Post by captaincook on Jun 16, 2014 21:48:03 GMT 10
Here is a copy of my cook book, along with some useful hints .
Note.
This is now available on the New Aussie Cue Forum. I recommend you go there for up to date info.
Here is the link
aussiecue.dudeworld.com.au/STC/index.php?topic=209.0
There is no cost involved, however if you find this info useful please make a donation to the Make A Wish Foundation. It can be some small change, a couple of gold coins or notes, whatever you can spare. The amount does not matter, The act of helping out kids who need that little sparkle is what matters.
I have no affiliation with Weber Australia, I used to have 4 years ago when I demonstrated cooking for them for 7 years
I developed this book partly to help people such as yourself and partly so I didn't sit down and waste time watching TV.
The Aussie Cue Forum has so many great bits of information regarding BBQing and the members are always willing to help. The best advice I can give is get to know your BBQ and all the different methods you can use to be able to cook the perfect dish. I found that there are many variations to direct and indirect cooking. I don't use a hotplate very often, I have used a hotplate on my Q100 twice and never on my Q220. I use a teflon grill mat regularly, I get mine from woolies, it lasts me several years. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like via the forum. I will try to answer them all. Others will chime in with their thoughts and experiences which is also of great benefit as I can only give you my thoughts and experiences.
I digress, - as promised
Weber Australia have a good recipe book for the Q series available from Weber Retailers and Premium Dealers. It has a lot of good info regarding setting up and methods of cooking. The recipes in the book look good and they have a lot of pretty pictures. I haven't done the pretty picture thing. You will note that the way I do things and the way the book says to do things differ, My way is based on countless cooks on all the Q series BBQs, both cooking for my family and friends and demonstrating cooking. There are many different ways and ideas on how to. I tend to look at the science as well as the art.
I can appreciate what you are trying to do on the BBQ many of us on the forum are trying to achieve the same thing.
For me recipe books are just a guide and I see so many recipe books that are all about fancy stuff with lots of decoration and side dishes. My focus and the focus of many others is the meat.
My recipe book is a guide of sorts to the different methods of cooking. The recipes are tried and true which I have done for my tastes and the majority of my friends tastes, they don't suit all.
I have just started to re-write the book in a different format with a lot more ideas in it - the purpose of it is to assist people such as yourself go from a snag burner to a complete new level where you will be able to develop dishes to suit your tastes. It will focus more on the methods and styles and how you can develop them to suit your BBQ.
Remember All cooking on the Q series of BBQs is done with the lid closed. This retains the heat, allows to cook from the bottom up and top down, pushes the juices into the centre, uses a convection type airflow to circulate those wonderful BBQ flavours around the meat intensifying the flavours, and is a much quicker method of grilling.
Cooking indirect on the Q series (again with the lid down intensifies the BBQ flavour also. The added bonus is that you use a lot less gas.
Keep in mind that if it is cooked outdoors I do all the preparation and cooking. - "her Indoors" is only responsible for the decoration (salads and side dishes not cooked outside.)
One of the things that I recommend to people starting out is to start of with chicken and see how many different ways you can cook it and different tastes you can achieve when cooking it.
In the Recipe book there is a Gourmet BBQ Brined Chicken recipe, try this do it early on a Sunday afternoon and then serve it up with crusty buttered rolls, cold sliced tomato and chilled sparkling wine. Seventh heaven for sure.
To cook it on the BBQ you need to set the BBQ up for indirect cooking - indirect is where you have a barrier between the meat and the fire which will reflect the direct heat away from the meat. You also need to raise the meat up above the barrier so that the hot air can circulate around the meat cooking it in a convection style. The easiest way to do this is to use a trivet (wire tray. Weber have them for the Q . You can use the wire rack out of your stove grill if you have one or you can use a cake cooling rack to get you out of trouble. For the barrier use a doubled over sheet of foil a bit bigger that the trivet (as long as the meat does not hang over the foil - otherwise make it a bit bigger so it doesn't hang over. To lift the trivet up you may need to roll up some foil into balls about 20 - 30 mm high and sit the trivet on this. Underneath where the meat is going to sit on the trivet put a few slits in the foil with the tip of a knife, they don't have to be very big this is to let the excess juices drain out. Some of the juices will drip onto the foil and boil off which helps to develop that wonderful BBQ flavour. Cook the chook for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. I recommend that you buy a digital temp probe and cook to temperature not time. - you never have failures this way.
