Meat Smoking Wood and Charcoal Cooking

Here are some useful tips for meat smoking wood and charcoal cooking for you to take your meat smoking game to the next level.

In our last blog post we shared some hot tips to get you smokin'. READ: Meat Smoking 101: A Beginners Guide to Smokin' it Up! This week's post is covering the different types of wood. Smokers and barbecuers are actually talking more about the type of wood used than they are about the meat cuts!

Wood Smoking Chart

Use this wood smoking chart to source recommended wood for your smokin' food.

Poisonous Wood

It's really important to note that some woods are potentially poisonous. These include but are not limited to:

• Pine
• Fir
• Spruce
• Redwood
• Cedar
• Cypress
• Elm
• Eucalyptus
• Sassafras
• Sycamore
• Liquid Amber

Australian Wood

Australia has some excellent native wood perfect for smoking food. These include:

• Ironbark• Apple• Oak• Manuka• Cherry• Chestnut• Macadamia• Black wattle• Peach• Nectarine• Pecan

Meat Smoking SHOULD Dos

Jay Beaumont, from the Australasian Barbecue Alliance shares some key SHOULD DOs in his blog feature which are also listed below:

• For hardwoods like gum or boxes, strip the bark from the wood and dry it out so there is no moisture in the wood. Make sure your wood is seasoned well. Seasoned is a term used to describe the drying out process of the wood.
• Most fruit and nut woods can be half seasoned, but should not be used freshly cut. You can also soak fruit woods as they can burn quite quickly.
• Get your fire pit to a good middle ground. It shouldn't be smouldering nor raging, but rather somewhere in between.
• If wood is green, try split it to help with the seasoning process.
• Clean out your firebox after each use.

Hawaiian Luau Style BBQ

It's been a while since we've shared a blog about BBQ styles from around the world. In case you missed out, check out how the Jamaicans, South Africans, and 'Argentines without means do it'. Yes that is a line from 'Let's Fall in Love.' In this post we'll be sharing some hot tips on creating your own Hawaiian Luau Style BBQ...

Kālua Pig

Traditionally a luau feast was no feast at all without a large kālua pig. Kālua is a Hawaiin cooking method an underground oven (imu) to cook the pig. Kālua literally means "to cook in an underground oven". A hardwood fire is built underground, where the food is placed and then covered with vegetation and stones. It usually takes between two to three hours to cook through.

We realised not everyone may be keen to dig a whole to cook a pig for three hours like these guys. The closest alternative is probably a spit instead!

READ: Outdoor Fire Pits and Outdoor Fire Pit Building Materials

Taro Leafs and Pineapple

Young taro leaves are like spinach. Other side dishes include poi leaves (again, kinda like spinach) and laulau leaves which are used to wrap up pork or rice. Nothing says Hawaiian more than pineapple - the perfect side dish to go with your meat and leaves.

Sweet Potato or Yams

Thinly sliced and placed on the BBQ, sweet potato is a great way to get some starch in your Hawaiian Style BBQ. Season them with plenty pink salt, which is traditionally used as it came from the volcanic red clay in Hawaii.

Haupia

And for dessert. A traditional coconut milk-based Hawaiian dessert. It's made from coconut, milk and ground pia (a rare Polynesian arrowroot). Due to the availability of the arrowroot, you might just opt for making a coconut cream cake.

6 Christmas BBQ Recipes for your Christmas Barbie

One of the many awesome things about Australia is the brilliant warm weather we get over Christmas! Forget jumpers and eggnog. Australian Christmas is all about getting out in the sun and making the most of our beautiful country's weather. And what better way to celebrate an Aussie Christmas than in your own backyard with friends, family! Here are 6 Christmas BBQ recipes for your Christmas barbie...

READ last year's Christmas BBQ Ideas blog here!

1. Beer Can Chook

BBQs are typically Australian. So is beer! And a delicious Aussie chook is the best way to pair the two. It's an easy recipes that serves for and takes about 1 hour and 35 mins (with 10 minutes prep time) You'll need:

• 1 chicken
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• A squeeze of lemon
• 3 tablespoons of spiced rub of your choice
• 1 beer can

Prep the chicken as you usually would, removing all giblets inside. Wash it and pat it dry. Rub in seasoning, salt, pepper and lemon. Open the beer can and take a few big sips! The can needs to be half full.  Open the chicken legs and place the chicken around the beer can. Place chicken on the BBQ or Weber for an 1.35 hours until internal temperature reaches 73 degrees Celsius (80 degrees in the thigh) or until the juices run clear.

2. Rum and Coke Ribs

Getting a bit more Caribbean with this one. But who doesn't love sweet and sticky ribs on a barbie? Acclaimed Chef Peter Evans came up with this wicked rum and coke rubs recipe:

• 1 cup of rum
• 2 cans of Coca Cola
• 300ml of tomato sauce
• Tabasco sauce a good dash or two
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to make a marinade. Place the ribs in the bowl overnight to soak up the marinade. The net day, bake the ribs for 1.5 hours at 160 degrees Celsius. Remove from the oven and BBQ for 15 mins until they're nice and char-grilled.

3. Mustard and Citrus Prawns

This recipe by Kathie is a super impressive dish to whip up for a Christmas BBQ. BBQ prawns marinated in homemade mustard, garlic, lemon juice, basic and white wine. Ready in 1.15 hours.

• 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• juice of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
• 30 uncooked tiger or king prawns, peeled and de-veined

Mix olive oil, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, orange juice, basil and white wine. Pop the prawns into a bowl and cover them with the marinade. Leave for an hour and then BBQ on high heat for 3-5 mins.

4. BBQ'd Garlic and Parmesan Asparagus

Something for the veggos. These guys only take 15 mins to prep and cook and are suitable as a side for meat eaters and vegetarians. Get as many asparagus spears as you need for your guests. Break the tough bits of the asparagus off the bottom and lay in a shallow dish. Pour a small amount of boiling water over the asparagus to cover only the bottom of the dish. Pour salt over the asparagus and place in the microwave for two minutes. Remove from the microwave and pour out the water. Then, cover in garlic, pepper, garlic salt (if you have) and Parmesan cheese. BBQ for 10 mins until char-grilled. You can also wrap them in ham if you like.

5. Haloumi Cheese

Another simple side to go with your BBQ meat. Cut up some Haloumi cheese into thick pieces and cover with olive oil, lemon, oregano and pepper. Pop on the BBQ for 10 minutes. Goes great with a salad or on skewers with some veg.

6. Shmooshed BBQ Potatoes

I don't think Christmas would feel like Christmas without potatoes. And if you're skipping the roast why not chuck them on your BBQ instead? Wash and peel as many potatoes as you need or use baby potatoes. Parboil then until they're soft. Cover them in olive oil, salt and pepper and place on the BBQ for 29 mins. Shmoosh them down to help them cook quicker (and because it's fun to do).