Cooking Instructions / How To Cook On A Grand Hall
Meat & Poultry
Grilling Steak and Ribs
Turn the outdoor kitchen Burners on HIGH, close the Hood and preheat your grill 3 to 5 minutes. Open Hood and place the meat on the Cooking Grid directly above the lit Burners. Cook the meat on both sides until seared. Reduce the heat to MEDIUM and cook meat until done. Grilling times will vary according to meat thickness.
Cut of Meat T-bone steak, Sirloin steak, Beef spare ribs, Porterhouse steak, New York strip steak.
Approximate Cooking Times Rare: 4-8 minutes Medium: 10-14 minutes Well done: 15-20 minutes
Grilling Hamburgers and Sausages
Turn the outdoor kitchen Burners on HIGH, close Hood and preheat your grill 3 to 5 minutes. Open Hood and place the meat on the Cooking Grid directly above the lit Burners. Cook the meat on both sides until seared. Reduce the heat to MEDIUM and cook the meat until done. Grilling times will vary according to meat thickness.
Cut of Meat Hamburgers Sausages
Approximate Cooking Times Rare: 4-6 minutes Medium: 8-10 minutes Well done: 10-15 minutes
Grilling Poultry
Turn the outdoor kitchen Burners on HIGH, close Hood and preheat your grill 2 to 3 minutes. Then raise the Hood, reduce heat to MEDIUM and cook poultry directly over lit Burners until done. Poultry skin is fatty so you should expect some flare-ups when using this direct method.
To minimise flare-ups, try grilling poultry using the indirect method. Place the poultry on oneside of the grill with the opposing Burners on MEDIUM heat, and lower the grill Hood. Grilling times will vary based on the size of your poultry.
Cut of Meat Chicken breast (cook with bone down), Chicken wings, Drumsticks
Approximate Cooking Times Direct method: approximately 15 minutes Indirect method: up to 30 minutes
Cut of Meat Wholebird (cook with breast up)
Approximate Cooking Times Indirect method: approximately 1 hour
Grilling Pork
Turn Burners on HIGH and preheat your barbecue for 3 to 5 minutes with the Hood closed. Raise Hood, place pork on Cooking Grid and cook until seared. Reduce heat to MEDIUM and cook until done. Grilling times will vary according to meat thickness.
Cut of Meat Pork spare ribs, Chops, Loins, Cutlets
Approximate Cooking Times Rare: 4-8 minutes Medium: 10-14 minutes Well done: 15-20 minutes
Fish & Seafood
Whole Fish and Whole Fillets
Preheat your bbq on HIGH for 2-3 minutes with the Hood down. Raise Hood and turn Burners to MEDIUM heat. Place fish (skin down) on grill and cook over direct heat until done. Use cooking time as a guide or until fish is opaque but still moist.
Cut of Meat Whole fish
Approximate Cooking Times 10 -12 minutes per 1/2 kg or Whole fish fillets until fish is opaque
Smaller Fish Fillets and Cubes
Follow the directions from above, using approximate cooking times shown at right. Place a small piece of aluminum foil on the Cooking Grids if the fish pieces are small enough to drop between the Cooking Grids.
Cut of Meat Fish fillets
Approximate Cooking Times 4 -5 minutes each side Boneless cubes or until fish is opaque
Vegetables & Fruit
Direct Method
In some instances, you may want to grill vegetables and fruit directly over the heat, using Cooking Grids. Foods that work best with direct heat are relatively soft and require a short cooking time: mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes and skewered fruit such as apricots, peaches, pineapple, strawberries and kiwi fruit. Remember the Grill Lid must remain up when cooking directly.
For very firm vegetables particularly potatoes and yams, we recommend that you partially boil until almost cooked, before placing them on the grill.
Cooking times for foods prepared with the direct method will be much shorter mainly because of the direct heat source and softness of the food. Timing will be comparable to normal pan frying or grilling.
Indirect Method
Prepare your fruit or vegetables and brush with butter or basting sauce if desired. To cook indirectly, the food should be placed on the left or right side of your barbeque with the Burner lit on the opposite side and the grill Hood down. Or center your food on the Warming Rack and light the outer grill Burners. Either way, indirect cooking must be done with the Hood down.
Cooking times using the indirect method with the hood down will be similar to those for your kitchen oven. However, there are many factors such as outside temperature, wind conditions and location of grill that affect your grill performance so we suggest you watch the grill thermometer and adjust the heat accordingly.
