Barbecue

It is summer time again (here in North America). Time to clean the grill and get it running again. Steak, hot dogs, burger and bratwurst are some of the favorite foods to grill in this part of the world. However, we are not limited to these selections.

I chose to follow my cravings by grilling barbecue. I miss the grilled pork barbecue in the Philippines. Back in the days, I buy barbecue at least three times a week from a stall situated beside the entrance gate of our village. Aside from the barbecue, I also love the dipping sauce. The sauce is a mixture of vinegar, whole peppercorn, red onions, and “siling labuyo” (birds eye chili). The sauce is placed in tall cylindrical glass jars (these are recycled coffee jars: Nescafe or Great Taste, probably). I soak the barbecue in the sauce for a good 5 minutes to absorb the flavor. Since the sauce jar is shared by everyone, I make sure to get my barbecue right after the stall opens. That way, I am confident that the sauce is still fresh.

I also grill Isaw and liempo when I have the chance — and if the neighbors are not around, I do inihaw na pusit and bangus. Ang Sarap, diba? Imagining these good Filipino Food is making me hungry.

Making your own barbecue is simple. However, some of you might not be satisfied with the end result. It might be something about the appearance, texture, and taste.

The most common issue that I experienced in terms of appearance is the shape. The meat looks good before grilling, but it shrinks afterwards — making it odd shaped and looking dehydrated. There are factors that you need to consider to avoid this situation. The first is the manner of arranging the meat in the bamboo skewer (barbecue stick). Make sure that the meat is compact while skewering, and try to add a generous amounts of meat per stick.

Dry texture is usually caused by over grilling or too much heat. Try not too over grill your barbecue to maintain a manageable texture. Using Excessive heat can also make the meat hard. If you are using a gas grill, always set the heat to medium. For charcoal grills, you can always adjust the height of the rack to control the heat. You should also baste both sides of the barbecue once in a while to keep it moist.

As for the taste, it will depend on the marinade that you are using and the amount of marinating time. You can always refer to our barbecue recipe for the marinade ingredients. I marinate the meat for at least 8 hours to attain full flavor.

Do you also like barbecue? Do you have your own barbecue stories that you want to share? Don’t be shy, we encourage you to share your comments, insights, and stories. Hope to hear from you soon.