Vacuum Sealing Marinated Food

One of the best way to marinade and store food is using by vacuum sealing. Basically a vacuum sealer works by removing air from the package and sealing it air-tight.

What are the benefits?

1. Increase freshness of the food by removing air such that bacteria that cause food spoilage and mould growth is slowed significantly.
2. Creates a moisture barrier keeping moisture in so the food don’t dry out in the fridge or when frozen does not get freezer burn.
3. Also create a flavor barrier keeping unwanted smell out of the food & keep original flavors of the food in.
4. Most importantly, the vacuum sealing process of removing air opens pores of the meats allowing marinates to penetrate more deeply in a very short time.
5. It also allows for very easy defrosting by being able to soak the entire contents in water to defrost quickly! Just make sure the vacuum packed did not lose vacuum integrity before you do so or you will dilute your marinade. 

Family sized vacuum machines are rather common these days so if you cook often it is a good idea to invest in one. If you are busy day in and out and if you are buying frozen food to BBQ, do look out for that vacuum packaging that keeps your food the freshest! 

BBQ Pit on a budget

Don't want to spend money on a BBQ pit? Don't want to wash up the pit after using?
There is a very simple solution. Requires following items:

1) 2 pieces of red brick
2) 2 pieces of A3 Aluminum Tray
3) 1 wire mesh dimension at least 53cm x 33cm to sit on the aluminum tray

To set up -
Find a good solid surface like stone table, set the red bricks approximately 30cm apart put the A3 tray on the bricks.
Put in charcoal start the fire
Put the wire mesh on top to start cooking!

Probably cost you less than $8 to set up now where did we put those bricks?

Oh! Another special tip if you happen to forget to buy FIRESTARTERS!!! Here is another way to start a fire with your favorite snacks! See Video on Starting Fire with Doritos. You can also use Twisties, Cheetos etc corn based snacks.

Wire Mesh Guide @ Condos

This will be an ongoing list that we'll update as we get info on so residents of the condo know what mesh to get when booking their condo BBQ pits.

40cmx50cm = Small
45cmx60cm = Medium
46cmx86cm = Large

You can get these mesh sizes from www.hungrybbq.com

CONDOS & APARTMENTS
The Solitaire@Balmoral Park - Gas grill no need mesh (if required can use S/M mesh)
Twin Regency@Kim Tian Road - Large Mesh x 2
Quartz Condo - Large Mesh x 1
Hillvista Condo@1 Elizabeth Dr - Gas grill with full kitchen facilities (if required can use S/M mesh)
Monterey Park@West Coast Rise - Gas grill (if req can use small mesh)
The Arcadia@Arcadia Rd - Gas grill (if req can use S/M mesh)
Orchard Scotts Residences@Anthony Rd - Gas grill with full kitchen facilities (if req can use 2xM mesh)
Pebble Bay@Tanjong Rhu - Large Mesh x 1
The Grange@Grange Gdns - M mesh x 1 or 2 (grill and charcoal large gap)
The Clift@McCullum - Gas grill
Thomson View@Bright Hill Dr - Large Mesh x 1 (need 2 bags of charcoal) (grill and charcoal very close)
Caribbean@Keppel Bay - Small Mesh x 2 pits
The Madeira@Bukit Batok - Medium Mesh x 1
28Scotts@ 28 Scotts Road - Medium Mesh x 1
The Infiniti@West Coast Park - Medium Mesh x 1 or Large Mesh x 1
 

PARKS & CHALETS
West Coast Park - Large Mesh x 1
Goldkist Chalet ECP - Large Mesh x 1
East Coast Park - Large Mesh x 1 or Med Mesh x 1-2 (depends on size of party)
Aloha Loyang - Large Mesh x 1 or Med Mesh x 2 (2 bags or charcoal if using whole pit)
Costa Sand Pasir Ris - Med Mesh x 1
NSRCC - Med Mesh x 1

How much Charcoal do I need?

Estimating the amount of charcoal needed for a BBQ is something with no hard and fast rule as it depends on a number of factors

1) How many people? How much food?
2) How many BBQ pit?
3) Size of the BBQ pit?
4) How long do you want to cook?
5) Quality of the charcoal

We start at the first question. You have to determine the number of people and amount of food you are cooking. Typically a 3kg bag of chunky charcoal will last you 1.5 hours and fill a cooking area 40x50cm - this is enough to cook for up to 20 persons (this is assuming you don't leave the grill empty for long periods) volume of food. If you are cooking a lot of roots (potatoes, sweet potatoes etc) prepare extra charcoal. 

