Tips It tastes much better on the grill

Tips for a delicious and healthy barbecue

04/10/2015

Finally the temperatures rise again. Up to 20 degrees are expected this weekend, for many the right time to get the grill out of the cellar. Whether meat, vegetables or fish is put on the grid depends entirely on your personal taste. Nevertheless, there are some tricks to make the first barbecue event of the year a complete success. In conversation with the news agency „dpa“ The chef and grill master Fabian Beck reveals valuable tips.

Ask butcher for the origin and slaughter of the animal
Weekend, sun and a garden or balcony - for many the ideal combination to finally open the barbecue season. What gets on the grate depends entirely on your personal taste. Many meat lovers prefer dark red meat due to their low fat content and juiciness. But the color alone, for example, is no guarantee for delicacy in beef, according to Fabian Beck, „the decisive factor is what happens at slaughter.“ Accordingly, the look alone is not meaningful. Instead, consumers should rather inform the butcher about the origin of the animals, attitude and battle conditions.

250 to 300 grams of meat per personn
„How much meat do I need for four people?“ Many consumers ask themselves this question when they stand at the butcher's counter. „I calculate 250 to 300 grams of meat per person“, says Beck. However, it is of course always important to consider the planned side dishes. When choosing the meat, the expert advises against pickled meat, as this would often be too long in the marinade. Instead, for example, from fresh herbs, salt, pepper and a little olive oil quickly and easily a separate spice mixture could be made.

Making dips from sauces from last year
Before grilling, the meat is seasoned, „this only minimally removes moisture from it“, the expert explains further. Spices like garlic, thyme and rosemary would be particularly suitable here. Practical to spice up the barbecue are also „dried sauces from last year“, which were stored in the fridge. Because of these, for example, to make a quick, sweet and fresh dip by mixing asai sauce with crème fraiche, sugar, chives, salt and pepper. Mix.

Most important point: Slow and gentle grilling
For a delicious end result, it is especially important to pay attention to a slow and gentle grilling, because too much heat causes the meat to burn quickly. If the food is planned for the evening, then the grill should be lit already at 16.00 clock. „At the very end, when the coal is completely annealed, it's perfect“, explains Beck. If you are indirectly grilling, the expert recommends placing the meat on a herb bed and covering the bowl. These are then best pushed on the side of the grill and slowly cooked through to avoid burning the herbs.

Consume red meat only moderately
In general, however, care should be taken here to eat meat from beef, lamb and Co. only in moderation, because experts warn again and again about possible health risks of increased consumption. For example, as the Vegetarian Union Germany reports, a meta-analysis of various studies on this topic has shown that „[...] high intake of red or processed meat was associated with a 30-45% increased risk of oesophageal cancer.“

Stuffed eggplant halves as a tasty vegetarian alternative
Alternatively to meat or fish also grilled vegetables can be a delicious main course or side dish. Here, Beck recommends a cast-iron plate that can be placed on the grid so that courgette pieces or mushrooms do not constantly fall through it into the embers. A delicious option from the vegetarian area here are for example filled with olive oil and spices eggplant halves, where at the end of the pulp can be spooned out, so the tip of Beck.