Baking
Baking Techniques
From casseroles and cornbread to delicious desserts like fondue fruit skewers or crumb cake, baking on the grill is as easy as baking in the kitchen.
Preparing to Bake
To bake in your new outdoor kitchen you'll need a baking dish or cast-iron cooking pan, and a pair of insulated cooking mitts. If the cooking pan is cast-iron be sure to season the pan before use.
Preheat your grill for 3-5 minutes, then lower heat to achieve the baking temperature desired. Baking uses the indirect cooking method. Therefore, your cooking pan should be placed on the left or right side of your outdoor kitchen with the burner lit on the opposite side.
Tips for Baking
Prepare your favourite recipe as you would in the kitchen. Foods cooked in the barbecue for long periods of time should always be covered in aluminum foil to retain moisture. You will need to stir the food several times as it bakes, and add additional liquid if required. Watch the temperature, and adjust to cook according to your recipe directions.
Oven Temperature Slow 150°C - 170°C
Recommended Grill Setting Both outside Burners on LOW
Oven Temperature Moderate 180°-200°C
Recommended Grill Setting One outside Burner on HIGH and the other outside Burner on LOW
Oven Temperature High 210°-250°C
Recommended Grill Setting Both outside Burners on HIGH
Rotisserie
Rotisserie Cooking
Rotisserie cooking produces foods that are moist, flavourful and attractive. The optional rotisserie system is most commonly used for cooking meat or poultry and is designed to cook food from the Back Burner using infrared heat. The location of the Burner allows the placement of a cooking pan beneath the food to collect juices for basting and gravy. To flavour the contents of the cooking pan you may add herbs, onions, or other spices of your choice. The Back Burner is an infrared type, which provides intense searing radiant heat. The intense heat sears in the natural juices and nutrients found in quality cuts of meat.
The cooking times on a rotisserie will be approximately the same as for oven cooking, but differences in wind, air temperature and equipment will affect the cooking times. It is recommended that you use a meat thermometer to test for the desired well-doneness of any foods prepared on a rotisserie.
ROTISSERIE COOKING CAN BE CONSIDERABLY SLOWER THAN DIRECT HEAT COOKING, BUT THE RESULTS CAN BE WELL WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT.
Balancing the Food
In rotisserie cooking, balancing the food is of utmost importance. The rotisserie must turn evenly or the stopping and starting action will cause the food to cook unevenly and possibly burn the heavier side.
The easiest foods to balance are those of uniform shape and texture. To test if the food is balanced correctly when secured, place the ends of the rotisserie spit loosely in the palms of your hands. If there is no tendency to roll, give the spit a quarter turn. If it is still stable, give it a final quarter turn. It should rest without turning in each of these positions. It can then be attached to your outdoor kitchen.
Food Preparation
When preparing poultry, truss the birds tightly so that wings and drumsticks are close to the body of the bird. The cavity of the bird may be stuffed prior to this. Pull the neck skin down and, using a small skewer, fix it to the back of the bird. Push the rotisserie spit through lengthwise, catching the bird in the fork of the wishbone. Center the bird and tighten with the holding forks. Test the balance as described before.
A rolled piece of meat requires the rotisserie skewer to be inserted through the center of the length of meat, then secured and balanced.
For meats that contain bones, it is best to secure the rotisserie skewer diagonally through the meaty sections. If protruding bones or wings brown too quickly, cover with pieces of foil.
Tips for Using The Back Burner
The location of the Back Burner makes it more susceptible to winds that will decrease the performance of your rotisserie cooking. For this reason you should not operate the Back Burner during windy weather conditions.
For best results, always rotisserie cook with the grill hood down and the Back Burner Control Knob set to HIGH. DO NOT USE THE MAIN GRILL BURNERS WHEN THE BACK BURNER IS IN OPERATION.
Smoker Box
Preparing to Smoke
Smoking gives food a distinctive, delicious flavour. You will find a variety of wood chips or pellets available for use in smoking grilled foods. Pre-soaking of wood chips may be required so read and follow the manufacturers instructions for preparation of smoking chips prior to filling the Smoker Drawer.
Using The Optional Smoker Box
In order to get optimum performance from any smoker box, remove one of the cooking grids. Fill the smoker box with your prepared smoking chips. Dried herbs and spices may also be added to produce different flavours. Place the filled smoker box directly over the Flame Tamer and the heat will produce smoke and season the food.
Tips for Smoking
You can reduce the strength of the smoke flavour by only smoking for half or three quarters of the cooking time. The heat required for smoking is normally low to medium.
