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[title]As it turns out, ‘barbecue’ means two very separate things to Aussies and Texans… Down Under, the ‘barbie’ is synonymous with summer, backyard gathos, snag sangas and medium-rare lamb chops. In the Lone Star State, barbecue is all about the beef – low and slow, massive cuts and juicy melt-in-your mouth business that’s taken hours, and sometimes days to achieve.
Think of a visit to Texas as the ultimate smoke trail. No two Texas barbecue outlets are the same and there’s a whole new world of sides and sauces to balance the smokiness of your slow-cooked meat (hello, sweet Texas onions, creamy potato salad and pinto beans). Just the thought of it has us salivating, so until it’s time to board that plane over there, we’ve rounded up six at-home barbecue hacks from Texas’ own Kareem El-Ghayesh, the owner of Michelin-recognised KG BBQ, and Lennox Hastie, owner of Sydney’s Firedoor and Gildas.
Quality of ingredients
“With any cooking over fire and barbecue, you only get out what you put in,” says Hastie. Low and slow is the name of the game when it comes to good Texas barbecue, so you need the right-sized cut of meat with plenty of marbling that will break down over time to give you really succulent slices. “Cooking with fire – cooking with wood – only enhances the natural characteristics” – so basically, the ingredients you start with directly impact the final dish. “Have a frank conversation with your local butcher about what you want to achieve.” Hastie says to talk to them about things like how many people you want to feed, how much time you’ve got, and what kind of smoker you’re using to get a sense for the perfect cut of meat.
Control your fire
It sounds quite simple, but Hastie says it’s important to understand your base wood and how it burns. Given his claim to fame at Firedoor is cooking with wood-fired ovens, grills and a hearth, we’ll take his word for it. You want to find a good quality wood like ironbark – or make like a Texan with the different flavour profiles of post oak, mesquite and pecan – which maintains an intense heat over a long period of time. Don’t skimp on quality either – high good wood will give you a much cleaner smoke, massively impacting flavour. “There’s this preconception that barbecue is this thing which is overly smoky and can be quite dirty. Done well, that’s when you see it in its element – it’s super clean,” he says.
Low and slow
“Timing is crucial. Have patience, particularly when building a fire.” Hastie says to immerse yourself in every stage of your grilling – from the fire, to the cook, and particularly to the rest. While resting typically is an afterthought in Aussie-style grilling, it’s crucial in Texas barbecue. The longer you cook your meat, the longer you need to rest it for – this isn’t a step you want to skimp on because what you do off the smoker is just as important as in it.
Seasoning
While it’s pretty clear that El-Ghayesh’s love for all things barbecue is strong, he doesn’t always want to spend hours slaving over dinner at home when he’s been cooking all day. Lots of his advice is how to hack barbecue at home in a much shorter and easier time. One of his tips? A real good quality seasoning. “We have a local favourite here that I love – [the owner] is actually Australian. Jess Pryles is one of the local celebrities here in Austin. She has her own line of seasonings called Hardcore Carnivore. One of my favourite spice rubs she does is the black Hardcore Carnivore.” The rub is made of activated charcoal and garlic that you can use to liberally coat anything from a tri-tip or a picanha to a roast. Chuck it in the oven, and when you take it out, you’ve got a beautiful black bark on the outside that looks like it just came off the smoker (plus has a great flavour).
Foil boating
“This is a technique that I learnt from my grandmother on how to make food taste like barbecue without smoking or grilling it,” says El-Ghayesh. He says you want to make a little boat out of foil and fill it with fat. “The richer the fat, the better. You can use olive oil, but something like tallow or ghee is even better for flavour.” Once you’ve cooked your meat, say chicken kebabs, in the oven, you can throw them in a deep pan that will fit your foil boat as well. Get a piece of charcoal glowing hot and then drop it into the foil boat so the fat sizzles. Throw the lid on and you’ve just made your very own “smoke bath” to really intensify the flavour of any meat that’s been cooked in the kitchen. “In just a few minutes, it’s going to taste like you grilled it,” he says.
Using condiments and sauces
Flavour comes into play every step of the way when grilling. It starts with basting your meat with something like a garlic and herb compound butter, glazing it with a sauce like barbecue or pomegranate molasses, and adding flourishes at plate-up time. “When your meat comes off and you rest it and slice it, make sure you serve a condiment with it. I think a condiment is an easy way to elevate food and barbecue and there's so much out there from many different cuisines – whether it’s a pickled onion or some kind of preserve or a chimichurri,” says El-Ghayesh, “things like this can really elevate your game without really having to do much.”
Got the itch to go and sample the real thing? Check out our barbecue guide to Texas here and start planning your trip here.