Cook the chicken at about 200-220C.
For the Q300 Series, Start off on High and then turn it down to about 3 strokes above low with both burners on or about 3 strokes below high if you only have the outer burner on.
For the Q100/200 series, Start off on High and then turn it down to about 2 - 3 strokes a below high.
You can get a lemon and cut it into quarters and put them into the chicken's cavity for a different flavour (I sometimes do but try it without first).
Once you have chicken this way you will never cook it any other way.
Now you know about how to set up for indirect cooking and how you can get BBQ flavours by letting the fat/juices boil off on the foil and circulate around the meat. This method is also good for cooking meats that have been marinated using marinades with a high sugar content (all commercial marinades do). You have also learned that brining changes the texture of the meat, enhances the flavour and makes it much more juicy and tender.
Another experiment that you can try is get a couple of pork chops about 25 - 30 mm thick and brine them in about a 3/4 - 1 litre of apple juice and a tablespoon of salt for 12 hours (use this ratio if using less or more) rinse them in cold water, pat them dry, brush with a little oil (don't ever use olive oil when grilling it has a lower flash point and will smoke and blacken the food) use Canola, Vegetable, Grapeseed or Ricebran. and then grill them for about 4 1/2 minutes a side on low heat. - Notice the completely different flavour it is like roast pork and apple sauce. Now you have learnt the art of flavour transference/addition by using the brine as a medium for adding different flavours. It only adds a little flavour which is all we want, we don't want to overpower the natural flavour merely enhance it. If you have done these couple of exercises then you are on your way to being a BBQ hero with the family.
The Cast Iron (CI) grill can get very hot and sometimes sears the meat too much such as when you are doing spatchcocked chicken (chicken that is cut down the breast bone and flattened out) or Butterflied Lamb. I will generally cook these on the trivet without any foil underneath. The trivet does not hold the heat like the CI grill and raises the meat that little further from the heat (which I have adjust to a medium low setting) yet still gets some slight charring. My preference is not to have a lot of charring but enough to give that wonderful BBQ taste without being overpowering.
Another method that you can use is a combination of direct and indirect. I do this for Tandoori style dishes. I like Tandoori Lamb. This recipe will be in the next iteration of my cookbook.
I use lamb steaks which I brush well with Sharwoods Tandoori Paste. and let them marinate for 1/2 - 1 Hour.
I put the doubled over sheet of foil down and the trivet on top and preheat the BBQ for 10 Minutes. I then put the Lamb Steaks on the trivet and cook them indirect on high for 8 minutes. (this lets the Tandoori paste set/firm up and penetrate into the outer layer of the lamb. I then remove the foil leaving the lamb on the trivet and cook them with direct heat for 2 minutes a side with the heat turned down 2 strokes from high.
The lamb will be cooked to medium and when you bite into it you get the initial hit of the tandoori flavour followed by a burst of lamb juice.
You can adapt this to chicken or thin slices of beef. For tandoori prawns you put a layer of foil on half the grill with a rolled edge in the centre (this is to rest the skewers on so they are easy to turn and the skewers wont burn) Put 2 or 3 prawns on wooden skewers (soaked in water for an hour or so) and brush the prawns with the Tandoori paste. Preheat the Q for 10 minutes and then turn down to 3 strokes from high and wipe the grill with some oil soaked paper towel. Put the skewers on and cook the prawns for 2 minutes per side. The prawns will disappear so fast you will wonder what happened to them.
Something different to think about to help you discover different ways. Continental have a "Cook in a Bag BBQ Ribs" which consists of an oven bag, and a pack of dry rub/seasoning. I get some pork strips when they are marked down at woolies and do them in the bag, I follow the instructions and then put the bag in a foil tray on the trivet (with the sheet of foil underneath the trivet) set up for indirect cooking, on the Baby Q or Q220 with the gas control 3-4 strokes from high and cook for about an hour. On the 320 just have the outer burner on about 4 strokes from high. Add a tablespoon of BBQ sauce to the juices just before serving. I do this in my winnebago and serve it with some 90 second rice and some wilted bock choy to which I add a dash of oyster sauce. A gourmet meal done easily.
