“Roast BBQ” – I don’t know about you, but just saying it tends to make my mouth water. I get an immediate mental picture of lazy Sunday afternoons. I imagine a gentle breeze blowing, with the warmth and promise of early spring surrounding me while I leisurely prepare the food for our evening roast BBQ. (Yum! Note to self – roast bbq tomorrow night)
In fact I spend many of my Sunday afternoons exactly like this and preparing for a roast BBQ is a breeze. For the most part just simple salads and succulent meats will do perfectly. Marinade the meat, prepare your roast, get the vegetables washed and cut ready for roasting, get the salads underway. Take your time, enjoy the languid preparation, have a beer or a nice glass of wine. In fact when you start preparing early and take your time, it can lead to a truly relaxing and wonderful BBQ atmosphere. In my mind this is exactly the mood which should be encouraged during an outdoor roast BBQ.
Now let me tell you this isn’t how it always translates to our Roast BBQ experiences. Busy schedules and energetic children can often put paid to any plans of a relaxed, quiet evening BBQ, and in my mind that’s OK as well. Enjoying an outdoor roast BBQ with my family and friends is wonderful any which way.
BBQ cooking is such an easy way to cook – there is usually less preparation, less clean-up, you’re out of the house, the process of BBQ cooking is generally a sociable occasion and the results of the Roast BBQ cooking is usually fantastic. There’s just something about a succulent serve of BBQ cooked meat that is unique. It might be the smoked BBQ flavor or the moistness of the roast or the crispness of the the skin, but from my experience a Roast BBQ always tastes better. There are many other advantages to BBQ cooking but probably none more so than it being a healthy cooking method. A well designed BBQ will naturally drain away the excess fat produced while cooking.
Chicken on the BBQ
The meats and cuts that can be cooked in a Roast BBQ are limitless. Beef, pork, lamb, venison, chicken, fish, turkey and rabbit to name a few. In fact whatever meats you like to eat will be perfectly suited to roast BBQ cooking. The BBQ’s that can be used range from small camping style units, to 3 and 4 burner hooded grills, to huge open-pit BBQ’s which can cook a full pig. They can be fueled by gas or wood. Some use burners to directly heat the cooking surface, while others transfer the heat through rocks. Others still, may use a naked flame to directly cook the meat. The choices you have when purchasing or making a Roast BBQ unit are vast and will depend on the style of cooking you like, the space you have available and the amount of BBQ cooking you will be doing.
Many people I know do most of their meat cooking on an outdoor Roast BBQ come rain, hail or shine, just because the results and taste are better, not to mention the easier clean-up. Many more will enjoy their BBQ cooking during the warmer seasons. However it is for you, good luck with what I think is the ideal way to cook and roast meats. In future posts I will be discussing particular roast meats and suggested recipes, also the particulars of different BBQ cooking units. I welcome your feedback and/or recipes that may be included on this website.