Here we discuss the benefits of using a commercial gas grill over using a commercial charcoal grill!
For more information about our commercial gas grills, contact Synergy Grill via our contact form, call +44 (0)1480 811000 or email info@synergygrill.com
We’ve all been there. You’ve been looking forward to a lovely meal all day, everything is going well until you go to cook on the grill…what should you do? We thought we would ask some experts for their tips on how to approach cooking on a grill.
We found 12 experts from around the world and asked what their best advice would be on all things grilling!
Warren Geraghty
Galvin Pub Company
Warren is the executive chef for Galvin restaurants and director of the Galvin pub company.
@wazza5
“A nice hot clean grill. If grilling white meat, brine in a 6% salt and water solution first. For red meats, get a good caramelisation and use the top shelf on the Synergy grill to finish cooking and resting.”
Dan Austin
Lake District Farmers
Dan is the Managing Director of Lake District Farmers, the leading meat supplier to London restaurants.
@LakeDistrictFar
“Render some well-aged beef fat down with some herbs and spices, then brush the steak with the beef fat as your grilling it. The aged beef fat will add beautiful flavour to the beef and caramelise really well on the grill”.
Tom Aikens
Tom’s Kitchen
Tom’s Kitchen is a unique collection of restaurants, delis and bars, founded by award-winning chef Tom Aikens.
@TomsKitchens
“At Toms Kitchen we find to brine or meat and fish really does help when cooking on our Synergy grill. Flavour and tenderness is vastly increased not to mention speed.
We use decarbonisers every day for cleaning our grills as they help for speed and perfectly clean bars for cooking on”.
Dez Turland
Saunton Sands Hotel
Dez has been working in kitchens for many years which has taught him to appreciate hard work and awesome equipment.
@babyfacedez
“Knowledge/Confidence/Enjoyment
A basic KNOWLEDGE of your equipment & ingredients is essential in helping you get the most from your Synergy Grill.
CONFIDENCE much as above is having confidence in the ability of your Synergy Grill to perform to the highest standards, but also the confidence to try something a little different and unusual. Experiment with flavours, techniques, textures & cooking times you’ll be surprised with the results.
ENJOYMENT one of the most important things in cookery is to always embrace and love your time on the grill never let it become a chore & you’ll be blown away and relish the final result a winner every time”.Dez Turland
Bill West
Barbecue Tricks
Bill West is the owner and operator of the popular blog barbecue tricks.com and author of the new book barbecue blueprint available on Amazon.
@barbecuetricks
“Before every use, I always start the cook process by firing up the grill as hot as it can possibly go. Once any possible residue is incinerated – I then give a careful but thorough brushing. Including under the lid. Finally, I do the same at the end of the Grill process before shutting down for the night”.
Didier Quemener
Chef Q Paris
Didier discovered his love of cooking as a 7-year-old growing up in the French countryside with his grandmother. He learned how to choose juicy tomatoes, flavourful green beans and delicate herbs from her garden to prepare traditional, seasonal French dishes. Where Summer meant ratatouille and raspberry jam, while winter was all about beef burgundy and hearty soups…This love of fresh, seasonal products remains at the heart of Didier’s cooking today.
@ChefQParis
“Turn it up!
Preheat your grill at least 20 minutes before you start cooking as it ought to reach the right temperature, which is typically:
210-250 Celsius for high
175-200 Celsius for medium-high
150-200 Celsius for medium
100-140 Celsius for low heat.
Depending on what to cook, a properly heated grill will instantly sear your produces on contact, keep the moisture inside, and will prevent from sticking. Contrary to popular belief, searing does not “seal in” the juices so to speak, but it enhances flavours through caramelization.
Marinate your meat and give it a rest once cooked!
Marinating will make your proteins happy! It does more than simply infusing your food with flavours, it also prevents the formation of potentially carcinogenic HCAs (heterocyclic amines), which develop when grilling proteins like poultry, red meat and fish.
Finally, after being grilled, set your fish and meat on a clean plate, covered with foil for about 10 minutes before carving so that all juices can redistribute evenly”.
Dustin Sanders
Smoke House Rats
Dustin is a multi-award winning steak champion; which includes a US Champion title and World Food Championships Top 10 Finalist.
@smokehouserats
“Start your propane fire 15 minutes before grilling to ensure an even heated surface (charcoal fire 45 minutes before grilling). If you are cooking a steak (our specialty) set out and season meat 45 minutes prior to grilling so the meat can drawl in your seasoning. We advise against grilling a cold steak”.
Cyndi Allison
Cyndi Allison has been grilling for forty years and loves to write about her outdoor cooking adventures.
@cyndiallison
www.barbequemaster.blogspot.com
“The first tip I’d give is to never give up. I’ve seen someone grill half thawed burgers which fell apart on the grill and ribs that were grilled on high for twenty minutes (rubbery and half raw). Not good! Unfortunately, both grillers gave up when just a few tweaks would have made a huge difference.
If you are just starting out, it helps to watch someone else grill (including the prep work if possible). Books and web spaces also help. I know I have a “never fail” post for boneless pork chops. I still get emails saying that readers always had dry chops before checking out Barbecue Master and the pork chop recipe.
