{"id":50015,"date":"2023-04-18T09:29:55","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T13:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=50015"},"modified":"2023-05-06T18:21:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T22:21:50","slug":"tips-for-barbecue-cooking-while-on-charter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/charter\/tips-for-barbecue-cooking-while-on-charter\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips For Barbecue Cooking While on Charter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Grilling <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The grill is a system like any others on a boat. It needs to be\u00a0used and maintained safely. \u00a0<\/span>\n LightItUp\/stock.Adobe.com<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\n

No question about it: Bareboat charters and hamburgers go together. Most bareboats have a barbecue grill in the cockpit (they\u2019re scarce in Europe, so check first), and grilling is perfect for no-fuss dinners that keep galley time to a minimum and let you to enjoy the sunset outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the grill is a system like any others on a boat. It needs to be used and maintained safely.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For starters, spend as much time having the check-out crew show you how to operate the grill as they do showing you the engine. Nearly every charter company has done away with charcoal (oh, the horror of live coals!) in favor of propane. Before you leave the check-out dock, have them light the grill to make sure it heats properly, and be sure you have enough propane for the duration of your adventure. Make sure the grill is bolted solidly to the rail so that you don\u2019t feed dinner to the fishies. Also ask if any marinas in your planned cruising area prohibit grill usage; some have safety rules at the dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barbecuing aboard is far different from grilling at home. Your backyard isn\u2019t rolling with passing wakes, and you likely have no stray lines near the home grill, let alone a Bimini top. Safety for the crew and boat is your first concern, followed by perfect burgers, steaks or fish. Never\u2014ever<\/em>\u2014try to grill while the boat is underway. That\u2019s just asking for trouble. And if you have a flare-up (did you remember to trim all the excess fat from the meat?), a spray bottle with water can knock down the flame. On many grills, simply closing the lid will put out any flares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every grill has its own personality, with hot spots, cold spots, being fast or slow to heat, or just plain being cantankerous. Unless you bring a mitt, potholders, a meat thermometer and tongs, you should not expect to find them on board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many propane grills have temperature gauges, trust me on this: You can\u2019t trust them. Better to use the \u201cMississippi test.\u201d Hold your hand 3 to 4 inches above the hot grill and count one Mississippi\u2026 two Mississippi…. Two to three Mississippis before you have to remove your hand is high temp for burgers. Medium is three to four Mississippis, and low heat is six to 10. Propane barbecues should be heated long enough so that the meat sears when it\u2019s placed on the grill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to start a fight? Ask people whether meat should be flipped during cooking. Some chefs say you should flip meat at least twice so that the sear will keep the juices inside and the food won\u2019t end up welded to the grill. But flipping continually is also the easiest way to create a dry burger or steak. If you think something is cooking too fast, just move it to the outside of the grill, where the heat is lower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"shrimp <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n There\u2019s nothing quite as enjoyable as the smell of fresh fare sizzling on a grill while watching the sunset in your own semiprivate \u201cbackyard\u201d in the BVI.<\/span>\n Andrew Parkinson<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Burgers have a tendency to grow upward as they cook, and some chefs try to smash them flat with a spatula. No! Goodbye, juices. Instead, pat them gently. Don\u2019t make them too thin. Make a little dent in the center of each patty before you start grilling, and the problem is solved. That dent also gives you a spot to add some zip with a splash of Worcestershire sauce, which soaks in quickly and gives a distinctive flavor.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After placing food on the grill, close the lid to circulate the heat evenly\u2014but never leave the grill unattended. Don\u2019t get sucked into watching another boat trying to anchor, or go to fix yourself something rummy and cold.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with burgers, don\u2019t forget the bun. It\u2019s hard to beat fresh-from-a-Bahamas-bakery buns. Lightly coat them with butter on the grill side, and watch them like a hawk so that they don\u2019t turn to charcoal. French brioche buns with high egg\/butter content are delish, as are toasted onion rolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to start another fight? Ask someone about seasonings. For burgers, we\u2019ve been successful with a little Kosher or sea salt, ground black pepper, perhaps a dash of garlic powder, all rubbed gently into the meat before grilling. My wife swears by Cavender\u2019s Greek seasoning, which is a good substitute for salt and pepper. Bring it with you because it\u2019s not available everywhere.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t stop at grilling burgers or steaks. Throw some veggies on the barbie too. Grilled fruit is the new dessert. Grilled watermelon or pineapple is a delight. Brush slices lightly with olive oil, grill for five to six minutes, and turn once. Yum. The same goes for grilled onions or peppers (seasoned with herbs). Or brush peach slices with amaretto, grill two minutes a side, and serve with whipped cream. Mmm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for how long to keep all these things on the grill, the correct answer is: not too long. Grill heat, burger thickness, a breeze blowing\u2014these all affect the cooking time. Instead of using a stopwatch, look for the burger to get juicy or \u201csweat\u201d on top. At that point, flip the patty, check the time, and cook one or two minutes less than the first side. Cheeseburgers? Add the cheese with about two minutes to go, and close the lid to melt the cheese. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One last warning:<\/strong> A barbecue takes surprisingly long to cool off, so keep fingers, kids and canvas items far away until it is truly cold. Pay attention to your barbecue and grill safety, and you\u2019ll find yourself humming Jimmy Buffett\u2019s \u201cCheeseburger in Paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most bareboats have a barbecue grill in the cockpit and grilling is perfect for no-fuss dinners on charter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":50016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Chris Caswell","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"161","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Barbecue is great for charter. Most bareboats have a barbecue grill in the cockpit and grilling is perfect for no-fuss dinners on charter.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[161],"tags":[169,183,1948,181,1926],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50015"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}