In the meantime, here are some recipes to celebrate the new season…

Ben O’Donoghue’s Whole Fish Thai Style

We’ve been experimenting with fish lately (especially whole fish), and we can’t get past how easy this recipe is. Plus, the flesh has turned out perfectly tender for us every time. Have a play with the spice if you love your chillis, otherwise best to keep it at a minimum. YUM.

Steven Raichlen’s Thai Lemon Honey Sauce

Okay, we know what you’re thinking. Two Thai inspired dishes recipes in a row? Yes, because we cannot go past how good this sauce is. It’s very versatile in terms of what it can go with – but we definitely recommend seafood!

Janella Purcell’s BBQ Dips

This is a winner at every BBQ. Just looking at the colour of the different dips are enough to make your mouth water. Serve with toasted rye bread as per the recipe, or pair with crackers, chips and breadsticks.

And seeing as it’s Father’s Day this weekend, why not spoil him with a great BBQ meal?

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY from the Heat Beads^® Team!

Let’s start with some of the more common produce for the BBQ…

- Garlic bulbs should look big, firm and not shriveled. The white paper skin should be intact.

- Corn that is ripe and sweet should have bright green, moist husks. If possible, eat corn on the day it is purchased as the gradual conversion from sugar to starch in corn begins once it is picked.

- Potatoes should be smooth, firm and unbruised.

- Eggplants should be firm with smooth skin. If you gently push the skin with your finger and the mark remains, it is overripe.

- Asparagus should have green, straight stalks with firm tips.

- Red and green peppers should have skin that is smooth and firm with no marks/bruises.

- Lettuce should not be discoloured and should have crisp, unblemished leaves.

- Zucchinis should be firm with dark skin, not soft and wrinkled.

- Onions should be heavy, dry and show no form of sprouting.

- Pineapples should smell sweet, have fresh, green leaves and feel firm to the touch. Soft spots and brown leaves are not a good sign. Unlike some other fruits, pineapples will not continue to ripen or get sweeter after picked.

Some other things to consider…

- The rules above can be applied to most other fruit and vegetables.

- Some people do like to purchase underripe fruit to ripen at home so they can cook/eat in their own time. To do this, place the fruit in a paper bag and seal loosely. Store at room temperature until ripened to your liking.

- Don’t substitute the paper bag with a plastic bag (although it may be a bit more convenient) as fruits need to “breath” to ripen. Using a plastic bag will not allow this.

- Where possible, use local produce that is in season in your area.

- And of course, we always recommend you BBQ over briquettes as the high, dry heat produced by cooking over coals (vs gas) does a better job of caramelising the plant sugars in fruit and vegetables. YUM!

P.S. Hurry, final days to enjoy the Father’s Day promo from Spithouse – giving you a FREE windshield, FREE grill basket + FREE postage within Australia with every purchase of The Dribble BBQ spit before August 29!

Here are some simple BBQ cleaning tips…

- Always clean as you go. We promise that will mean an easier and less time consuming clean in the end! It is best to scrub the BBQ with a metal grill brush before and after cooking (while the grate is still piping hot) to get it clean.

- The grill plate should then be oiled to preserve its life. Do this by dipping a paper towel in oil, then using BBQ tongs to run the oil along the grate.

- Remove the grates – and anything else on the inside of the barbecue – and remove the ash. Make sure the grill has cooled before you do this.

- Use an unwanted rag/newspaper/thick paper towel to clean the inside. Some people use a garden hose to wash it down for a more thorough clean.

- Place the grates on newspaper and spray on heavy duty oven cleaner. Wait a few hours until the cleaner has soaked in before giving the grates a good brush down.

- Wipe the outside of the barbecue with a wet rag and some gentle cleaning soap. Be careful not to use a wire brush as you don’t want to scratch off any paint.

Not only does cleaning help prolong the life of your barbecue, it ensures a safer and tastier BBQ meal.

Until next week, don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook and stay in touch!

P.S. Don’t get stuck on Father’s Day gift ideas this year – Spithouse is offering a FREE windshield, FREE grill basket + FREE postage within Australia with every purchase of The Dribble BBQ spit before August 29!

