“It’s the ba-ba!” – This grilling expert returns to the root cause of our grilling failure. What do you mean there are multiple grill cooking methods?
“It’s ba-ba! Everyone who grills should know this“, insists Thierry Cornuet, chef specializing in barbecue cooking. And yet most of us ignore this essential aspect. Thierry Cornuet, founder of the BBQ School at Big T, a school dedicated exclusively to this cooking in Nice, gave us his best valuable advice to (finally) master barbecue cooking.
“There are two main cooking methods on the grill : direct cooking and indirect cooking“, explains the expert. Direct cooking is the one we all practice. It involves cooking the meat directly over the embers.”This method allows you to sear and sear food, but it is not suitable for actual cooking!“, recalls Thierry Cornuet. In his work The art of grilling, published by Éditions Marabout last April, the expert emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between these two cooking methods. According to him, meat should never be in contact with embers, except to be branded. In order to obtain perfectly cooked, tender and juicy meat, indirect cooking should be preferred: “It’s kind of the same principle as rotary heat, it allows you to achieve even cooking and much more tender meat.“, emphasizes the expert. But how do you practice indirect cooking? We give you the instructions right here!
Once you have seared your piece of meat on the embers, finish cooking with a gentler heat. To do this, move the embers aside. You will then place the meat in the middle, which will not be in direct contact with the heat source. The little secret behind making really tender meat? The water tank! “The water forms steam and thus prevents the food from drying out“, comments Thierry Cornuet. The expert advises to place an aluminum box filled with the equivalent of two glasses of water in the middle of the grill, just below the piece of meat. In this way, the fat will flow directly into it. and will not risk ignite on the embers.
The little extra? “You can also throw herbs into the water and even replace it with beer or wine to add flavor to the food.“, whispers Thierry Cornuet.
So whether you’re a beginner or an enlightened amateur, don’t forget this golden rule: for perfectly cooked, tender and juicy meat, choose indirect cooking. This is a tip that is sure to amaze your guests!