I hope that this has given you a bit of an insight as to what you can do on the Weber Q and the different methods that you can use.
Attached are photos of the Pork Belly cooking and cooked by braising it in Coke Cola. I then finish it off by cooking it indirect for 20 minutes glazed with Ginger Marmalade and BBQ sauce. The recipe in the book uses my tangy BBQ Sauce.
A Weber trivet and the Weber digital thermometer are the two accessories that I always use when cooking indirect.
At the back of the recipe book there is the recipe for the perfect steak you, use this method for most grilling. There is a few posts in the forum about cooking snags and different styles of cooking.
As for getting a Medium Rare steak
It depends on the amount of charring that you want and the thickness of the steak. People complain that the Q220 doesn't produce a medium rare steak. They are trying to cook it using a 12 - 19 mm steak. To do a good steak you need to get one about 35 mm thick get your Q hot (preheat for 10 - 15 Minutes and put it onto a different part of the grill when you cook it. You will also find that a medium steak will be just as juicy as a medium rare steak cooked in a conventional manner. Most people like a medium rare steak because a medium to well done steak cooked conventionally is dry.
I have been cooking on a Q220 for over 10 years and the Q100 for 4 years and consistently produce great steaks, The Q320 produces great steaks
I hope all this helps you all.
If you are a visitor to this forum perhaps you would like to join and share.
Footnote: It is possible to cook different things at the same time on the Q as in most other BBQs, You just need to know how to cook each item and then with, a little planning and timing/compromise if required, cook them. I do it regularly on all my BBQs be they gas, charcoal or pellet grill.
Make a Wish Foundation link www.makeawish.org.au/donate
Cheers
Phil aka Captain Cook
Q Barbecue Recipes Aug 09 Rev 1.pdf (264.71 KB)
Note.
This is now available on the New Aussie Cue Forum. I recommend you go there for up to date info.
Here is the link
aussiecue.dudeworld.com.au/STC/index.php?topic=209.0
There is no cost involved, however if you find this info useful please make a donation to the Make A Wish Foundation. It can be some small change, a couple of gold coins or notes, whatever you can spare. The amount does not matter, The act of helping out kids who need that little sparkle is what matters.
I have no affiliation with Weber Australia, I used to have 4 years ago when I demonstrated cooking for them for 7 years
I developed this book partly to help people such as yourself and partly so I didn't sit down and waste time watching TV.
The Aussie Cue Forum has so many great bits of information regarding BBQing and the members are always willing to help. The best advice I can give is get to know your BBQ and all the different methods you can use to be able to cook the perfect dish. I found that there are many variations to direct and indirect cooking. I don't use a hotplate very often, I have used a hotplate on my Q100 twice and never on my Q220. I use a teflon grill mat regularly, I get mine from woolies, it lasts me several years. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like via the forum. I will try to answer them all. Others will chime in with their thoughts and experiences which is also of great benefit as I can only give you my thoughts and experiences.
I digress, - as promised
Weber Australia have a good recipe book for the Q series available from Weber Retailers and Premium Dealers. It has a lot of good info regarding setting up and methods of cooking. The recipes in the book look good and they have a lot of pretty pictures. I haven't done the pretty picture thing. You will note that the way I do things and the way the book says to do things differ, My way is based on countless cooks on all the Q series BBQs, both cooking for my family and friends and demonstrating cooking. There are many different ways and ideas on how to. I tend to look at the science as well as the art.
I can appreciate what you are trying to do on the BBQ many of us on the forum are trying to achieve the same thing.
For me recipe books are just a guide and I see so many recipe books that are all about fancy stuff with lots of decoration and side dishes. My focus and the focus of many others is the meat.
My recipe book is a guide of sorts to the different methods of cooking. The recipes are tried and true which I have done for my tastes and the majority of my friends tastes, they don't suit all.
