BBQ lover Summer is upon us and gardens spruced up for the warm weather, Traeger – market leaders in premium wood pellet BBQ’s – We caught up with a couple of their leading Traeger chefs to share some of their best and top grilling tips and hacks .
What’s your top trick for cleaning your grill?
– Clean little and often rather than letting it build up. Using a Traeger cleaning spray helps
– Wipe it down while it’s still hot! It’s much easier to do than when it’s cold. If you don’t have a wooden Traeger scraper, a ball of tinfoil works really well. Do this either at the end of your cook or once you’ve preheated the BBQ.
– For the grill grate itself, grill brush to scrape away large pieces and then a half onion on a hot grill to sterilise and flavour. The acids in the onion will help lift the grease
What’s your top BBQ cooking hack?
– Always give yourself more time than you think you’ll need! Worst case scenario, the food is done a little early. Wrap it up, put in your oven on the lowest setting (usually around 60c) and keep it warm.
– No matter what happens with a cook, even if it goes wrong, it can more than likely be rescued and still turned into something amazing.
– Re-season your food with the rub you have used to start with, it adds a big depth of flavour
– To BBQ the juiciest chicken wings with the crispiest skin – cook them at 2 different temperatures. Start by smoking them low and slow to lock in the flavour, then half way through – turn up the temperature to crisp up the skin
– Wrap an assembled burger in foil and put it back on the grill. Takes it to the next juiciest level!
What trends do you think will be big this year in BBQ? – have asked for recipes
– Cheaper/different cuts of meat will feature heavily as people want better value for money with the cost of living crisis and want as much bang for their buck
– Mexican food such as tacos and easy one pot recipes such as Goulash or stews
– Smoking food and cooking low and slow are going to be big trends this year. This method of cooking is definitely becoming more popular in the UK with dishes such as smoked pulled pork, ribs and wings
– We see more and more foods getting “smashed”. It started with the avocado, then we had burgers last season….Now we can see smashed potatoes next
– We should start to see more plant based and gluten free products as health comes to the top agenda.
– Batch cooking will return and with the mindset of healthy meal planning and reducing food waste.
What’s your go-to veggie or vegan dish to cook on a BBQ?
– Braised carrots in a stock that’s flavoured with everything you will find in pickle vinegar, then smoke them and serve them as ‘not dogs’
– A tray bake is always a good one to do. Throw in some new potatoes with a load of veggies. Sprinkle some Traeger Veggie rub over the top and bake in the Traeger until everything’s lovely and soft.
– Some smoked confit tomatoes which make an incredible bruschetta or a fantastic brown sugar and cinnamon slow smoked butternut squash.
Why are pellets the best way to grill?
– Wood pellets are clean, efficient, cost effective, family friendly and they produce the most incredible clean smokey flavour
– Pellets are the best way to grill as they enhance the flavour of whatever you are cooking, depending on which wood flavour you use. You get such a big punch of flavour even from a small number of pellets
– Wood pellets give you all the smoke flavour you need, with none of the hassle. You don’t have to worry about fire management like other methods of grilling, which means you can put 100% of your focus on the food and have 1 less thing to stress about.
How to cook the perfect Steak?
– Use the Reverse sear method. Season your steak with Traeger coffee rub, set your Traeger to 110c and insert the built in probe or Meater probe. If you like a medium rare steak, once the internal temperature hits 46c, remove the steak from the grill. Put the Traeger cast iron on the grate to heat up first, then add the steak and turn up the temperature as high as it goes. Sear each side for just a couple of minutes until you’ve hit 56c internal.
– Always use a good rub that’s made for the type of meat you are cooking. With Steak – use a beef rub
– Use a steak that is at least a 1-inch thick and has the same thickness throughout, to ensure a uniform cook throughout the steak: https://www.traeger.com/recipes/reverse-seared-rib-eye-steaks
– Most importantly, let the meat rest, so any juices have come out before serving.
– The perfect Steak
– Ingredients
– 1 Thick cut steak ( no less than 1”) of your choice
– Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan Rub
– Steak needs to acclimatise to room temperature, so allow it to rest out of the fridge for around 30 minutes. If you hit your steak with heat straight from the fridge, it will contract and seize up and you will have a tough piece of meat.
– Pat your steak dry with some kitchen roll and season liberally with traeger blackened Saskatchewan and leave it on the side for 30 minutes.
– Set your traeger for 100 degrees c using Traeger Signature pellets where possible.
– Place your meat probe into the thickest part of your steak, making sure you avoid any fat as this will increase your temperatures.
– Grill on both sides as you prefer
How important is it to marinade meat or fish before you BBQ?
– It’s important for a few reasons. A marinade will add flavour, help tenderise the meat and lock in important juices. Try adding marinade or re-season while the meat or fish is resting to add even more flavour
– Don’t overpower with too much rub or marinade, so that the star of the show doesn’t lose its identity.
Enjoy !
