Grilling, Barbecue and Kebabs
Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2
Chapter 6 · Grilling, Barbecue and Kebabs
Skill goal
Cook beef safely over direct and indirect heat, and know when it is done.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A barbecue gives you two kinds of heat. Direct heat (food right over the coals or flames) is hot and quick: it browns the outside of thin pieces such as steaks, burgers and sausages. Indirect heat (food beside the coals, lid closed) works like an oven: it cooks thick pieces through without burning the outside. Build a two-zone fire by banking the coals on one side, or by leaving one burner off on a gas barbecue, and you can sear on one side and finish on the other.
Light charcoal early: it is ready for cooking when the coals are covered in grey ash, which takes about 30 minutes (approximate). Cooking over flames makes smoke and flare-ups from dripping fat, so move food to the cool side rather than spraying water. Rest meat after cooking so the juices settle, just as for a roast (see Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 4). Burgers and sausages made of mince are cooked right through; whole steaks can be pink. Buns for burgers are in Cooking Skills: Bread 1.
The method
- Prepare the fire first: light charcoal about 30 minutes ahead; turn gas on and preheat with the lid closed for 10 minutes.
- Clean and oil the grate, not the food, so it doesn't stick.
- Bring steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead, pat them dry and season at the last minute.
- Sear over direct heat, then move thick pieces to indirect heat to finish.
- Check with a thermometer: mince 71°C; whole steaks to your liking; rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
| Food | Heat | Time (approximate) | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steaks (2.5 cm) | Direct | 3 to 5 minutes a side | Your chosen doneness; rest 5 minutes |
| Sausages | Indirect then direct | 15 to 20 minutes | No pink, 71°C |
| Kebabs | Direct, turned often | 10 to 12 minutes | Beef browned, veg tender |
| Ribs (pre-cooked) | Indirect | 15 to 20 minutes to glaze | Hot and sticky |
| Burgers | Direct then indirect | 10 to 12 minutes | 71°C in the centre |
Barbecue safety, raw beef and allergens
Barbecue safety: use a barbecue outdoors only, never in a tent, garage or indoors, because it gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Never use petrol or extra lighter fluid on lit coals, keep children and pets away, and let the ash cool fully (often a full day) before putting it in a metal container. Charred, burnt meat is best kept to a minimum (general guidance).Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Allergens: buns may contain gluten and sesame; mayonnaise contains egg; Worcestershire sauce contains fish; marinades may contain milk (yogurt) and mustard.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Grilled steak and sausages
The simplest barbecue meal. Steaks sear over the hot side; sausages start on the cool side so the inside cooks before the skin burns. Serve with a salad and bread.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 2 sirloin steaks, about 250 g each, 2.5 cm thick
- 8 beef sausages
- 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Build a two-zone fire. Take the steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead, pat them dry, rub with oil and season.
- Put the sausages on the cool side with the lid on for about 10 minutes, turning once, then move them to the hot side for 5 to 8 minutes to brown, until cooked right through with no pink and clear juices.
- Sear the steaks on the hot side for about 3 to 5 minutes a side, until browned, turning once. If flames flare, move them to the cool side.
- Rest the steaks on a plate for 5 minutes, then slice across the grain and serve with the sausages.
Fire, raw beef and cooked-through sausages
Barbecue safety: use a barbecue outdoors only, never in a tent, garage or indoors, because it gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Never use petrol or extra lighter fluid on lit coals, keep children and pets away, and let the ash cool fully (often a full day) before putting it in a metal container. Charred, burnt meat is best kept to a minimum (general guidance).Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Sausages: sausages are minced beef, so they must be cooked right through: no pink inside, juices clear, about 71°C in the centre.
Resting: a steak keeps cooking and the juices settle while it rests. Cutting at once lets them run out.
Level 2 · On a stick
Beef kebabs
Cubes of beef in a yogurt and spice marinade, threaded onto skewers. Put the beef and the vegetables on separate skewers, because they cook at different speeds and you can then take each off when it is ready.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 600 g sirloin or rump, in 3 cm cubes
- 150 g plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 2 peppers, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, 1 tbsp of the oil and the salt. Add the beef, turn to coat, cover and chill for 1 hour (up to 8 hours).
- If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes. Thread the beef on some skewers and the peppers and onion on others, brushing the vegetables with the rest of the oil.
- Grill over direct heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until the beef is browned all over and cooked to your liking, and the vegetables are tender with charred edges.
- Rest for 3 minutes and serve with flatbreads and a little yogurt.
Fire, marinade and allergens
Barbecue safety: use a barbecue outdoors only, never in a tent, garage or indoors, because it gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Never use petrol or extra lighter fluid on lit coals, keep children and pets away, and let the ash cool fully (often a full day) before putting it in a metal container. Charred, burnt meat is best kept to a minimum (general guidance).Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Marinade hygiene: the marinade has held raw beef, so throw away what is left. Don't brush it on cooked food.
Milk: the marinade contains yogurt, which is dairy. A dairy-free yogurt works.
Level 2 · Low and slow
Barbecued ribs
Ribs are tough, so they are cooked tender in the oven first and then glazed on the barbecue. That makes it easy to get them right whatever the weather, and the barbecue does what it does best: smoke, char and sticky glaze.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1.5 kg beef short ribs
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan). Rub the ribs with the paprika and salt, wrap them tightly in foil and cook on a tray for 2½ hours, until the meat is tender and pulling back from the bone.
