Happy National Barbecue Day! Homemade, buffet-bbq.. and what about Korean bbq?
In the middle of May, one can safely say that the weather is getting better again. It is brighter for a longer time and especially longer warm. This invites more and more to have a barbecue again. Fittingly, the "National BBQ Day" is celebrated today in the USA - so to speak, the national barbecue day.
But what is that anyway? This well-known BBQ?
BBQ - An invitation
Hello dear friends, hello dear family, today we want to organize a BBQ in our garden again - you are cordially invited. If you like, please bring along a salad or finger food.
In Germany, barbecuing with friends is no longer called Grill fest, but also BBQ, similar to the American example. It is seen as a social event, which can begin and end at any time of day or night. The main attraction is of course the barbecue itself - or the slowly cooked food. Somehow this all causes great confusion.
If you want to barbecue in this country, you do so either with an electric, gas or coal barbecue (some even over an open fire) - in America, however, barbecue (BBQ) usually means the slow cooking of different kinds of meat in a smoker. Nevertheless, the hamburger is the most well-known and desired dish of the guests at a BBQ.
Besides the way of preparation or the BBQ as a "gathering", surely everybody knows the BBQ sauce. This sauce consists mostly of tomatoes, onions, vinegar, mustard and spices such as Worcester sauce, chilli and the typical smoke aroma - yes, you can also add this liquid and thus artificially...
BBQ - A possibility
But how do you get the grilled, cooked or with BBQ sauce marinated dishes? Here are a few possibilities:
- Foodtrucks: For some years now, foodtrucks have been enjoying increasing popularity. Street Food Festivals are being pulled up to pamper the palate of the customers. Many of these trucks offer meat from the Smoker, among other things. And that is of course then our interface to the BBQ. You will not only find the above-mentioned burger, but also fine spare ribs, pulled pork and other delicacies.
- Restaurants: Beside the food trucks, which are rather mobile, there are also some restaurants which offer BBQ dishes. Many already advertise directly with their name. "BBQ", "Smox BBQ" and "Bullhut BBQ" are just a few examples. In addition, American restaurants and diners often offer BBQ-style dishes or at least with BBQ sauce, so that everybody gets his money's worth.
BBQ - At home
But for those who prefer to stay at home, here is a small collection of ideas about what you can prepare:
- Appetizers: A nice idea, for example, is to make your own little antipasti. These can be made from either zucchini or aubergine. Both are cut into slices, marinated in oil and then prepared on the grill. Afterwards you can sprinkle the grilled vegetable slices with some feta and dried tomatoes and the "Antipasti from the grill" are ready. Of course, you can also start directly with cheese or meat and fill small puff pastry pockets and then prepare them on the grill. Beside this, one can of course also grill any other kind of vegetables simply marinated - simple but still tasty.
- Main courses: As mentioned earlier, the most commonly grilled dish is the burger patty or topping. Here you can choose freely between the pure meat, the pulled variants and the particularly strongly marinated varieties. No matter if you marinate it yourself or buy already marinated meat pieces. There are no limits here. Also Halloumi can be prepared accordingly, so that vegetarians also get their money's worth. Besides the burger there is of course - especially in Germany - the bratwurst. But between all the meat there are also fish grill variations, as well as potatoes, pumpkin and grilled cheese dishes.
- Desserts: The grilled bananas are probably best known here. These can also be wrapped in puff pastry and filled with chocolate. You can also heat up pineapple and mango slices on the grill.