I have just started to re-write the book in a different format with a lot more ideas in it - the purpose of it is to assist people such as yourself go from a snag burner to a complete new level where you will be able to develop dishes to suit your tastes. It will focus more on the methods and styles and how you can develop them to suit your BBQ.
Remember All cooking on the Q series of BBQs is done with the lid closed. This retains the heat, allows to cook from the bottom up and top down, pushes the juices into the centre, uses a convection type airflow to circulate those wonderful BBQ flavours around the meat intensifying the flavours, and is a much quicker method of grilling.
Cooking indirect on the Q series (again with the lid down intensifies the BBQ flavour also. The added bonus is that you use a lot less gas.
Keep in mind that if it is cooked outdoors I do all the preparation and cooking. - "her Indoors" is only responsible for the decoration (salads and side dishes not cooked outside.)
One of the things that I recommend to people starting out is to start of with chicken and see how many different ways you can cook it and different tastes you can achieve when cooking it.
In the Recipe book there is a Gourmet BBQ Brined Chicken recipe, try this do it early on a Sunday afternoon and then serve it up with crusty buttered rolls, cold sliced tomato and chilled sparkling wine. Seventh heaven for sure.
To cook it on the BBQ you need to set the BBQ up for indirect cooking - indirect is where you have a barrier between the meat and the fire which will reflect the direct heat away from the meat. You also need to raise the meat up above the barrier so that the hot air can circulate around the meat cooking it in a convection style. The easiest way to do this is to use a trivet (wire tray. Weber have them for the Q . You can use the wire rack out of your stove grill if you have one or you can use a cake cooling rack to get you out of trouble. For the barrier use a doubled over sheet of foil a bit bigger that the trivet (as long as the meat does not hang over the foil - otherwise make it a bit bigger so it doesn't hang over. To lift the trivet up you may need to roll up some foil into balls about 20 - 30 mm high and sit the trivet on this. Underneath where the meat is going to sit on the trivet put a few slits in the foil with the tip of a knife, they don't have to be very big this is to let the excess juices drain out. Some of the juices will drip onto the foil and boil off which helps to develop that wonderful BBQ flavour. Cook the chook for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. I recommend that you buy a digital temp probe and cook to temperature not time. - you never have failures this way.
Cook the chicken at about 200-220C.
For the Q300 Series, Start off on High and then turn it down to about 3 strokes above low with both burners on or about 3 strokes below high if you only have the outer burner on.
For the Q100/200 series, Start off on High and then turn it down to about 2 - 3 strokes a below high.
You can get a lemon and cut it into quarters and put them into the chicken's cavity for a different flavour (I sometimes do but try it without first).
Once you have chicken this way you will never cook it any other way.
Now you know about how to set up for indirect cooking and how you can get BBQ flavours by letting the fat/juices boil off on the foil and circulate around the meat. This method is also good for cooking meats that have been marinated using marinades with a high sugar content (all commercial marinades do). You have also learned that brining changes the texture of the meat, enhances the flavour and makes it much more juicy and tender.
Another experiment that you can try is get a couple of pork chops about 25 - 30 mm thick and brine them in about a 3/4 - 1 litre of apple juice and a tablespoon of salt for 12 hours (use this ratio if using less or more) rinse them in cold water, pat them dry, brush with a little oil (don't ever use olive oil when grilling it has a lower flash point and will smoke and blacken the food) use Canola, Vegetable, Grapeseed or Ricebran. and then grill them for about 4 1/2 minutes a side on low heat. - Notice the completely different flavour it is like roast pork and apple sauce. Now you have learnt the art of flavour transference/addition by using the brine as a medium for adding different flavours. It only adds a little flavour which is all we want, we don't want to overpower the natural flavour merely enhance it. If you have done these couple of exercises then you are on your way to being a BBQ hero with the family.
