The barbecue is one of the great joys of summer. The pleasure of outdoor cooking, with loved ones around you and the magnetism that the fire exerts on all those around it. But there is nothing easier ... than to miss your barbecue. So, to help you succeed with yours, rather than with a chef, we asked a great butcher for advice, for his intimate knowledge of meats, all meats, and their ways of reacting to cooking.
This butcher is Hugo Desnoyer, one of the best professionals in France. In his shops in the 14th and 16th arrondissements of the capital, this colorful character serves a neighborhood clientele but also carnivores who come from everywhere to afford his fine pieces of beef, his milk-fed veal, his exceptional lambs, his poultry and homemade pies. He refuses to talk about it, but customers from the neighborhood have told us that Catherine Deneuve, José Garcia, Carla Bruni or Vladimir Cosma are among his fans.
Hugo is not only a butcher, he also works as a restaurateur. Inside his 16th century butcher's shop, he has set up a delicious and friendly "meaty" table d'hôtes, where you can feast on the spot (better to reserve). On July 20, it also just opened a new establishment in the La Défense business district, “Grillé Défense”, an ultra high-end Kurdish-inspired kebab. But let's come back to our barbecue, and the advice of the master for successful grilling.
Tip # 1: before you start, equip yourself well
Whatever your barbecue model, you must first have a cutting board near you. Indispensable, according to the star of butchers (and vice versa), to place and share pieces of meat without taking your eyes off the fire.
Other crucial equipment: a small bowl filled with water. “We dip our fingers and sprinkle as soon as flames appear, which are the enemies of good cooking. »Be careful, if you water the embers too generously, you risk extinction.
For some meats, you will also need some fat. Some use a vegetable oil. Hugo Desnoyer prefers - by far - clarified butter. To obtain it, simply heat the butter over low heat, and remove the foam that forms on the surface (the casein) with a spoon, to keep only the fat. You can then brush your meats with this clarified butter, before placing them on the barbecue grill.
Then you must always have a clamp. With a fork, you will have every chance to pierce your meats and sausages when handling them, thus losing the juice and the good natural fat of the meat, and in addition to causing flames. “I recently discovered the roller clamp,” explains Hugo Desnoyer, “it doesn't cost much and it's great. »Indeed, this model equipped with small wheels at its ends makes it possible to easily turn over sausages, merguez and other andouillettes, thanks to the force of gravity.
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Finally, plan for aluminum foil. You will see why a few lines below ...
Tip 2: wait until you have good embers
Often, diners lack patience and the cooking session starts a little too early. “Good embers must be very red,” explains the great butcher, “but without flames. And don't forget, throughout cooking you must always be present! "
Tip # 3: turn, turn again
Pieces of meat do not like to be attacked by the heat of the barbecue. “You have to turn them, and turn them over and over! », Asserts Hugo Desnoyer. Nothing more effective to avoid heat shocks, conscious or unconscious.
Tip # 4: let it rest
Another imperative recommendation: “Your pieces of meat must rest before being tasted, so place them on your board and cover them for a few moments with aluminum foil. " Why ? Because cooking tends to “stress” the meat, red or white, and to concentrate its juice in the heart of the piece. A warm rest helps it to relax, and to rehydrate, with a well distributed juice.
According to Hugo Desnoyer, your butcher can offer you many treasures that are much cheaper than the rich and famous, such as prime rib, sirloin or lamb chops.
THREE IDEAS TO SURPRISE YOUR GUESTS
As an aperitif, long live the chipos
Around a barbecue, chipolatas - which in some regions are called "godiveaux" (although the latter are in principle made from veal, not pork) - are still a hit. The condition for not being disappointed, according to Hugo, is to buy them from a butcher. Of course, he preaches for his parish, but he's right, it's day and night. These chipos will delight your guests for an aperitif, a glass in hand. Hugo Desnoyer's trick: put the sausages on the edges of the barbecue and, above all, never prick them, they would lose all their softness. All these tips also apply to merguez!
The epigram, a whole program
The epigram is one of the cheapest pieces of lamb (less than 3 euros). Let it marinate in olive oil or clarified butter, and drain it well before putting it on the grill. Hugo Desnoyer has a secret recipe: he defeats a merguez, places this farce on an epigram and rolls it to form a cannon; then he cuts this cylinder into slices, and roasts it. A delight !
The shank, the Bordeaux and the paleron, god it's good
When we say grilled beef, we tend to think of “noble” (and expensive) pieces, such as prime rib, sirloin or entrecote. But there are cheaper and more amazing parts, like the shank. Considered a tripier piece, it has all the good red meat, and is particularly tasty. Be careful, warns Hugo Desnoyer, "its thickness is not uniform, so you can bend the two ends of the shaft, thinner, which will cook at the same rate as the central part".
If you like meat on the bone, to change from the traditional prime rib, and relieve your wallet a little, try the "Bordeaux". In the jargon of butchers, it is the first of the low ribs, less expensive and yet very tasty, at least among good butchers. “At the end of cooking, advises Hugo Desnoyer, cut the fat from the rib into small pieces on your board. Place these bits of fat on a sheet of aluminum foil and put them back on the barbecue for a few moments. Once melted, place them on the beef, as if it were marrow. This is exceptional ! "
Finally, another wonder unknown to barbecue enthusiasts: the paleron. Usually cooked in gravy dishes or long cooking in a pot, it is in fact among the most subtle and fragrant pieces of beef, and flourishes when cooked on the barbecue. Per kilo, it costs half the price of a steak. Hugo Desnoyer's trick: as the paleron has a short fiber, it is better to eat it blue, otherwise it may be dry.