BBQ Pizza Recipe

Posted on January 5, 2012 by

 

Pizza bases cooked on Heatlie BBQ

After many attempts at cooking pizzas on the Heatlie flat top bbq, I think I may have mastered them. In the past I have used a ready-made dough bought from the supermarket or Central Market in Adelaide which is a yeast based dough. This has worked well, but last night I didn’t have any of this and nor did I want to go shopping on the way home after work, so I found a fabulous recipe which I will now share with you…

Makes 4 pizzas about 15cm across.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour – preferably a strong bread flour but plain flour will suffice

4 teaspoons dried yeast

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups warm water

Place all ingredients in a bowl for a mixer which has a dough hook and mix for 10 to 15 minutes. Alternatively, mix

Pizza with cheese added

together with hands and then knead for 10 minutes. In this case, you may need to add extra flour because this mixture is quite sticky. You could also reduce the water to 1 cup.

 Grease a large china or glass bowl with a small amount of oil and place dough in the bowl. Leave the bowl in a warm place such as on a sunny window ledge or on the opened door of an oven, with the temperature on low. Rest for around 1/2 hour in the warm environment in which time the dough will begin to rise.

Turn the Heatlie BBQ on and leave on high for 5 minutes to heat up.

This is the best bit – and the part which needs some practice. I used disposable gloves as the dough needs to be a little sticker than for bread, and certainly will be if you mix it with a dough hook. It also becomes stickier as you place it on the hotplate and it begins to heat. Grab a handfull of the dough, about the size of a cricket ball, and as you place this onto the heated hotplate of the Heatlie BBQ you will need to form the pizza dough into a round shape and as thin as possible – the thinner the better as the dough will rise as it cooks and if it is too thick will not cook through. I suggest about 2mm thick will work well. These will end up a little rustic so don’t be too fussed about the exactness of the shape, and with some practice you will be able to form round and even pizzas.

Allow these to cook on the first side until browned and beginning to cook through – about 15 mintes. I began with the bbq on high and then turned it down to low after 10 minutes. Turn the dough over.

Ham and Cheese topping

 You are now ready to put the toppings on… beginning with the tomato paste. My mum makes a fabulous tomato sauce which most of my family prefer. My daughter still likes to use the bought stuff! Either way, spread it over the base and ensure it goes right to the edges.

Now place the other topppings on, beginning with the cheese. This way the cheese will melt on the bottom of the pizza. Add other toppings to taste. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the pizza base is cooked through. Serve with a quaffing red (not for the kids though!)

Additional topping suggestions:

Dinner is served

Leftover chicken

fresh pineapple

roasted tomatoes

roasted pumpkin

pesto

ham

 

Posted in Recipes | 2 Comments

Heatlie Burgers

Posted on October 28, 2011 by

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Veggie_burger_flickr_user_divinemisscopa_creative_commons.jpgTry this great recipe for burgers which can be adapted to your taste by changing the sauces used and by adding different herbs.

Ingredients:

500g beef mince

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons of your favourite sauce, try 2 tablespoon2 tomato sauce and 1 tablespoon chilli sauce, or mustard

2 crumbled scones, I used large Bakers Delight herb scones which worked a treat and use day old scones also.

2 tablespoons milk

a handful of freshly chopped herbs such as parsley or chives

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Crumble the scones into a bowl and pour over the milk. Allow to soak for 5  minutes, then add the remaining ingredients. I always find mixing easier with hands so put on a pair of disposable gloves and mix all ingredients together until well combined.

Heat your Heatlie BBQ up and cook on high until cooked through and well browned. This will depend on the size – I made large burgers and had one each, served with lots of green salad.

Serving suggestion: Make up hamburgers with toasted crusty bread, toasted on the Heatlie BBQ while cooking the burgers, and salad, and top with Nans tomato chutney – a recipe I may have to share at a later date if I manage to find the secret recipe in my mums recipe file!

 

 

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Media Release 7th September 2011

Posted on September 7, 2011 by

Senator Nick Xenophon to launch innovative Aussie made product that will take on the imports

Success in the manufacturing struggle – it can be done

South Australian manufacturer Heatlie Barbecues has come out fighting against overseas competitors launching a new integrated bench barbecue for outdoor kitchens onto the Australia market.

Designed to capitalize on the growing trend for home makers to install outdoor kitchens the Island Gourmet Elite will be officially launched onto the Australia market on September 7th by Senator Nick Xenophon and State Government Opposition Leader the Hon. Isobel Redmond at an event at the Adelaide Rowing Club.

Heatlie managing director Andrea Mead said the company was delighted that Senator Xenophon and Ms Redmond had accepted their invitations to launch the new product, which is 100% Australian made.

“Australian manufacturers are experiencing tough conditions at present, however Heatlie has shown that high quality products designed specifically for the local market can have an edge over cheaper, inferior imports” Ms Mead said.