In a style of humour only Terry is known for, here are his top 5 tips…

Marinate your meat… or make something to baste it with while cooking. The flavours you get from a spit are already great, but once you add a BBQ marinade or a honey & soy glaze, you will do back flips to get a bit in your gob!

Go MAD… Try different flavours in your cooking. Some of my favorites are Vegemite on lamb, using pickles under the skin of the roasting chicken and a honey mix on pork fillets.
Live on the edge… I remember one time… I tried a weird beer. I won’t fall for that again!

Eat vegies… (My wife, the vegetarian lioness, made me put that one in!). However, roast potatoes in the coals are bloody great. Wrap the spuds in foil with a knob of butter and a bit of crushed garlic. Whack them in the coals for about 45 minutes. That will keep her quiet for about 30 seconds!

Don’t rush! Spit roasting is a slow cooking style. Get prepared. Make sure the meat is pretty well balanced on the spit, make sure you have your basting brush ready and most importantly, have a couple of cold stubbies at hand.

Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes
The one thing that stuffs everything up is the wrong fuel. Too hard to light, not hot enough, too much flame, a bad smell, or they don’t last long enough! As I say on my website, stick with Heat Beads^® Briquettes.

Ready to try? Have a go with Terry’s Aussie Lamb Roast or his version of Teriyaki Chicken: Terry’s Yucky Chicken.

You’re also just in time for his Father’s Day special and are invited to purchase The Dribble spit before August 29 and receive a FREE windshield, grill basket and FREE postage within Australia – all for just $250! To find out more about Spithouse’s portable BBQ spits, visit www.spithouse.com.au

Until next week, don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook and stay in touch!

As a rough guide:
• To test steak and chops, use the ‘poke method’. When the meat is rare, it will feel soft when pressed with your finger in the thickest part. When it is medium, the meat will be firmer, but still able to be pressed in easily. When the meat is well done, it will be firm and springy.
• To test chicken for doneness, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the chicken is cooked the juices should run clear.
• To test fish for doneness, use the ‘flake method’. Press the thickest part of the fish with your finger; it should break away from the bone easily into firm flakes.

To be more accurate:
The most reliable method of testing for doneness is to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. This is inserted into the thickest part of the meat (careful not to touch any bones) and will tell you whether the meat is ready.

Beef / Lamb
Rare: 50°C | Medium: 70°C | Well Done: 75°C – 90°C

Pork
Medium: 70°C | Well Done: 75°C – 90°C

Chicken and Turkey
Well Done: 80°C

Ready to test?

Use the poke method on Adrian Richardson’s Big Juicy T-Bone Steak for Two

Use the skewer method for Bob Hart’s Brilliant Barbecued Chicken

Use the flake method for Janella Purcell’s Barramundi in a Paper Bag

Until next week, don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook and stay in touch!

HEAT continues to maintain consistent results among its graduates with 31.9% moving into apprenticeships or employment, and an additional 39.1% pursuing further education.

Earlier this year, we were honoured to be part of the successful Melbourne Food & Wine Homeless World’s Longest Lunch where we helped to feed over 150 homeless people with an entrée of BBQ Kofta cooked over Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes (recipe from the HEAT: The Way Forward is Good Food cookbook). Here’s another recipe from the book that we’ve tried and loved! Miniature Duck Pies by Ian Curley.

HEAT: The Way Forward is Good Food is available for purchase with 100% of all proceeds going back into the HEAT program. It includes recipes by Australia’s award winning chefs and true accounts from young people who’ve turned their lives around thanks to the program. Buy one today.

To find out more about HEAT, visit www.heat.org.au

Until next week, don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook and stay in touch!

*Image courtesy HEAT: The Way Forward is Good Food.

Here are our top tips…

- Start by removing the head (twist and pull), then pull off the legs. The rest of the shell should come off easily now.

- Depending on your preference, you can leave the tail on or off (remove by giving it a gentle pull). Some like to keep the tails on for decorative purposes.

- To remove the vein that runs down the back of the prawn, make a slit along the back with a small knife. Place the prawn under running water and the vein should come off easily. If it doesn’t, just use the knife or a toothpick.