Now then if you have two pits and the pits are larger - you will need extra charcoal a 40x80cm cooking area will require 1.5-2 bags of charcoal to fill for 1.5-2hours but you can cook a lot more with the larger surface (again assuming you know what you are doing). Two large pits of 40x80cm will need 4 bags of charcoal and will accommodate food for up to 80-100 persons with 2 cooks.

Quality of charcoal is very important in determining how long the charcoal will last. Large chunky ones and the premium anti-smoke briquettes will last up to 2 hours. Those that you get from supermarket in shattered chips will run out in just over an hour as the smaller charcoals not only burn faster but gives out less even heat. The down side of briquettes is they take much longer to start. However, do note that anti-smoke charcoal briquettes will take a longer time to start and for most people can be rather difficult to start a fire with these.

There is really no hard and fast rule so when in doubt get a little extra since the alst thing you want is to run out of charcoal half way (you can always keep for next time). 

BBQ Chicken Wings 101

BBQ/Grill is one of the best (healthier) ways to cook wings as it drips off the fat but that also make it a little tricky to cook. Just follow a few tips and your chicken wings should be nicely done the next time!

1) Don't rush. Chicken wings take about 20 minutes to cook through and high heat is only going to burn the outside leaving inside raw.

2) Cook with LOW heat - you can either cook at the side of the pit where there is less charcoal or if you have a gas grill turn down the heat at one side. The key is not to cook chicken wings on DIRECT heat. It WILL BURN. Fat in chicken wings in flammable, when it is too hot it will melt off more and drip on the fire which causes a flare-up making the fire hotter causing more fat to drip off and feeding the cycle.

3) Pat the marinades off the wings before cooking - pat dry the wings and oil it a little then start grilling bottom side of the wing facing fire. Why bottom first? Less fat at the bottom so less oil to drip in so you get to cook through the bottom first. Why pat off the marinades? Simple. marinade usually have sugars, molasses, honey, soy etc which caramelize and burnt quickly on high heat and if you have marinade over 12 hours you really don't need any on the surface.

4) DON'T brush on honey or sauce until wings are cook! Same reason as point 3 above... or you are just wasting your honey... A good idea will be to buy a spray bottle and dilute honey with water. Spray over the wings once or twice over course of cooking. This method saves honey and you never worry about thick layer of honey on your wings burning to tar black.

Just observe these simple pointers and a little trail and error experience your chicken wings will turn out perfect every time. Now all you need is that perfectly marinated chicken wings from your favorite recipe or BBQ catering vendor.

Booking Pits Online Nparks

Booking BBQ pit online is a rather straight forward process at Nparks pit booking website. Just follow the steps - search for pit, choose a pit, enter particulars and confirm the booking. Or go to an AXS machine around the island and make your pit booking.

Some Nparks rules for BBQ pits booking

• Each booking is from 12noon to 8am of the following day
• Your booking is for the BBQ pit and not for any shelter
• Once your booking is confirmed, there will be no refund, changing of date and/or pit.
• NParks shall not be liable of any claims in respect to interruption in any of the services and/or loss of property, injury or death in the course of the function held. 

Park Locations with BBQ pit available for booking are 1) Changi Beach Park 2) East Caost Park 3) Pasir Ris Park 4) Punggol Park 5) Sembawang Park 6) West Coast Park 7) Labrador Nature Reserve Promenade

Before you BBQ: Buy the right grill for yourself!

Charcoal or Gas? This is the most common question I get from family and friends looking to get a BBQ grill. There is also an eternal debate over the pros and cons of each. Now, I am not about to get into the middle of the “grate debate” that has not a known end or will there ever be one. So I am going to break this down into one word for you: Lifestyle. BBQ is a “lifestyle”. It is a great way to enjoy food so the right grill for you is the one that fits into YOUR daily/social life. The last thing you want is to spend money and try to adapt yourself around the grill’s limitations!

