This week we have a particularly special blog written by a guest author, Phil Hartcher who has the enviable job of demonstrating BBQs for Weber Australia every Saturday for the 3 months leading up to Christmas.

While we were out grocery shopping last Sunday I asked “Her Indoors” or, more commonly known as “SWMBO” (She Who Must Be Obeyed) what she would like for dinner, thinking that I might burn a bit of meat on one of my 5 barbecues (doesn’t everybody own 5?). She said she wouldn’t mind some chicken but not Honey and Soy and Sichuan Pepper or grilled fillets like I do a lot of the time.

I also do a gourmet brined chicken that is extremely moist and flavoursome but wanted to add a touch of smokiness to it to give it a more distinct flavour. When we got home about midday after picking up a chicken from Safeway, I quickly made the brine mixture and put the chicken in it and then placed it in the fridge to soak for about 5 hours.

At about 4:30 I whipped the cover off my Weber® Performer and wheeled it out into the back yard. I filled my Heat Beads® Chimney Starter with Heat Beads® briquettes and placed it over a couple of lit Heat Beads® fire starters on the charcoal grate.

While I waited for the briquettes to ash over, I grabbed a small handful of hickory chips and soaked them in boiling water (if you use boiling water you only need to soak the wood for 15 - 20 minutes instead of the recommended 2 hours with cold water). While the wood chips were soaking I took the chicken out of the brine solution, drained it and patted it dry, then rubbed it all over with some canola oil.

I made a foil pouch for the wood chips I then drained the wood chips and placed them inside the pocket and sealed it, then poked the top about half a dozen times with a fork to put a series of holes, which would let out the smoke.

By this time the Heat Beads® briquettes were ashed over and we were good to go.
I poured half the briquettes in each charcoal basket; placed a drip pan with water between them, the foil pouch on top of the briquettes, the cooking grill in place and the chicken in the middle over the drip pan. I put the lid on and made sure that the top and bottom vents were completely open and left it to cook for 1.5 hours.

All I can say is that it was absolutely fantastic - the hickory smoke taste was distinctive without being overpowering, the chicken was extremely moist and retained the chicken flavour, there was a hint of garlic tones in the flesh and a crispy sweetness in the skin. On a scale of 1 -10, I would give it a 9.95 (nothing gets a 10).

The trick is not to use too much wood.

Here is the Brine Recipe.
You can use this and variations of this for many types of meat (lamb pictured above), pork chops are especially good done this way and grilled direct over Heat Beads® briquettes or charcoal.
Brine
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground garlic flakes
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 ½ litres water
Optional, use 1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice or other spices for a special flavour.

Soak the chicken; ensuring it is fully immersed, for about 5 hours in the fridge. Dry the chicken well and brush with oil.

Happy Char-grilling!

Have you ever dreamed of having your char-grilling skills perfected by lessons with a master so that you may be King or Queen at your next big BBQ? If you are going to be in the US in June this year, you may very well get that chance.

The US has long been considered one of the leaders in live coal cooking and American BBQ grill master, Steve Raichlen, runs BBQ cooking classes each year at his BBQ University. These are no ordinary cooking classes. Held for the 8th consecutive year by the master himself, Steven Raichlen, this year the location is the spectacular Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, in the heart of the Rockies.

As well as a new location, there is a brand new curriculum in 2008 that features recipes from Steven’s new American public television show, The Primal Grill. A brand new collection of grills will get your taste buds going, including a competition-size Texas-style smoker, a state of the art wood-burning grill, and the new line of Weber Summit grills with sear burners.

The classes run from June 1 to 4 and June 4-7, 2008 and are described by Steven as a ‘three-day extravaganza of smoke, fire, and food’ and his teaching style means that everyone gets to have a go on the grill.

So If you’re going to be in the States in June this year, why not sign up for the BBQ class of a lifetime? You can access Steven’s website here for more information.

Ominous warnings from the weather bureau were prophetic, when world leading BBQ identity Steven Raichlen, joined thirty fellow char-grill enthusiasts for a unique tasting indulgence at the Gasworks Art Park in Albert Park last week. Not even a torrential downpour could mar the ten course Degustation Char Grill BBQ tasting organised on Steven’s behalf by the Heat Beads® Company.

Five of Melbourne’s best char-grillers whipped up a storm (no pun intended!) on the grill, professionals and backyard enthusiasts alike. Thanks and accolades to Stavros, renowned for his superb Greek char grilling Australian style and his famous Stavros Tavern in Albert Park; Julian Wu, who specialises in Asian fusion BBQ cuisine; John Ryan, a serious competitor in world championship BBQ competitions representing Australia; Kerry Tait, winner of the 2006 annual Triple R Best Char Grill recipe competition and Eve-Lynne Fairhall whose Beef Teriyaki wowed the judges in last year’s contest.

Despite the biting wind and rain and a very hasty retreat indoors to eat, the appreciation of good food, talented chefs and enhanced with a glass of Pizzini wine won the day, as we sampled our way through dish upon dish. The succulent dishes were cooked to perfection over the hot coals on a variety of barbecues supplied by Barbecues Galore and the sleek Viking Grill, the Big Green Egg and the Texan Smoker BBQ were given the thumbs up by our ‘char grillers’ extraordinaire!

Steven was given an outstanding introduction to Australian barbecuing culture and remarked that wherever you go in the world, a shared interest in barbecuing is a brilliant entree card, opening doors, and bringing together some fantastic people!

For your chance to have the recipes used to create the mouthwatering dishes on the day sent to you, subscribe to the Heat Beads® newsletter by clicking here.

It is a time-honoured tradition in backyards, and at parks and beaches across Australia, to hear the sizzle of a barbecue, the smell of sausages, seafood, steak and other delectable offerings wafting from the char grill. One man eager to learn about this tradition and advancements of cooking over live hot coals and BBQ briquettes in modern Australian cuisine is the American grilling expert, Steve Raichlen. He hits our shores next week to learn about the Australian char grilling tradition as part of research for his new book, Planet Barbeque - travels on the world’s barbecue trail.

Raichlen is the author of the international best selling Barbecue Bible and How to Grill and host of the Barbecue University television show on American Public Television. He is author of 28 books in total (which have been translated into 12 languages), and has also defeated the Iron Chef Roksbura Michiba in a barbecue battle on Japanese television.

In celebration of Raichlen’s arrival in Australia, the Heat Beads® Company is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a set of his barbecue books. Click here to enter - include your name and email address, and in 30 words tell us why you love to char grill over Heat Beads® BBQ briquettes. The winner will be notified by email toward the end of February.