At the start of summer, few things are as enjoyable as a garden BBQ. However, we’ve all been to those BBQs where burgers have been burnt to a crisp and sausages are rock solid, thanks to an overzealous cook. So, to ensure your BBQ food reaches the highest standards, we’ve brought together our tips for smoking food with kiln-dried logs this summer.
Plan ahead
Smoking food is an all day job. Contrary to popular opinion, you can’t just fire up the BBQ and hope for good results within minutes. Whether you’ve got a BBQ or plan to cook over an open fire pit, you need to dedicate enough time to prepare your grill. You will also need to marinate your food the day before (particularly chicken, beef, and pork) as this will ensure the meat is tasty and tender once it has been smoked.
Build your fire
Your first job on the day of the BBQ is to build your fire. When you’re dealing with food, it’s super important that your fire is free from chemicals. As such, opt for kiln-dried firewood that is sustainably sourced as the main component of your fire. Before adding the logs, you will need to use some kindling and some natural Twizler Firelighters that will form the base of your fire. Make sure you don’t use paraffin or lighter fluid to start your fire - a match and kindling are the perfect combination for cooking.
Smoke the right foods
Once your fire is ready, it’s time to turn your attention to what food you’re planning to smoke. Poultry and red meat work well, as do veggies like cauliflower and cabbage. As mentioned, it’s best if you can marinate your meat the day before, as this will enrich the flavour of the meat while it’s smoking. The key thing to remember when you're smoking food is that you should wrap everything in foil and never turn the food. If you’re cooking under a lid, you need to keep it as closed as much as possible.
Keep things hot
If you plan on smoking food over fire more than once, it’s a good idea to invest in a digital thermometer to make your job a little easier. This allows you to check the internal temperature of your meat - which should be at least 75C before it’s safe to serve - as well as the temperature of your fire. The ideal temperature for your BBQ is between 110C - 130C, which is hot enough and ensures your meat won’t burn. If you rely on guesswork when monitoring the temperature, it’s a lot more difficult to get things right.
Serve it up
Smoked food goes perfectly with a potato salad, slaw, and homemade baked beans. You could even try your hand at making some traditional American cornbread to make it a truly authentic southern-American experience. Make sure your guests have something to wash it down with, whether it’s your signature homemade lemonade or a cold beer.
While there’s a lot to think about when it comes to smoking food with kiln-dried logs, making sure you have the right fuel is an important place to start. Check out our handy fire pit bundle to get you started, and consider our handy Twizlers to kick start a fire that will burn for hours and help you cook food that is simply to die for.