Once you get basics down, be creative. You may find that seasonings in your cabinet or sauces in your refrigerator work great on the grill even if not designed specifically for fire roasted foods. I pour spicy Italian dressing (oily type) on hamburgers for twenty minutes before grilling, and the flavour pop is great. I’ve mixed feta cheese in with ground beef for an unusual Greek burger which was one of my all-time favourites.
Grilling really is about having fun. If you aren’t having fun, then you need to rethink your game. Even if you go with hot dogs which are almost impossible to mess up, you get a feel for the grill and some experience under your outdoor apron”.
Kevin Sandridge
BBQ Beat
Kevin Sandridge is a BBQ and Grilling blogger and Certified Master BBQ Judge. He operates a BBQ and Grilling blog/podcast at bbqbeat.com.
@bbqbeat
“It’s important to understand the difference between direct and indirect heat when grilling. This is especially true if you are using a rub or sauce with a high sugar content, as sugar tends to burn quickly when direct heat is applied. Consider cooking thicker cuts of meat with indirect heat and finishing them off (searing) them on direct heat. A 2 inch steak is best cooked this way on the grill. This is known as the “reverse sear” process – whereby you bring the steak up to temp (say, 135 F) and then sear it off on each side for a perfect 145 F. For reference purposes, the direct/indirect heat process is also known as “Two Zone” cooking”.
Aaron Ralston
The Smoker King
I started grilling and cooking outdoors during my college years and I enjoy providing BBQ recipes and techniques through my website.
“My best advice for using a grill is to build your fire to one side of the pit. When you need to cook hot you can cook over the fire, and if you need to cook slower you can cook indirectly away from the fire. You will always maintain control over your pit and the food you are cooking by using this method. My best advice for grilling food is to keep the seasonings simple. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder are three seasonings I use that most people recognise and like. Over seasoning food can take away from the natural, great flavours that grilling produces”.
Danny Coogle
Pit Bull’s Up In Smoke BBQ School
“I’m just a man” – Danny has a much-loved BBQ online school for Championship BBQ at PitbullsBBQschool.com. He stopped competing a couple years ago to teach and to become an ambassador to barbecue.
@BBQschooll
“1- always try to use lump charcoal or natural charcoal at all times. Brisket charcoal has binders in it that will rot your smoker out quickly.
2- practice cooking on indirect Heat Direct heat you will find that indirect Heat is better for low and slow and Direct works well for hot fast.
3- be careful with sugars in your rub they tend to burn quickly even while cooking low and slow.
4- always apply your Blaze or finishing with marinades at the very last minute to keep them from burning.
5- I recommend using thermometers especially digital thermometers to keep an eye on the internal temperature of your meet this way you don’t have to keep lifting the lid.
6- you should try to keep your lid shut to maintain even heat throughout the cooking process”.
Susie Bulloch
Hey Grill, Hey
Susie is a Guinness World Record holding griller and the voice behind the BBQ blog heygrillhey.com.
@heygrill_hey
“Invest in a high quality, durable instant read thermometer. Knowing the internal temperature of your meat takes a lot of the guesswork out of grilling!”
If you would like any further information, please call 01480 811000 or email info@synergygrill.com.
Gary, our international MD of mystery, recently met with Tramshed and Adisa Cooking in sunny Barcelona. The trio knocked their heads together to organise fitting two Synergy Grills into a sparkly new kitchen suite for Tramshed, Shoreditch.
For those that aren’t already in the know, Tramshed is Mark Hix’s chicken-and-steak restaurant within a former East End tram-generator building. It features an installation by Damien Hirst and the menu is designed around chicken and steak to share, alongside seasonal starters and puddings. Above Tramshed sits Mark’s Kitchen Library, an intimate chefs table for 12 guests, surrounded by Mark’s personal cookbook collection – a unique and inviting touch.
Adisa, the expert kitchen designer’s philosophy is that to make a good meal, in addition to having quality ingredients to hand it is necessary to have the material you need to be able to prepare any recipe you think of. Consequently, they listen to each of their customers to build the kitchen that best adapts to their needs.
Adisa perfectly fitted Tramshed’s Synergy Grills (models SG900 and SG1300) into a luxury bespoke kitchen suite. Adisa then flew the sparkly new kitchen back to Good ol’ Blighty and installed it in Tramshed’s Shoreditch venue. The restaurant re-opens Friday 23 September following the refurbishment. Yum.
We lent one of our grills to Hix Restaurants for the marvellously mad Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire.
Wilderness is a festival with a refreshing concept and a different drive. Designed to combat the busyness of everyday life and restore balance through forests and feasts combined with a deep love of artistry and artisans set in the rolling Oxfordshire countryside.
With a strong philosophy that food is nourishment for the soul Wilderness laid on long table banquets, a food forum and a debating venue entirely devoted to the pleasures and practices of cooking, eating and drinking co-curated by Wilderness treasure Angela Hartnett. It’s no wonder many of the world’s best chefs, restaurants and food critics flock to Wilderness.