For those of you with impatient to finish reading this article or no time to finish this article you can stop right here and go buy yourself an electric grill or a gas grill. Why? Simply put, a gas grill is for people who have “lives” to get back to and time is always a “premium”. It is for people with no patience or time to wait around till the charcoal is heated “just right” for cooking. All you want to do is to buy your BBQ stuff, ignite the gas grill and start cooking /entertaining in a few minutes. The gas grill gives you the convenience to BBQ as and when you want to without too much hassle.  

Now for everyone else with a little bit more time on your hands and can afford to finish this article let’s consider some factors that you many want to weigh before choosing the right grill for yourself.

1)      Space, Space and Space! Ok the first thing to consider is always where do I leave the grill? Decide where you are going to sit the grill and if the grill flares up is it going to burn your house down? Space determines the size of the grill you buy and most good gas grills have the footprint of a small refrigerator… If you live in a shoebox apartment buy an electric grill or go east coast to BBQ. If you have a large patio, you can consider a large high end gas grill with infra red cooking and smoker box. Yes, it is pretty much common sense here…

2)      Cost. It is all about $$$, no point talking about buying a nice gas grill if it is way out of your budget right? Charcoal grills are usually cheaper than gas grills so if you don’t want to spend a huge amount on your grill, charcoal or electric grill may just be about your only option. You can also make your own charcoal grill but that is for another time. =) Do remember that when it comes to gas grill it is better to “invest” a little more now than to realize down the road it does not live up to your expectations. At the very least, you want to know the highest temperature the grill can reach as well as burner configuration. You need to reach 350C or 600F+ to sear steaks properly. Make sure there is a thermometer as well.

3)      You have the space and money is not a factor so what about taste? Generally speaking charcoal and wood grill imparts a smoky flavor and can reach very high temperatures for searing and charring. A study done long ago have shown that most people can’t tell the difference between a gas grill cooked hamburger to one done by a charcoal grill but a good number can tell the difference between gas and charcoal with a piece of steak. So to a varying degree, charcoal does impart that smoky BBQ flavor to different meats and it boils down to how particular you are about your BBQ. That being said, the less smoky gas grill does better if you are grilling delicate meats or vegetables/fruits that you don’t want to taste like ash (aka smoke).

4)      Convenience again… Yes back to convenience again. You have to ask yourself if you are the kind that enjoys that spontaneous spark to go to supermarket after work buy a nice piece of steak and grill for dinner. If so, the time to light up your charcoal gill will surely douse that spontaneity. If you grill frequently or intend to grill frequently a gas grill may be more suitable for you.

With a gas grill it is also easier to set up indirect zones of fire to cook those difficult to cook through chicken wings! (Make sure your grill has at least 2 burners) With charcoal you need to physically set up these zones provided that your charcoal grill is large enough to do so. Gas grills usually comes with a cover as well so you can turn down the heat cover the BBQ and let things slow cook like an oven if you don’t have one at home. The Charcoal grill can double as a smoker (to smoke meats) if you are into it and adding woodchips (flavors) to your BBQ is much easier than a gas grill (need a smoke box).

5)      Cleaning up. Yes someone has to do it… If you have a maid or someone else who does it then it is no issue. Otherwise it is a factor to consider. With a charcoal grill you have to clean out the ash as well as brush the grate every time you use it. Yes you can use a disposable mesh but make sure you remove the grate because it can get a little bit disgusting after a while. With a gas grill you can clean the grill before or after usage. There is no ash to clean up instead you need to ignite the grill to maximum heat, wait for the smoking to stop then brush the grates with a metal brush. Though it will be hygienic to wash with soap once a while…

6)       Environmentally Friendly? Ok it is hard to argue for charcoals here since they are one of the dirtiest of fossil fuel. You could probably buy “recycled charcoal” but all charcoal gives off soot and ash period. Gas burns cleaner but electric is the cleanest.

Consider the factors and weigh what fits into your lifestyle the most easily and do you research on individual grills. Not all grills are built equal so check out a few before deciding. If you are getting as gas grill don’t rush the process. Gas grills are so expensive in Singapore, you want to find out all the possible accessories / features that you may want to have before going out to buy the grill.

Personally, I prefer the gas grill as it allows me to cook a steak any time of the week or day. I am not limited by the requirement to “plan” my grilling so I get a steak when I feel like having one without needing to crouch by a charcoal pit for 20 minutes like a caveman. I don’t have that kind of time but I still want to enjoy some steaks or grilled chicken breast on a weekly basis but that’s just me.