Gone are the days of waiting hours for a delicious, succulent meal. Spend the day cooking to your heart's content on your barbecue! With today's grills, it's easier than ever to slow cook beef, lamb, pork and other dishes outdoors, without having the heat from the oven or the mess in a crockpot. With just a few ingredients and a little planning, you can have an amazing meal ready in no time.
The History of Slow Cooking
Slow cooking has been around for centuries and continues to be a popular method of cooking today. Crockpots were the first "modern" gadget used to slow cook foods, but long before that, our Aboriginal tribes used ground ovens, warmed by heated clay, to cook murnong plants. Hawaiians have been burying pigs in earth ovens and leaving them to slow cook all day long, and Peru's Quechua people also used these ovens to bake and steam tubers and alpaca steaks.
In recent years, people are turning to grills to get a barbeque-style slow-cooked meal.
How Slow Cooking Works
Slow cookers work by using low, indirect heat over long periods of time. The increased cooking period, usually 6-10 hours, gently breaks down cuts of meat and tenderises vegetables while preserving moisture and flavour. This makes it ideal for some of your favourite meats, including slow-cooked lamb, pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. When slow cooking barbecue dishes, opt for tougher cuts of meat, like shoulder and spare rib. Because the process breaks down these meats, they become extremely tender.
When you are slow cooking, it's important to keep an eye on your temperature settings. If your heat is too hot, you risk drying out your cut of meat and turning it into a tough, hard-to-chew nugget. To help prevent this, add a few tablespoons of water, apple juice, beer or another favourite liquid before turning on your grill.
Prepping and Cooking Your Meal
Prep for slow cooking is similar to any other method of cooking. First, gather what you need to create your barbeque feast. This could include:
Your favourite cuts of meat (beef, chicken, pork, or lamb)
A range of fresh herbs and spices
Vegetables of your choice
Barbecue sauce or marinade
Quality wood chips (for added smoky flavour)
Your grill or smoker
Once you have the ingredients handy, it's time to start prepping! Start by preheating your barbecue and adding the wood chips for a delicious smoky taste. It doesn't matter which type of grill you use — charcoal, gas or electric.
Then, if you're doing a quick marinade, begin marinating your meats and vegetables in the desired sauce or marinade. If you're using a dry bbq rub, now is the time to rub it all over your meat and let it start setting in. A note on this: if you're using an overnight marinade, you'll want to get your meat in the marinade the day before you plan to slow cook for food.
Once your food is ready to go, put it on your grill or smoker. The idea is low and slow BBQ, so keep your temperature low, and make sure any charcoal and wood chips you use are not directly underneath the food. Close the lid and let it cook for a few hours (depending on what you're cooking).
Check on your meat every few hours. Make sure your food isn't burning and that your charcoal is still burning. Adjust your heat if necessary by adding charcoal or wood chips to maintain a constant low heat. Use a meat thermometer to help determine when your meat is done.
After the dish has finished cooking, take it off the heat and let it sit for a little while. Cover it with aluminium foil for about 15 minutes before slicing or pulling apart the meat. This helps the juices to distribute throughout the meat and will allow the flavours to spread throughout the entire dish.
Serve it up with your favourite sides and enjoy!
Need some inspiration to get you started? Here are some of our favourite slow cook beef recipes:
Tips & Tricks for Slow Cooking on a BBQ
Mastering the art of slow cooking takes a bit of practice, but with these tips, you'll be a pro in no time:
Spice up your grilling with different flavours of wood chips. Each has a distinct taste and brings different smoky flavours to the meat.
Use charcoal briquettes, along with your wood chips, to ensure even cooking.
Let your meat cook to a hotter than normal temp. This breaks down the meat even further for a more tender cut.
Invite your friend over and make a day of it! Grilling with friends is always much more fun.
Experimenting with slow cooking can be a fun and exciting experience. Try some of your old favourites on the grill or create something new. And while you're waiting for the food, sit back, relax, and enjoy your day!