Top Five Grilling Tips From Grillmaster BBQ Brian Misko
The world famous BBQ Brian Misko is known for his award-winning grilling skills. He travels the world perfecting this craft, and has earned the right to be called a BBQ Pit Master. Today, BBQ Brian runs the very successful House of Q, an award-winning BBQ sauces and spices company. When he’s not doing that, he’s promoting his grilling cookbook “Grilling with House of Q,” and continuing to innovate and create new recipes in the BBQ pits.
As you can see, BBQ Brian Misko is busy guy. But he still made time to ensure that one lucky CFOX listener got a backyard BBQ experience he’ll never forget. This prize was part of the CFOX Grills Gone Wild event that ran in the Lower Mainland of BC, and was sponsored by Shun Cutlery, House of Knives, and House of Q.
While not everyone can have BBQ Brian Misko personally cook an amazing BBQ bash for them, he does pass along five very important grilling tips in the video above.
Number One – Turn it Down
BBQ Brian says the biggest mistake people make is turning their grills up to maximum heat, potentially incinerating dinner. It also doesn’t really help develop the flavour you want when you grill. He recommends that, for most things, low and slow is the way to go, giving the food time develop flavour. Steaks, on the other hand, are one of the “rare” foods that do require high heat, but care must be taken to not overdo it.
Number Two – Stop Guessing
Nothing puts a damper on a backyard BBQ faster than realising that you turned those juicy hamburgers into hockey pucks. Or even worse, finding out that someone got sick from something you grilled. Despite all his experience, BBQ Brian Misko doesn’t believe in guessing—he uses a thermometer. It’s the only way to ensure that the food is done to the right temperature, and that it’s at the peak of juiciness.
BBQ Brian recommends a thermometer of the instant-read variety. Products like the Kuchewerks Instant Read Series come in digital and analog styles. The sleeve also has all the cooking temperatures you should be aiming for when cooking meats. Ensure your grilling is both safe to eat and at peak flavour.
Number Three – Avoid the Ouch!
Yes, it may look impressive to touch red hot things with your hands. But what’s not impressive is when you need to go to the ER for second degree burns. That’s why BBQ Brian recommends you try to be a little less cool, and handle hot food with heat protection. You can do that by investing in some oven mitts like the Port Style Silicone Oven Mitts that come in grey, red and blue. And make sure you have a pair of Kussi Tongs nearby for moving and removing food from the heat.
Number Four – Make Sure You’ve Got the Right Brush
If BBQ Brian Misko didn’t tell us we needed a different brush for each type of grill material, we probably would’ve used just any old brush. According to BBQ Brian, if you have stainless steel grill grates, you’ll want to use a stainless steel brush. But if your grates are made of cast iron, you’re going to want to use a brush made of brass. Of course, always inspect your brushes for loose wires, maintain them well, and don’t be afraid to recycle them if needed for the safety of you and your guests.
Number Five – You Don’t Want Anything to Stick
For the grates in your BBQ, you’ll want to use oils that can withstand the high heat they’re subjected to. BBQ Brian recommends that you keep olive oil off the grates, and use oils that have a high smoke point. Coating the grates with oils such as peanut, canola, or soybean oil is best, because they can withstand the high temps of grilling. You can still drizzle that olive oil on your veggies and steaks of course. That’ll just increase the glorious flavour.
Where to Find BBQ Brian Misko
For more information on what BBQ Brian Misko does best, you can check out his website and pick up his cookbook for some amazing grilling ideas. House of Knives also carries a range of his grilling products in our stores across BC and Alberta.
Do you have any grilling tips or tales to share? Do you have any ideas for future videos with BBQ Brian? Let us know in the comments below!
