Barbecue is a method and apparatus to cook meat and a variety of other foods, with smoking wood, the heat and hot smoke of a fire, or hot coals of charcoal, cooking gas, or even electricity. Application of a marinade, spice rub, or basting sauce to the meat or vegetables may be included in it. Generally, Barbecue is cooked in an outdoor environment heated by the smoke of wood or charcoal. Large brick or metal ovens, which are especially designed for cooking purpose, are used in Restaurant barbecue. In many parts of the world, Barbecue has many regional variations. Practitioners consider barbecue as indirect methods of cooking over hardwood smoke with the more direct methods called grilling in the Southern United States.
Barbecuing and grilling refer to a fast cooking process, which is done directly over high heat, while grilling also refers to cooking under a source of direct. In the U.S., barbecuing and grilling refer as high heat and in Canada as broiling. A fast process over high heat is referred as grilling and a slow process using indirect heat and/or hot smoke is referred as barbecuing in US. The southern Brazilian churrasco and the Argentine asado are its South American versions. Alternatively, an apparatus with a separate fire box may be used that called as smoker. For very slow cooking, hot smoke is drawn past the meat by convection.
General Tips for Vegetarian/Vegan Barbecue Meals:
- If there are meat and non-meat options offered at a gathering or party, ensure the vegetarians get first dibs on the meatless offerings.
- Reserve a section of the grill clean of any meat and meat products/juices. Vegetables may become non-vegetarian if they’re exposed to non-vegetarian items.
- Don’t assume vegetarian will be satisfied with grilled vegetables or salad. Cook something filling and hearty for vegetarians too.
- When barbecuing both meat and vegetarian meals, plan and choose appropriate foods to avoid cooking entirely separate meals. For example, don’t grill falafel to be served with pita bread and salad if you’re also grilling steak to be served with rice and potatoes.
Tips for Cooking Vegetarian/Vegan Barbecue Foods:
- Vegetarian foods don’t generally need to be cooked to a certain temperature like meats do. It can be difficult to tell when they’re done. Most just need to be heated through and crisped on the outside.
- Cook moist, delicate summer vegetables directly on the grill (e.g. eggplant slices, zucchini, mushrooms)
- Cook dry, hearty or winter vegetables wrapped in tinfoil (e.g. carrots, potatoes)
Vegetarian/Vegan Barbecue Meal Ideas:
- Falafel or chickpea patties (homemade or store-bought)
- Pizza or other breads with toppings (garlic bread with cheese, bruschetta, flatbread)
- Stuffed peppers, zucchini or tomatoes (filling is cooked on the stovetop)
- Shish kebabs (try the tofu and vegetable shish kebab recipe)
- Meat substitutes (veggie burgers, dogs, sausages, faux chicken cutlets, bean patties etc.)
- Grilled eggplant stacks with portabello mushrooms and ricotta cheese (try the eggplant stacks recipe)
- Baking potato stuffed with melted cheese and/or refried beans
- Marinated, thickly sliced tofu (marinate at least one hour and use firm or extra-firm tofu only)
- Vegetables: sweet potato, potato, carrots, parsnip, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, corn (note: special instructions for grilling corn on the cob)
Vegetable and tofu seasoning ideas:
- Favorite spice blend
- Salt and pepper, serve with sauce or dip (try sesame tahini dressing for creaminess and protein)
- Barbecue and Outdoor Dining Side Dish and Dessert Ideas
- Italian or favorite salad dressing
Side Dishes
- Green salads with fresh, seasonal ingredients
- Potato salad or pasta salad without tuna or other meat
- Roasted hot mushroom salad
- Sliced tomato and bocconcini salad
- Fresh bread or rice
- Grilled flatbread or garlic bread
- Bean salad
Desserts
- Grilled fruit (halved peaches, plums, pears or sliced pineapple) with vanilla ice cream or non-dairy cream
- Banana boats (grilled bananas stuffed with chocolate chips)
- Seasonal fruit crisp or cobbler
Vegetarian BBQ Recipes:
Home Made Potato Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 8 large baking potatoes.
- 1/2 white or yellow onion (optional)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 8 oz sweet relish
- sprinkle paprika
Method:
Take a pressure cooker and put potatoes in it. Boil the potatoes until they are done but not overcooked. Over medium high heat, boil the eggs until hard boiled. Let the potatoes and eggs to cool. After peeling the potatoes slice it into large pieces. Peel the egg and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Chop the onion into very small pieces. Mix all ingredients gently except for the paprika. After all ingredients are well mixed, place into a Potato Salad Bowl.
Macaroni Salad Recipe:
Ingredients for Macaroni Salad:
- 1-2/3 (8 ounce) packages uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1-1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
- 3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1-3/4 teaspoons sugar
- 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
Method:
Take a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and about 8 minutes cook until tender. Under cold running water, drain, and rinse it. Mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions in a large bowl. Mix in the macaroni. Before serving, refrigerate at least 30 minutes until chilled.
Best Baked Beans Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3-1/3 cups navy beans
- 13 ounces bacon
- 1-2/3 onion, finely diced
- 3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon and 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Method:
In cold water, soak beans overnight. In the same water, simmer the beans until tender, about 1 to 2 hours. Drain and reserve the liquid. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish, arrange the beans by putting a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with bacon and onion. Combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. To cover the beans, pour in just enough of the reserved bean water. With a lid or aluminum foil, cover the dish. Bake for 3.5 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Take away the lid about halfway through cooking, and to prevent the beans from getting too dry, add more liquid if necessary.
For more information about Vegetarian BBQ menu ideas and recipes, visit www.barbecue-smoker-recipes.com
This are AWESOME ideas! With a family of vegetarians to feed, I will definitely be taking these ideas up. There is a little tid bit I’d like to share too atually – lately I’ve been grilling veggies and tofu with these veggie and vegan friendly simmer sauces from this brand called Tastybite. They have quite a few flavors, all of which add a little flare to any grilling session, so I definitely recommend them! I’ve even made pizzas using their sauces too. Thanks for the great advice and happy grilling!
Thanks for that. I was trying to find a filling stew recipe to get me through the xmas time, and this sounds great. I found an entire stew recipes site here too that seems to have loads of good stuff, maybe your readers can get some more inspiration there. Anyway, thanks, I will bookmark and read more another time ;)