JOHN Relihan, 30, is man who knows his meat. Born in Duagh, Co Kerry he started cooking when he was 14 after his uncle got him a Jamie Oliver Cookery book. He then went on to join Jamie's ‘Fifteen Foundation' in London, got his qualifications and eventually became head chef at Oliver's Barbecoa BBQ restaurant in London. He now has his own restaurant, Holy Smoke in Little Hanover St, Cork. Here he teaches us a thing or two about how to barbecue like a pro.
John's 11 top tips to BBQ like a pro...
1. Baste your meat when grilling with a herb brush. This will really add to the flavour of the meat. To make the brush, just tie together a bunch of rosemary, sage and thyme onto the handle of a wooden spoon and dip the herbs in a little melted butter and rub on your meat. Be careful it doesn't flame up. This will also keep your meat moist and help with caramelization
2.Use proper fuels when grilling or BBQ'ing; try and use natural lump charcoal with no chemicals. My favourites are cherry wood for beef and pork or alder wood for fish. Have fun and experiment with different types of wood. If you find it hard to source locally, buy it online
3.The perfect temperature for the BBQ is 120oc, low and slow
4.Buy your meat or fish or vegetables from local shops and markets; they can butcher or gut the fish, just how you want it
5.Brine your chicken, pork shoulders and turkey as it will keep the meat more moist when cooking low and slow. Marinate your meats with different marinates to add more flavour
6. Brush glazes and BBQ sauce onto your meat toward the end of its cooking time as this will make sure the meat doesn't burn due to the sugars in the sauce
7. Manage your fire; make a safe spot on the grill to where the heat is lower than the rest of the grill. If you do this, when you feel your meat is burning and there are too many flames, you can move it to the low heat area and it will continue cooking
8. Make sure your grill is clean; buy a good wire brush to brush it down after use. Before cooking use a thongs with a towel soaked in a little olive oil and rub onto the grill so the food does not stick
9. If you are worried that your food is not cooked properly, a temperature probe is a good investment. It will tell you the internal temperature of the meat/fish. You can buy these from any big cookery department or online
10. Be safe when using fire and do not use lighter fluids. Start the fire slowly before you need to start cooking. If you like you can buy fire starters online. These give good air flow to the coals to make them burn
11. Have fun. If it doesn't work at first, try again and don't give up. Low and slow takes time but is really worth it.
John is one of the headline chefs at 'The Big Grill BBQ & Craft Beer Festival' which will take place from 11 - 13 August 2016 in Herbert Park, Dublin. He joins the world's top pitmasters including Neil Rankin, Andre Lima de Luca, DJ Barbecue, The Hangfire Smokehouse and Richard Turner in this international celebration of all things cooked with fire and smoke. See www.biggrillfestival.com
