When preparing BBQ foods, there are two essential things that any cook needs to consider. Temperature control and grill set-up go a long way to determine food sweetness. Ideally, a 2-zone set-up works best for many BBQ foods. During food preparation outside, different food compounds react to temperature changes. When you consider meat as an example, there are compounds such as protein, collagen, fat and water among other compounds that require the right amount of heat. These compounds react drastically when the temperature changes. At some point, fat and collagen will melt and water will evaporate. These changes determine whether the food is going to be great, undercooked or overcooked.
Regulating temperature
The most effective way for regulating grilling temperature involves using a 2-zone setup. A 2-zone setup makes your work easier. The 2-zone set up works in such a manner that allows foods to be prepared in two sides. On the first side, food is prepared with hot and direct radiant heat while on the second side there is absolutely no heat. Food placed on the second side of the grill is prepared with indirect convectional heat. If you like, you can refer the heat side as direct zone and the no-heat side as indirect zone.
Tough and dry food
To understand what makes great BBQ food, you need to know what contributes to bad BBQ foods. Most people fail to utilize heat well and up with undercooked or overcooked foods. A common mistake that a good number of people make when preparing BBQ foods is use of too much direct heat that results in tough and dry food. Too much heat is responsible for killing all the proteins in the meat. As the proteins die, liquid oozes out leaving it dry and tough. Moderate temperature helps make BBQ food great.
Using 2-zone setup
A number of things can be done with a 2-zone setup. Since there are two sections giving out heat at different rates, you can prepare two different foods in the 2-zone setup. In a practical case, you may decide to roast any vegetable on the indirect zone and put chops and steaks on the direct zone. In the indirect zone, sweet food will rarely be burnt. Pineapple slices make nice food when grilled. However, too much heat can spoil their sweetness. With a 2-zone setup, you can put it on the indirect zone to maintain its sweetness. Additionally, other foods require slow roasting during preparation. These foods include beef and chicken roasts. When put in the indirect zone, they will not be burnt badly unlike the direct the zone.
Role of the water pan in grills
It is important to have a water pan in the grill to effectively roast beef, pork and chicken while maintaining food moisture. When the water pan is underneath the food, you will be adding more moisture to the atmosphere for good food preparation. On the other hand, if the water pan is above the direct heat, you will be protecting food from too much direct heat.
When you hire barbeque catering services and observe a little how food is prepared, you will see that most grills have a 2-zone setup. That explains why you cannot get enough of foods from barbeque catering companies. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your grill has an effective 2-zone setup. Every time you grill food outside your house, everyone will enjoy it and want more. Barbeque is a fun cooking experience. With a 2-zone setup, you can prepare all kinds of BBQ foods without having to worry about too much heat. You will always be sure about the tastiness of your food!