The Facts Around Barbecue Cooking

Cold winter days are soon to be behind us as the days are starting to get a little less chilly.  Soon enough we will be able to start enjoying long summer days.  If you usually you like to spend your summer days in a beer garden, enjoying a spot of lunch out somewhere but you’re a bit worried about getting out and about due to the risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) there’s still a great way for you, your family and friends to enjoy a small social gathering by having a bit of good food outside and what better way than a barbecue.

Because innergy love everything gas related, we wanted to give you the low down on what goes into cooking on a barbecue on a scientific level.

All the Different Types of Heat Transfer

There are many different types of heat transfer that are available and they give us an indication of how different cooking methods work.

The first type of heat transfer is known as conduction.  Conduction is when heat passes from a hot to a cold region and the hot region is in direct contact with the heat source. If you were cooking a nice juicy burger in a frying pan using a gas stove, the heat would be directed from the gas flame to the pan acting as the heat source. The burger becomes in direct contact with the pan therefore heat transfers from the bottom of the burger to the top allowing the burger to cook.

The next type of heat transfer is known as convection.  Convention is when heat moves from one place to another through water, oil and air. So, if you’re now cooking your burger in the oven, the oven will be hotter at the top and colder at the bottom and the heat inside the oven will move around.

The final type of heat transfer is radiation.  Radiation is when heat is radiated from a source of energy for example, if you were on a camping trip and cooking your burger over a campfire or if you were using one of our charcoal barbecue grills to cook meat.

FACTS: Conduction is perfect for searing meat
Convection ensures the meat is consistently cooked throughout

How Heat Transfers Within Food

When we say barbecue, the first thing that springs to mind is meat! Sausages, burgers, a couple of lamb steaks and chicken skewers. There’s also no reason you can’t add healthier options if you wish, more and more people are starting to use their outdoor grills to cook fish and vegetables.

When you are cooking on your gas or charcoal barbecue, there are just a few things to consider.  If your barbecue is a confined space and has a has a retractable lid, the air that surrounds the meat increases in temperature and transfers some of the energy to the exterior of the meat.

The hot air acts as the heat source and is known as conduction, the meat is in direct contact with the air and the air passes energy to the meat which in turn heats up the most on the exterior and slowly evenly heats up the inside of the meat.

REMEMBER: To cook everything that you eat properly, sometimes meat can appear to look cooked on the exterior but still may need to cook throughout.

One final thing to remember is to always make sure you are safe when using gas bottles and your gas barbecue. All of our gas equipment is quality tested and we supply or barbecues and patio heaters from high quality providing manufacturers such as Campingaz and Char-Broil.

All of our propane and butane gas bottles that we provide are tested to make sure that they are safe to use for whatever you require.