The Cast Iron (CI) grill can get very hot and sometimes sears the meat too much such as when you are doing spatchcocked chicken (chicken that is cut down the breast bone and flattened out) or Butterflied Lamb. I will generally cook these on the trivet without any foil underneath. The trivet does not hold the heat like the CI grill and raises the meat that little further from the heat (which I have adjust to a medium low setting) yet still gets some slight charring. My preference is not to have a lot of charring but enough to give that wonderful BBQ taste without being overpowering.
Another method that you can use is a combination of direct and indirect. I do this for Tandoori style dishes. I like Tandoori Lamb. This recipe will be in the next iteration of my cookbook.
I use lamb steaks which I brush well with Sharwoods Tandoori Paste. and let them marinate for 1/2 - 1 Hour.
I put the doubled over sheet of foil down and the trivet on top and preheat the BBQ for 10 Minutes. I then put the Lamb Steaks on the trivet and cook them indirect on high for 8 minutes. (this lets the Tandoori paste set/firm up and penetrate into the outer layer of the lamb. I then remove the foil leaving the lamb on the trivet and cook them with direct heat for 2 minutes a side with the heat turned down 2 strokes from high.
The lamb will be cooked to medium and when you bite into it you get the initial hit of the tandoori flavour followed by a burst of lamb juice.
You can adapt this to chicken or thin slices of beef. For tandoori prawns you put a layer of foil on half the grill with a rolled edge in the centre (this is to rest the skewers on so they are easy to turn and the skewers wont burn) Put 2 or 3 prawns on wooden skewers (soaked in water for an hour or so) and brush the prawns with the Tandoori paste. Preheat the Q for 10 minutes and then turn down to 3 strokes from high and wipe the grill with some oil soaked paper towel. Put the skewers on and cook the prawns for 2 minutes per side. The prawns will disappear so fast you will wonder what happened to them.
Something different to think about to help you discover different ways. Continental have a "Cook in a Bag BBQ Ribs" which consists of an oven bag, and a pack of dry rub/seasoning. I get some pork strips when they are marked down at woolies and do them in the bag, I follow the instructions and then put the bag in a foil tray on the trivet (with the sheet of foil underneath the trivet) set up for indirect cooking, on the Baby Q or Q220 with the gas control 3-4 strokes from high and cook for about an hour. On the 320 just have the outer burner on about 4 strokes from high. Add a tablespoon of BBQ sauce to the juices just before serving. I do this in my winnebago and serve it with some 90 second rice and some wilted bock choy to which I add a dash of oyster sauce. A gourmet meal done easily.
I hope that this has given you a bit of an insight as to what you can do on the Weber Q and the different methods that you can use.
Attached are photos of the Pork Belly cooking and cooked by braising it in Coke Cola. I then finish it off by cooking it indirect for 20 minutes glazed with Ginger Marmalade and BBQ sauce. The recipe in the book uses my tangy BBQ Sauce.
A Weber trivet and the Weber digital thermometer are the two accessories that I always use when cooking indirect.
At the back of the recipe book there is the recipe for the perfect steak you, use this method for most grilling. There is a few posts in the forum about cooking snags and different styles of cooking.
As for getting a Medium Rare steak
It depends on the amount of charring that you want and the thickness of the steak. People complain that the Q220 doesn't produce a medium rare steak. They are trying to cook it using a 12 - 19 mm steak. To do a good steak you need to get one about 35 mm thick get your Q hot (preheat for 10 - 15 Minutes and put it onto a different part of the grill when you cook it. You will also find that a medium steak will be just as juicy as a medium rare steak cooked in a conventional manner. Most people like a medium rare steak because a medium to well done steak cooked conventionally is dry.
I have been cooking on a Q220 for over 10 years and the Q100 for 4 years and consistently produce great steaks, The Q320 produces great steaks
I hope all this helps you all.
If you are a visitor to this forum perhaps you would like to join and share.
Footnote: It is possible to cook different things at the same time on the Q as in most other BBQs, You just need to know how to cook each item and then with, a little planning and timing/compromise if required, cook them. I do it regularly on all my BBQs be they gas, charcoal or pellet grill.
Make a Wish Foundation link www.makeawish.org.au/donate
Cheers
Phil aka Captain Cook
Q Barbecue Recipes Aug 09 Rev 1.pdf (264.71 KB)
