Danielle Bennett, AKA Diva Q, is an American World Champion BBQ Pitmaster, BBQ Author, BBQ Pro and ambassador for Traeger BBQs, with a huge wealth of knowledge and skill. Danielle has over 400 BBQ awards to her name & has taught over 20,000 students. Her motto is, “Life’s too short for bad BBQ”, and in honour of grilling season, she has shared her top 5 BBQ tips for a perfect summer barbecue.

Safety First

Use two sets of tongs and trays each time you grill or BBQ – one set for raw foods and another set for hot cooked food.

Never put cooked food on a tray that had raw food on it, and handle your meats with clean tongs every time. Cross contamination can be a serious issue so barbecue safely.

Pack a container with a snap lid to take home dirty utensils if you are traveling away for a picnic. 

Dessert time

Don’t forget dessert! Sweet endings are easy to make on the grill. A deliciously simple s’mores skillet of jumbo melted marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts with crumbled cookies is easy to make on the grill. It can be assembled the night before and grilled on a medium heat until bubbling. Serve with an assortment of dip-ables like pretzels, graham crackers and cookies, or even whole strawberries. All goodness. 

The perfect ribs

Ribs are a real people pleaser and great for sharing together at a Summer gathering but choose them carefully. I always try to buy the heaviest ribs I can find with consistent thickness. If you can, flip them over to make sure there are no bones breaking through the meat and that the fat is clean and white on the bone side.  Remove the membrane on the bone side before you cook them, add your favourite rub and then be sure to cook them indirectly – a Traeger Grill is perfect for this. My go to cooking temperature for ribs is between 110°C and 135°C 

Temperature check

Don’t measure with time, measure with temperature. A MEATER thermometer can help you check the internal temperature of your food and good BBQ recipes should tell you the internal temperature you need to reach. This can help you avoid under and over cooking! 

Enjoy!

Have fun! There’s nothing more important than experimenting and having fun with your cooking.  

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Danielle Bennett, Diva Q, is hosting Traeger BBQ masterclasses at The Orchard Garden Centre, Co. Kildare on Friday 9^th June, book online at here, as well as at A Room Outside, Limerick on Monday 12^th June (Call 061 603 686 for tickets). 

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