The family owned company has been manufacturing barbecues in its Edwardstown factory since 1976, with the current owners, Andrea and Mal Mead, taking over the business from the Heatlie family six years ago.

“Over the past 12 months we have invested substantially in new equipment and streamlined the manufacturing process, improving turnaround times for orders and reducing our reliance on external suppliers” Ms Mead said.

Available from independent barbecue retailers from late 2011, the Island Gourmet Elite is the only Australian made integrated barbecue that can be installed into any outdoor kitchen module. Flat-packed for easy transportation, it features a professional stainless steel finish and sophisticated design, is simple to operate, easy to clean and equipped with a liftable solid steel plate for easy fat catcher removal.

“Designed for domestic applications and architecturally designed spaces, this drop-in product will turn any outdoor kitchen area into an exclusive designer kitchen” says Ms Mead.

“It comes standard with flame failure, a great safety feature that shuts off the gas if the flame goes out, auto ignition, and is available in LPG or Natural Gas.”

A favourite with the catering industry, Heatlie barbecues are renowned as being the toughest on the market. They are used by many schools, churches, and community and sporting clubs for fund raising, and can be found in national parks throughout South Australia.

“Caterers and those cooking en-masse love Heatlie barbecues because of their durability and reliability” Ms Mead said.

“Likewise, an increasing number of home cooks are discovering that it’s worth investing in a quality locally made barbecue, rather than saving a few dollars on something that won’t last the distance”

The Island Gourmet Elite has a recommended retail price of $1,595, and is available with an optional raosting hood for an additional $475.

Terry Reeves

National Marketing Manager

Email: sales@heatlie.com.au

Ph: 08 8374 1999

Mobile: 0419 777 008

 

Posted in Media Releases | 6 Comments

Cast Iron vs Mild Steel for BBQ plates.

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

In my travels around Australia many people ask me why Heatlie only manufacture barbecue plates from mild steel (otherwise known as carbon steel) and not cast iron. I also get a lot of questions about the pros and cons of different plate thicknesses that we manufacture – “should I get a standard 5 mm plate or go for the 10mm?” These inquiries have become more frequent of late because I believe of the tough economic times we are in; they are looking for “value for money”. People seem to be far more discerning about spending their hard earned money at the moment. So I thought it worthwhile giving some detailed explanation on these points.

Cast Iron

Thermal conductivity is the intrinsic property of a material which relates its ability to conduct heat and both cast iron and mild steel have relatively good thermal conductivity. This makes both materials good for barbecue plates because they heat up very well. However, cast iron has a different crystalline structure from mild steel. It is less dense and therefore more porous when compared with mild steel which results in a number of disadvantages, not the least of which is heat retention.

Heat retention is a material’s ability to retain heat that is applied to it over a given period of time. When used as a barbecue plate cast iron, because of its more porous nature, looses heat at a much greater rate than mild steel. This results in the heat put into a cast iron plate being concentrated almost entirely over the burners. The heat quickly dissipates up into the atmosphere resulting in a cooler surface the further away from the burners you cook.

This is why cast iron barbecues require a higher number of burners per square metre of cooking surface, and use more energy, than a mild steel plate. This causes “cold spots” or greater temperature variations over the cooking area. On average, a Heatlie barbecue will use 40% to 50% less gas than a barbecue with a cast iron plate for a comparable plate size.

Mild Steel

Aluminium is pretty much the best of all metals when it comes to thermal conductivity, that’s why it is used as a “heat sink” in electronic appliances. But it’s not much good as a barbeque plate! The next best is mild steel, or what is commonly referred to as carbon steel. Mild steel also has excellent thermal conductivity and heat retention properties, and whist it takes a little longer than cast iron to get up to temperature it takes a lot less energy to keep it at temperature, the uniformity of heat is second to none, and changes in temperature are easier to control and more uniform.

That’s why they are so good to cook on. Not only do you have greater uniformity of heat across the plate but the temperature of the plate is easier to control as well. You can go from cooking steaks (high temperature plate) to cooking pancakes (low temperature plate) in a matter of minutes.

However, there are many different grades of mild steel so that begs the question which ones do we use for our plates and why?

For all our mild steel plates we use hot rolled formable steel, HA3 for 5mm thick plate, and HA250 for 10mm thick plates. The difference between these two grades of steel is the carbon, silicon, and manganese content. HA3 has 0.08% carbon, 0.03% silicon, and 0.4% manganese, whereas the HA250 is 0.2% carbon, 0.35% silicon, and 1.2% manganese. Essentially the HA250 is a higher grade steel, but of course it is more expensive.

The 10 mm plate is what chefs use when cooking a barbecue, almost exclusively. Why? Because it is by far the best cooking surface. Thermal conductivity, heat retention, and heat control are really second to none with these plates………….it really is the ultimate barbecue plate.

