces as you may smother the fire and then you’ll have to start from scratch. The only advice we can give you if you are using wet wood, obviously not on purpose, is to have many firelighters handy, preferably an entire box. Pack all your wood around the budding fire to dry out. Take an old candle and drip wax over the pieces of wood in the fire or throw in a couple of pine kernels, but be warned, they tend to shoot off little sparks every now and then.

If you have chosen to use charcoal, simply place crumpled newspapers or firelighters at the bottom and light them. Place a few pieces of charcoal on top, adding a few more after a few minutes, allowing the fire to breathe.

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