The best meat tools for the BBQ
Imagine you’ve been barbecuing with all your heart and soul. Your friends have already been sitting impatiently for half an hour with baguette and salad on their plates, waiting for the perfect piece of meat that’s on its way. Things go wrong on the journey from barbecue to plate.
Disaster. Your perfect piece of meat lands in the grass, on the patio or, even worse, in the ashes of the coals. Of course, there’s the five-second rule, but in the panic you’ve quickly reached ten seconds. A good meat fork can prevent a lot of misery. And there are even more meat tools that can make your barbecue a resounding success.
Rather skip the meat? These are our favorite vegetarian dishes.
Thermometer
Cooked or not cooked? Sometimes it’s a matter of guesswork. Everyone knows the ritual: meat on your plate, cut into it. A critical look from the people around you. No, back on the barbecue for a little longer. With a meat thermometer, these kinds of escapades are a thing of the past. There are two types. One that you use occasionally as a doneness check. And one that you insert into your meat like an IV and leave there continuously. Ideal for larger cuts of meat that need to spend a long time on the BBQ. In both cases: insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Be careful not to insert it into the fat. Heat doesn’t penetrate it as well, so the thermometer will show a lower temperature even though the meat has long been cooked through.
More tender than tender
A meat mallet and a larding needle are indispensable tools for making your meat more tender than tender. Hit your cutlet with the serrated side of the meat mallet to break down ‘tough’ fibers. Just hit it hard—don’t hold back. Going for game or beef on the barbecue? Then a larding needle could be your salvation. Use it to pull pieces of bacon fat through the meat. Once it’s on the BBQ, the fat melts from the inside out. Particularly suitable for large cuts of leaner meat that need to spend longer on the barbecue and cook slowly. You can buy a slice of larding bacon from the butcher!
Pricking work
More pricking work. You can perforate meat with a meat tenderizer. This breaks down tough fibers and shortens the grilling time. The holes also allow herbs and marinades to penetrate the meat more effectively. Want to marinate seriously? Then it’s time for the marinade injector. You’ll probably feel the urge to put on a pair of white gloves right away, but this ‘medical procedure’ definitely benefits the flavor and juiciness. The marinade isn’t just on the outside, but throughout the entire cut of meat. More suitable for large cuts on the barbecue: brisket, ham, pork shoulder, that sort of thing. Slowly empty the syringe while gradually pulling it out of the meat so that the marinade is distributed evenly.
