My husband loves a good barbeque. He says there's nothing better than the taste of that has been cooked outdoors and I have to admit that I agree with him on that point. But what I like most about cooking on a braai is a) there are no cooking pots to wash afterwards and b) I can sit back and relax while my hubby does all the work. A barbeque is the one meal he will not let me prepare, saying I overcook the meat whereas he knows how to get it just right. I am not offended in the least as I would rather wash a mound of pots than lay a fire, not to mention, braaing is sweaty work as you can get mighty hot standing over a fire on a midsummer's day. Sometimes, we like to have a braai for Sunday lunch and my man has been talking of switching to a gas braai as it cooks the food quicker.
Oh course, being a man, he's all about the steak but there are many other types of protein that can be cooked on a barbeque such as chicken, seafood, fish, pork and lamb, in other words, almost anything. Fish and seafood are delicate and care should be taken not to over or under-cook them. Prawns can be skewered and placed directly onto the grill but fish, of course, should be packed in foil as it will fall apart if placed directly on the grill. You can also bake bread, and cook vegetables on a barbeque either directly on the grill or wrapped in foil with a sauce. Timing is very important when braaing food and you need to know when to put a particular item onto the grill as is the heat of the fire. Hubby is very good at judging at what point the coals are ready for cooking a particular kind of foodstuff. It you put the meat on when the fire is too hot, it will burn the exterior of the meat without cooking it on the inside. Another tip is to rub the grill with half an onion before putting the meat on as it helps clean off any reside on the grill that was not removed with cleaning and gives the meat a little extra flavour
An important point to remember about chicken, though, is that it should be pre-cooked in the oven first. It is very hard to cook chicken all the way through on a barbeque without charring the skin. If you do manage to achieve this then the flesh will most likely be dry. Under-cooked chicken carries the risk of salmonella poisoning and pregnant women should avoid it at all costs. Rather marinade the chicken in a lemon and herb sauce, for example, and wrap it in foil and then oven bake in a baking dish or tray for almost as long as you would normally cook it in the oven for. However, do not open up the foil towards the end of cooking to brown the chicken like you normally would. Take it out to the braai instead and finish it off on top of the grill. The advantage of pre-cooking chicken in foil in the oven is that the chicken retains its juices while still getting properly cooked.
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