In the spirit of our own passion for food, we lent celebrated chef, restaurateur and food writer Mark Hix, who’s known for his original take on British gastronomy, and his skilled team one of our lovely grills (an SG630) to cook up British fayre for the good folks at Wilderness.
Here’s what Mark has to say about Wilderness: “It’s a great food-led summer festival that embraces street food, restaurants and bars seamlessly.”
You can see their beautiful creations below:
Here’s a full line up of the restaurants, chefs and food critics that featured at this year’s Wilderness:
Angela Hartnett
Bee Wilson
Berry Bros
Bubbledogs
Christian Puglisi
Duck & Waffle
Gluts & Gluttony
Grace Dent
Hix
Jack Adair Bevan
Kurobuta
Frances Quinn
Ella Woodward
Stefano and Naoko Vallebona
Lee Westcott
Luca Dunsi
Moro
Noble Rot Magazine
Oliver Rowe
Ollie Hutson, The Pig Hotel
Patty & Bun
Petersham Nurseries
Pitt Cue
Raw duck
Raymond Blanc OBE
Robin Gill
Skye Gyngell
The Quality Chop House
Tomos Parry
Tristram Stuart
Virgilio Martinez
Zoe Williams
Sunday Brunch was recently a topic of hot debate as we seethed with jealousy and distain for Simon and Tim. Not just because they’re Simon and Tim but because they were sampling an entire table full of ribs and we were jealous. Very jealous. They were just sampling the usual pork ribs but lamb and beef too – all slathered in scrumptious looking sauce. ‘They get paid to do eat ribs’. I thought. ‘This is their life’.
Just a few weeks later we were standing in our newly refurbished demo kitchen. Our Marketing Manager’s face and hands were covered with rib sauce. It was in our new Sales Manager Carl’s beard, it was in our Ops Manager’s hair. It was even up the newly painted kitchen walls.
There’d been no accident or gas mishap, nor had we succumbed to a childish food fight or an argument. This is what happens when the boys from Ribs & Burgers, part of the Seagrass group, swing by to test out our Synergy Grills and bring a truck load of meat with them. It’s the sign of enjoying your food; really enjoying your food.
Gary Evans, our MD was so excited, the only words he could muster at one point were, ‘Meat. Fire. Love. Arghhhhhhh.’
Despite having successful restaurants all over Australia and in the USA, they have ventured across the pond to open a new site in Teddington, London. And what lucky pommes we are they are they’ve brought their ribs to good Ol’ Blighty!
Eating them isn’t a dainty affair but we’re not precious and wowee these ribs are tasty! Pork, beef and lamb ribs put the grill to the test, some with dry rub, some with a sticky sauce made from a secret family recipe. It really was the sauciest of sauces.
With a contented smile on my face I realised we were living the Sunday Brunch dream. Then steaks came out, then the burgers. This was better than the Sunday Brunch dream.
Their philosophy that: “We believe honest food and genuine hospitality can help feed a better world. So muster up some mates, place your order, grab yourself a table, order a drink and relax while we prepare your food fresh to order.” Is an actualisation of the boys’ natural demeanour which combined with their secret family recipes simply must be the key to their success.
Here’s what George Stathakopoulos, Managing Director of Seagrass for the UK has to say about the Synergy Grill “The grill is the heart of our kitchen operations. It’s an integral component of our product and service offering that reflects: the graded premium selection of our butcher’s meat, the retention of the flavourful and natural juices during the grilling process, and; the expeditious delivery of tender, tasty meals that our customers deserve. This is precisely the reason why we have specified the Synergy grills for our casual dining restaurants.”
~ By Claire Wickes
To celebrate National BBQ Week, we find out from Synergy customers why they believe our grills provide more control than charcoal.
Richard O’Connell, Executive Chef at Tom’s Kitchens commented: “We have been thoroughly impressed with the Synergy Grill. Cooking on it creates juicier, more succulent meat with less shrinkage on burgers. Sharp branding creates an authentic BBQ flavour without the hassle of lighting charcoal or the temperature fluctuations associated with traditional barbecuing. This combined with an easy hoovering cleaning method is what every chef won’t believe until they see it.”
Head Chef Stevie Robson at The Cookhouse commented: “There are so many things I like about the Synergy Grill such as the ease of turning it on and off. When you compare that to lighting charcoal every morning, it seems ludicrous. Because it is only one consistent temperature all the time, you don’t have to worry about maintaining the temperature of the charcoal.
James Peck, Head Chef at Barton Hall Hotel said: “We had a charcoal grill but it burnt a whole in the ozone layer! We had to soak it with lighting fluid 1½ hours before each service and light it twice a day. The temperature went from one extreme to the other. With the Synergy Grill the temperature is really consistent. And provides more controlled cooking and it creates juicier meat.”
“You literally couldn’t do a rare steak using the charcoal grill because it was such a furnace. As soon as you put it in and shut the door, it was incinerated. With a Synergy although it’s hot, you can see and touch the meat to see how it’s cooking.”
“Our charcoal grill ruined our ventilation system. We went from having it cleaned once a year to quarterly and we still can’t get all the black marks off the ceiling despite having if professionally cleaned.”
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