Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Grill

Achieving rich flavours on the BBQ and creating an unforgettable food experience takes finesse, grilling know-how, and a couple of tricks from one of Toronto’s best Chefs. Known for its on-point smoking techniques and All-American flavours, The Carbon Bar (TCB) knows how to do it right! It takes more that just slapping your favourite protein or veg on the grill and hoping for the best. Breaking it down to technique, the importance of wood and grilling recommendations

Who better to teach you about grilling up some delicious food than from TCB’s head chef and resident BBQ expert Chef Hidde Zomer, who shares some insider tricks that will surely help your next BBQ experience. Breaking it down to technique, the importance of wood and grilling recommendations, these tips will be sure to help you master the art of grilling, this summer!

Technique

• Invest in quality charcoal – it makes a big difference! Chef likes the Green Egg charcoal as it burns long and is even in size. Uneven charcoal will burn in different temperatures and will require more management when cooking.
• To have better control of your fire, try adding two stone bricks inside of the BBQ to control where the charcoal will sit inside. This allows you to have a hot zone and warm zone to use for bigger cuts or a whole chicken.
• Char whole vegetables until they are black, then remove the smoky and tender meat from the inside to serve with roasted fish or steaks. This technique can be applied on many different vegetables to give the meal that extra oomph.

Wood

• Grilling on a wood fire pit is Chef Hidde’s absolute favourite! Experiment with different wood chips to start knowing the difference in their characteristics. Pecan, apple, hickory and mesquite are all great woods if you are smoking meats and fish.
• It takes a fair amount of practice and patience grilling with wood – from sourcing the right hardwood with the right amount of humidity to starting a fire pit and waiting to allow the wood to turn into ambers before you start cooking.
• Slower burning ambers are great for vegetables and slow roasting meats, while the higher heat is great for grilling steaks and fish or charring vegetables that cook fast, like peppers and asparagus.

Grilling Recommendations

• Always make sure to pull the meats from the fridge before you are about to grill and allow it to get to room temperature for at least 45 minutes to one hour.
• Toss the flimsy tongs you get with the BBQ and get yourself a good set of stainless steel kitchen tongs. Chef always has two on hand: a longer one for large meats and a shorter one for the smaller cuts and vegetables.
• Leave a lasting impression at your next BBQ party, try to experiment with the bigger “dinosaur”/ “Flintstone” cuts of meat! Chef Hidde’s favourites are 30 oz Bone-in Cowboy steaks (aka Tomahawk steaks). For an equally delicious alternative ask your butcher for some bone-in strip loins.
• For better flavour – go with the dry age beef. The process of dry aging meats is making a great come back; the complexity of these meats are fantastic, and you get a hint of blue cheese and nutty flavours.

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