- For best results, experts will tell you to grill prawns with the shells on, as the shells hold a lot of flavour.

- To devein without removing the shell, simply make a cut down the back of the prawn and remove the vein as above.

- If you want to make the most of your prawns, fry the discarded heads and shells in some olive oil on high heat. Then add water, bring to a boil and reduce until it becomes a deliciously tasty stock which can be used to flavour other dishes. Keep stock in the freezer until ready to use.

- And yes, you can easily get prawns that are perfectly peeled & cleaned from the supermarket, but if you find truly fresh prawns, chances are you’ll have to do it yourself.

- Ready to start? Tell us how you go with Bob Hart’s King Prawn Rafts recipe – he gives you the option to grill with shells on or off.

Have a tip that’s been passed down to you? We’d love to hear it. LIKE us on Facebook and share with us there!

Indian BBQ is perhaps best associated with the tandoor – a charcoal burning clay oven used for cooking and baking. Its most popular dish is Tandoori Chicken (of North Indian origin) and is something you can find in most Indian restaurants around the world today. Contrary to popular belief, not every Indian family owns a tandoor – and communal tandoors are quite common in rural places.

Indians are also known to use what is called a sigri – which is basically a small, charcoal grill that sometimes doubles up as a heater during the cold winters. The fuel is usually coal, dried cow dung (yes, it’s true!) or wood. It is most commonly used to grill small items like kebabs, vegetables and small game.

Indians enjoy grilling vegetables and paneer (unaged curd cheese), perhaps even more so than meat as vegetarianism is widely practiced in India. Additionally, many do not eat beef because the cow is a sacred animal in the Hindhu religion.

Tandoori Chicken is a huge favourite among the Heat Beads^® team. Why not have a go at Adrian Richardson’s Tandoori Chicken recipe today? Not to worry, a tandoor is not needed for this recipe – any charcoal BBQ will do!

Have we missed anything out? Did we get it right? We’d love to learn more. LIKE us on Facebook and share with us there!

Here are our top tips for tenderising meat…

- Flatten the meat with a tenderising mallet (easily found at most grocers) or improvise by using the back of a fry pan. Remember to wrap the meat in cling film or plastic to prevent any mess.

- Rub and marinate the meat in apple juice, apple cider vinegar or tomato juice for a few hours before cooking. The acid in the juices serves as a natural tenderiser.

- You can also use lemon juice as above, but remember to use less than the other juices to prevent it from turning sour.

- For an Asian twist, add ginger (another natural tenderiser) to your usual marinade. Try a basic marinade of oil, soy, ginger and brown sugar.

- Some people live by baking soda as a natural tenderiser. You can try this method by gently working baking soda into the meat. Store in the fridge for a few hours, then rinse off and prepare for cooking as per usual.

- Alternatively, if you have the time, consider slow cooking your meat for 8-10 hours for a delicious, fall-of-the-bone stew or pot roast.

- If all else fails, you can put the meat into a grinder and turn it into scrumptious, homemade hamburgers. Why not try Mini Maxim Beef Burgers or Lamb Rissoles – two yummy recipes previously submitted by our Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes readers.

Do you have your own tips to tenderising meat? LIKE us on Facebook and share your tip with us there!

We’re asking the question: Which sport rules?

Just tell us for your chance to win one of FIVE massive Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes Prize Packs worth $400, plus go into the running for the grand prize of three corporate tickets for a season game in the code of your choice!

Entry is simple:
- Jump on to whorules.calltoarms.org.au
- Vote for either Aussie Rules, Rugby League, Rugby Union, soccer or basketball
- Tell us in 25 words or less why it’s the code of your choice

We encourage our readers – whether you love sport or not – to visit calltoarms.com to find out more about cancer in men. You’ll find some astounding information including the fact that 1 in 3 cancers in men is preventable with the right lifestyle choices.

Join us in the fight against cancer today.

*The Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes Prize Packs include the Heat Beads^® Entertainer BBQ, Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter + Platform Set, Heat Beads^® Spatula + Grill Brush, 2 x 4kg bag of Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes. This competition is run solely by the Cancer Council. Please contact the Cancer Council (www.cancervic.org.au/) for full Terms and Conditions.

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