Cooking

There are a number of other advantages of mild steel over cast iron. When cooking on cast iron some of that iron will leach into the food you are cooking which is fine if you are slightly anemic, but is not ideal. Do not use cast iron to cook acidic foods; cast iron is a reactive metal, and will react with the acids.

Never leave food on a cast iron plate for any length of time after cooking. You can use it to keep food warm during a barbecue, but when the barbecue is over, move the food into proper storage container, and thoroughly wash your plate. This is because cast iron also tends hold flavors of food, which can result in other undesirable outcomes.

In the scenario above where you might follow a nice serving of marinated steak with say pan cakes with cream and syrup, if you don’t wash your cast iron plate between courses you will run the risk of having marinated flavored pancakes!!

None of this of course will happen with a mild steel plate, and even if you choose to wash your plate between courses, you will find a mild steel plate much, much easier and quicker to clean than a cast iron plate.

Plate Thickness

All Heatlie mobile barbecues come standard with a 5 mm plate. As I said above, a 10 mm plate made from HA250 mild steel is the ultimate barbecue cooking surface and if you can afford the upgrade then I whole heartedly encourage you to get one………..you won’t be disappointed.

However, a 5 mm HA3 mild steel plate is still very good if you are not able to afford or justify the 10 mm plate upgrade. But there are specific barbecue environments where a 10 mm plate is, without question, a must.

Mild steel plates will warp or buckle if they get too hot and the bigger the plate the more susceptible they are to buckling. For example, if you were to leave your burners turned on high for more than 4 or 5 minutes without food on the plate, then chances are you will buckle the plate. This is particularly so for the Heatlie 1150 series of barbecues because of the width of the plate, it is well over a meter.

Many Heatlie 1150 barbecues are used in a semi-commercial environment by sporting clubs, community clubs, churches, and schools, etc for fund raising barbecues. This means that many different people are using the barbecue some of whom may not be aware of the risk of buckling with a 5 mm plate and leave the burners turned on high without food on the plate resulting in warping or a buckled plate.

So, if the barbecue is purchased for this type of use then a 10 mm plate is a must, it’s almost impossible to buckle. This is really important because plate buckling is not covered by either a domestic or commercial warranty. Why? Because if the operating instructions are followed carefully then the plate will not buckle.

If you require any further detail on our plates, or our products in general, then please contact us as per the details on this web site.

Author: Terry Reeves, Marketing Manager, Heatlie BBQs

Posted in General BBQ info., Product Information | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

10 Points to consider for your new Outdoor Kitchen.

Posted on August 9, 2011 by
Module bbq - Heatlie Island Gourmet Elite

Heatlie Island Gourmet Elite

As the weather warms up and we begin to look forward to cooking on the bbq, entertaining friends and warm summer evenings outside with family, many people look at refurbishing their outdoor areas. Many households go to great expense to construct an outdoor kitchen. Here are some tips to consider when designing your new outdoor space.

1. Position – when choosing the best position consider the available space, the intended use, proximity to other areas of the house and privacy. Make the most of scenic views if you have one.

2. Built-in or module system – there are many module systems on the market which look fabulous, but for a more customised and personally designed space you may need to engage a builder who will design and construct an appropriate outdoor kitchen for your home.

3. Consider how the space will be used – will you be entertaining large numbers of people, or will the outdoor kitchen be used for smaller family meals?

4. Is this area to be an extension of your current kitchen, with an outdoor cooking area, or will it be a complete, fully contained kitchen with fridge, sink, benchtop etc, and not forgetting a bbq. Many people have both a bbq and an oven. A wok burner is also a consideration.

5. LPG or Natural Gas – natural gas is easy, convenient and always available, if you are able to access this in your area. Most bbqs have an option of LPG or Natural Gas and the choice is best made when you design your outdoor kitchen so you can have the natural gas connection installed during the building process. Some bbqs, such as Heatlie BBQs allow for a retro fitted natural gas system, but the decision is best made before you purchase your bbq. You will need to engage the services of a licenced gas fitter to make the conversion and installation.

6. Consider water and electrical connections for all electrical appliances and sink if you intend installing these items.

7. A roof or sail to provide protection from the rain and sun should be considered.  The new appliances, bbq and cupboards will need to be protected also. Even stainless steel bbqs and appliances will rust if exposed to the weather.

8. Look at the installation instructions for each appliance – some may have specific ventilation requirements, as with the Heatlie Island Gourmet Elite, and may need to be housed within non-combustible materials.

9. Check local regulations as each state in Australia has different requirements for outdoor enclosures. Many authorities require a flame failure device to be connected to gas barbeques.

10. When planning your outdoor kitchen, make sure your planning includes a well researched budget. Include floor coverings, appliances, benches and bench tops, shading and accessories such as furniture. You may also need to consider having plans drawn up and submitted to your local council for approval.