- Make the glaze by simmering the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic for 5 minutes until syrupy. Let the ribs cool a little in the foil.
- On the cool side of the barbecue with the lid on, cook the ribs for 10 minutes, then brush with the glaze and cook for another 10 minutes, turning and brushing once more, until hot and sticky. Move them to the hot side for a minute at the end if you like a char, but watch the sugar, which burns easily.
- Rest for 5 minutes, cut between the bones and serve with the rest of the glaze, boiled first if it touched raw meat.
Fire, hot foil and allergens
Barbecue safety: use a barbecue outdoors only, never in a tent, garage or indoors, because it gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Never use petrol or extra lighter fluid on lit coals, keep children and pets away, and let the ash cool fully (often a full day) before putting it in a metal container. Charred, burnt meat is best kept to a minimum (general guidance).Hot foil and juices: open the foil parcel away from your face, because hot steam and fat escape. Use oven gloves.
Allergens: Worcestershire sauce contains fish (anchovies); mustard is an allergen. Leave out the Worcestershire sauce if needed.
Level 3 · The full plate
A barbecued burger with sides
A burger, sweetcorn and a crunchy slaw, all timed to arrive together. Make the slaw first, because it improves as it stands, then cook the corn and burgers. For the burger method, see Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2, chapter 1.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 600 g beef mince (15 to 20% fat), shaped into 4 patties
- 4 burger buns
- 4 corn on the cob, in their husks or peeled
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- ¼ white cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 carrot, grated
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- Mix the cabbage, carrot, yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and salt for the slaw and chill. Shape the patties, pressing a dip in the centre of each, and chill.
- Start the corn on the cool side with the lid closed for 15 minutes, then move to the hot side for 5 minutes, turning, until browned in places. Brush with the butter.
- Cook the burgers on the hot side for 3 to 4 minutes a side until browned, then move them to the cool side with the lid on until the centre reaches 71°C and the juices run clear (about 5 to 8 more minutes). Toast the buns cut-side down for the last minute.
- Serve the burgers in the buns with the corn and slaw.
Fire, mince and allergens
Barbecue safety: use a barbecue outdoors only, never in a tent, garage or indoors, because it gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Never use petrol or extra lighter fluid on lit coals, keep children and pets away, and let the ash cool fully (often a full day) before putting it in a metal container. Charred, burnt meat is best kept to a minimum (general guidance).Minced beef must be cooked through: burgers, meatballs, sausages and anything made from mince must be cooked right through: no pink inside, juices running clear, about 71°C in the centre (general guidance). A whole steak can be served rare because bacteria sit on the surface; mincing spreads them through the meat.
Allergens: buns may contain gluten and sesame; mayonnaise contains egg; yogurt is dairy.
Experiments
Experiment
Direct or indirect heat
Sear then finish, or hot all the way.
- Cook two thick steaks, one only over direct heat and one seared and then moved to the cool side with the lid on.
Look for: The direct steak can be burnt outside before the centre is ready; the second cooks more evenly. Thick food wants indirect heat.
Experiment
Marinating
Marinated and plain.
- Marinate half the kebab beef for an hour and cook the rest plain, with only salt.
Look for: The marinated beef tastes of the spices and browns well, while the plain tastes more of the meat. Both are good.
Experiment
Resting
Cut at once and after 5 minutes.
- Cut one steak straight away and rest the other, then compare the plates.
Look for: The first leaves a pool of juice behind; the rested steak stays juicier in the mouth.
Experiment
Lid on or off
Closed and open.
- Cook a pair of sausages with the lid on and another pair with it off, turning both often.
Look for: With the lid on they cook more evenly through, with a smokier flavour. Without it they brown faster but may stay raw inside.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steak and sausages | ||||
| Beef kebabs | ||||
| Barbecued ribs | ||||
| Barbecued burger and sides | ||||
| Direct or indirect heat | ||||
| Marinating | ||||
| Resting | ||||
| Lid on or off |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Burnt outside, raw inside | Heat too high or food too thick | Move to the cool side with the lid on |
| Flare-ups | Dripping fat on flames | Move food to the cool side; don't spray water |
| Food sticks to the grate | Grate not clean or oiled, or flipped too soon | Clean and oil the grate; let food release before turning |
| Dry steak | Overcooked or not rested | Use a thermometer and rest for 5 minutes |
| Burnt sticky glaze | Sugar added too early | Brush the glaze on in the last 10 minutes |
| Kebab beef raw, vegetables burnt | Cooked on the same skewer | Use separate skewers |
Fire, raw beef and leftovers
Barbecue safety: use a barbecue outdoors only, never in a tent, garage or indoors, because it gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Never use petrol or extra lighter fluid on lit coals, keep children and pets away, and let the ash cool fully (often a full day) before putting it in a metal container. Charred, burnt meat is best kept to a minimum (general guidance).Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Leftovers: divide leftovers into shallow containers within about 1 to 2 hours, cool, then chill and eat within about 2 days (or freeze for up to about 3 months). Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can build a two-zone fire.
- I can sear a steak and rest it.
- I can cook sausages and burgers right through.
- I can skewer, marinate and cook kebabs.
- I can glaze ribs without burning them.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2, chapter 7 is Cuts and Basic Butchery: buying and cutting a larger piece of beef.