Foods naturally high in oils lend themselves well to smoking, while drier foods benefit from a marinade. You can also rub the food with herbs, spices or flavoured oils. Many foods can be smoked to produce stunning results with very little effort. Here are a few suggestions:
• Tuna steaks, marinated in Asian flavors of sesame oil, soy sauce and sherry.
• Pork fillets, rubbed with ginger, orange rind and brushed with maple syrup.
• Mussels, brushed with lemon rind and chili oil.
• Lamb cutlets, marinated in virgin olive oil, lemon, oregano and black pepper. The same marinade can be used for a whole leg or rack of lamb.
• Chicken, boneless chicken pieces—especially sliced breasts
• Fish, sliced fillets of firm fish, assorted seafood such as prawns, scallops and calamari
• Pork, sliced fillets, diced or minced pork, sliced leg steak, sliced chops
• Beef, sliced fillet, rib-eye, round, rump, sirloin
• Lamb, sliced fillet, round, loin
Stir-Frying
Stir-Frying Techniques
This method of cooking is popular around the world and can be easily accomplished outdoors on your gas outdoor kitchen. It's a quick and healthy way of preparing a complete meal using meat, poultry or seafood in infinite combinations with other interesting ingredients like vegetables, rice or noodles.
Preparing to Stir-Fry
Although it is possible to stir fry in other dishes, a wok is your best tool. Its high sides enable the cook to stir food without spillage. Its construction allows you to cook quickly at high temperatures, with instant control of heat which is essential for successful stir frying.
Food preparation
Slice meat and poultry into long thin strips and cube fish fillets. Remove all fat from meat and poultry and cut large vegetables into even slices or cubes.
Marinate foods for extra flavor and tenderness. Marinating times will vary for red meat, fish and/or various cuts. Less tender cuts of meat should be marinated longer. Remember to always chill marinating food in the refrigerator prior to cooking. Stir-fry meats, poultry or fish first. Next, add hard vegetables like carrots. Then continue with softer vegetables like snowpeas and peppers. To ensure even cooking, continually stir and toss the food in the wok using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Tips for Stir-Frying
Place a wok directly over a HIGH heat on your grill or side burner. Add only a small amount of food at a time to ensure fast cooking and also to allow the wok to reheat between ingredients.
Deep-Frying
Deep-Frying Techniques
A wide variety of foods can be deep-fried on your outdoor kitchen, from potatoes, to seafood and chicken. Deep-frying uses a large portion of oil, preferably saturated. The outdoor location is ideal for deep-frying as smoke, grease and smells reach for the sky instead of your kitchen ceiling.
Preparing to Deep-Fry
Deep-fry on your outdoor kitchen using a cooking pan or wok, over direct heat. Fill a cooking pan no more than half full of vegetable or corn oil. Start with LOW heat, then raise the heat gradually. Check the temperature of the oil carefully with a frying thermometer or test with a cube of bread. The cube of bread should brown in about 30 seconds for most cooking needs. A temperature between 180°C and 200°C degrees is optimal for preparing the majority of deep-fried foods.
Food Preparation
Foods being deep-fried taste better when coated with either batter or breadcrumbs to add flavor and prevent moisture from escaping.
Tips for Deep-Frying
Wear an insulated cooking glove and slowly lower foods into the hot oil using a wire scoop or stainless steel tongs. Add only a small quantity of food to the oil, allow it to cook, then repeat with another small quantity. This ensures the oil doesn't drop in temperature. Once the food is cooked, remove it carefully and drain onto a paper towel. Turn the heat off as soon as you have finished deep-frying and allow your pan to cool. When the oil is cool, remove all remnants of fried foods by straining it through a fine metal sieve, and store it in a clean bottle for future use.
Warming Rack
How to use Warming Racks
Vegetables are generally easy to cook on the grill. The Warming Racks makes it convenient because you can still use the main cooking area while the vegetables are suspended above the grids.
Pre-cook hard vegetables by briefly boiling or microwaving them before cooking on the grill. Wrap vegetables in a double thickness of foil to protect them while cooking on the grill. Then, remove the foil if desired, 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking, brush vegetables with butter or oil and finish cooking.
The Warming Racks can be used for purposes other than just the obvious. Consider using the racks for warming French bread, garlic bread, croissants or even bagels.
A small whole fish wrapped in foil also cooks well on the Warming Racks. Parcels of seafood such as scallops, prawns and sliced fish fillets prepared in a sauce and portioned into small foil wraps cook well this way, too.