 

Posted in Outdoor Kitchens | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Heatlie and Weber – the perfect combination?

Posted on June 9, 2011 by

We all know how popular Weber kettles are, and with good reason. They work very well and are a quality product, just the same as Heatlie bbq’s. However, the Heatlie flat top bbq’s and the Weber kettles are designed for quite different types of cooking.

Having said that, there are many foods that can be cooked on a Heatlie other than the usual sausages, onions, steak and chops that many people never consider. I’ll discuss some of these a little later in this article because for the moment I want to discuss what many people find is the perfect combination for outdoor cooking. A Weber Kettle and a Heatlie Barbecue. With these two pieces of cooking equipment there is almost nothing you cannot cook outside, between them they can do anything.

But first, I have discovered that there seems to be a move away from cooking on the “bbq grill” which is the part of the bbq that exposes the food directly to the flames. Why is this so I hear you ask? Well there are two main reasons.

Firstly cleaning. Many backyard barbecue chefs are sick and tired of having to clean the grill after use. Sure some are not that bad to clean and that generally depends on what you are cooking, but most bbq’s have grills made of cast iron which is quite an absorbent material.

Cast iron is a mixture of graphite (carbon) flakes in a matrix of steel (iron with carbon in solution). The graphite, which has the shape of corn flakes, doesn’t contribute much to strength but does make the cast iron porous or sponge like, so it absorbs liquids readily. The graphite also causes the cast iron to have a dampening effect (absorption of energy) and also makes for a lot of surface area that allows plenty of air (oxygen) to get to the iron and form rust.

These two factors mean that cast iron is a very good heat conductor but unfortunately it also means that it is difficult for cast iron to retain the heat that is put into it. This also means that is needs a lot of energy (whether a plate or a grill) to maintain a good cooking temperature. This equates to high gas consumption, especially when using a cast iron solid plate.

This, combined with food particles that tend to stick to cast iron, and of course the ever present fat, can make cleaning these bbq grills a bit of a tedious and messy job requiring plenty of patience and elbow grease.

And speaking of fat have you ever experienced “flare ups” when cooking on your bbq grill? This is also becoming a reason why people are moving away from using grills and moving toward a solid steel plate.

A flare up is when fat from food drips down onto the exposed flames and ignites, causing flames to shoot up over the food. Many modern bbq’s have “flame tamers” designed to reduce or eliminate these flare ups but most are not all that effective. This is because after a number of bbq’s the fat drips down onto the cast iron burners and soaks into the cast iron. As more fat drips down onto and into the cast iron burners the flame tamers are unable to cope and flare ups will still occur.

The same is true of the bbq’s grill itself. Fat from the food continually soaks into the cast iron and will flare up on a continuing basis. The flame tamer cannot stop this type of flare up becuase the grill is above the flame tamer. The only way to reduce the flare ups is to regularly clean the burners and the grill ensuring that all the fat is removed. A difficult and arduous task to say the least. One alternative to this is not to use the grill section of the bbq and just use the cast iron solid plate.

However, only using the plate part of you bbq equates to between a half and one third of the available cooking area (depending on the design of the bbq). This of course substantially reduces the amount of food one can cook on these types of bbq’s at any one time and will most likely mean that your bbq will have to be cooked in several sessions.

A friend of mine had this exact problem and recently when I went to his place for a bbq he lamented constantly about how long it was taking to cook all the food and had to do it in several sessions because the cast iron plate was only one third of the bbq’s cooking area.

He was using only the cast iron plate because he was fed up with the constant flare ups from the grill and the time it took to clean it. In the end he just stopped using the grill. I didn’t dare ask him about cleaning the grill.

Heatlie barbecues on the other hand are all solid plate bbq’s, manufaactured from carbon steel and there are 2 main advantages of using a carbon solid plate.

It will really surprise you to know that they are:

1. Ease of cleaning

2. No flare ups

A well seasoned carbon steel plate is by far the best cooking surface and very, very easy to clean. In fact, my friend, mentioned above, finally succumbed and bought a Heatlie barbecue and was both amazed and delighted about the ease of cleaning and how little maintenance it requires.

All it takes is a couple of minutes to scrape the excess food particles into the front valley for drainage into the fat catcher, and then apply a light coating of vegetable oil over the entire plate, put the plate lid on and that’s it, all done, go and enjoy a beer with your guests.

“Yes, but I like to do a roast for my guests as well” is what many people say to me when I espouse the virtues of a quality Heatlie solid plate barbecue. This is where the Weber really comes into its own and why I say that a Weber and Heatlie really are the perfect combination for all your outdoor cooking needs. What you cook on a Heatlie is not what you cook in a Weber Kettle and vice versa.

Author: Terry Reeves, Marketing Manager, Heatlie BBQs

Posted in General BBQ info. | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments