As the seasons roll over, my neighbour has been preparing his barbecue for use again, and I feel almost guilty that I have not yet wheeled out my own favourite summer appliance for use. It promises dinner in a flash and doesn't need much cleaning up.
The simple act of throwing a sausage, steak and chicken wings on the barbie is hard to resist and Australians sure know how to make the most of the spring and summer grilling season.
But despite its simplicity, it still requires some thought, especially in this economic environment. If you want to be thrifty amid rising food prices, I have some good news: you can actually have a decent, if not epic, barbecue with cheaper meat cuts, like skirt steak, oyster blade and my personal favourite, flank steak, if you use a tenderising marinade.
Rather than bringing out a wooden mallet to tenderise cheap cuts (like you'd do if making an Austrian Wiener schnitzel) or using baking soda (which can leave an aftertaste), natural tenderisers, like onions, yoghurt and even apples, can help you step up your barbecue game without sacrificing on flavour, texture or taste.
My favourite marinades mostly involve garlic and soy sauce, but my friend from XinJiang tells me that the key to his mother's epic Xinjiang barbecue skewers is a marinade made with onions and sometimes tomatoes. They contain properties that help to break down a tough lamb shoulder.
Cumin lamb skewers. Source: Alan Benson
Korean-born Australian chef, , sometimes uses fruits to marinate both cheaper and expensive meat cuts when making her famous Korean barbecue at home for friends. "In Korean cuisine, mainly fruits are used to soften meat."
Yun says that pears are used for beef and apples are used for pork. "I also add kiwi or pineapple together for extra tenderisation."
In Korean cuisine, mainly fruits are used to soften meat.
Yun says that since fruits are sweet, you don't need to put as much sugar in a marinade.
"We usually eat ribs for Korean barbecue, and this meat really needs to be tenderised to taste delicious," Yun explains.
If she doesn't have time to marinade something like beef short ribs (kalbi), "we debone them and cut them into thin slices before grilling them right away on a Korean BBQ."
Brazilian chef , a chef at Crown Melbourne, says a good marinade is the only way to do a great Brazilian barbecue.
Korean cooking often uses kiwi fruit to marinate meat. Source: Getty Images
"I would say that barbecue belongs to the top three most loved things Brazilians love to do with their families. Tougher cuts like ribs and beef hump should have an acid component to the marination process," Do Vale explains.
"My dad has a secret recipe for beef hump which he marinates for 24 hours in pineapple juice and milk which is then stuffed with green pitted olives – not so secret anymore, I guess!" he says.
My dad has a secret recipe for beef hump which he marinates for 24 hours in pineapple juice and milk which is then stuffed with green pitted olives – not so secret anymore, I guess!
Despite his family traditions, Do Vale says he honed his barbecue skills after he became a professional chef.
"Later, when I became chef, I learnt that there are three main components to marinating meats, and I still follow it to this day: acid, oil and flavour," he says. "Acid changes the texture of the meat and weakens the protein, oil is the carrier and will help hydrate [the meat] and, finally, flavours like spices and aromatics are needed to enhance the final product. I like to use cinnamon, cloves and rosemary interchangeably."
Like Do Vale, , a former MasterChef Australia contestant and an accredited dietitian, prefers to use natural tenderisers in her marinades, such as yoghurt.
Make your meat shine with marinade. Source: Kaily Koutsogiannis
"Rather than using vinegar or citrus-based marinades, which I find can toughen meats like chicken breast and make them rubbery, yoghurt tenderises meat much more gently and effectively," she says. "I use yoghurt-based marinades to make family favourites like shish taouk, meat tikka and also pan-fried shawarma (meat or chicken)."
MEAT TENDERISER
Yoghurt marinade
Al-Sultan adapts marinade flavours to the recipe. For example, for shish taouk, she blends garlic, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, a bit of tomato paste, fresh coriander, walnuts and yoghurt.
"This recipe can either be barbecued or baked - you can really have fun with your recipe at this stage once the meat is prepped well with a natural tenderiser."
love me tender
Nashville hot chicken tenders
