Fire up the grill because we’re going to talk about barbecue today! In Spanish we use the verb “hacer” or “to make” when talking about a barbecue or “asado”, but in English we either say “have a barbecue” or we just use “barbecue” as a verb by itself. For example, “Let’s have a family barbecue this Sunday!” or “Let’s barbecue next weekend to celebrate the 4th of July.” Here are some common words you’ll hear at a summer barbeque.
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The smoking hot grill
Chef: This is a person who is the king or queen of the barbecue! They grill all of the proteins
and vegetables on the barbecue.
· Ask the chef if the food is ready to eat!
· Are there any volunteers to be the barbecue chef?
Grill or Barbecue: Both of these words describe where you cook the food and they’re both
used as verbs to describe cooking the food.
· Throw a few burgers on the barbecue! (or grill)
· That smells amazing, what are you grilling? (or barbequing)
Charcoal: lumps of a black carbon residue that you light on fire in order to heat up the grill to
barbecue your food
· Will you grab a bag of charcoal on your way over to the barbecue?
· The charcoal is hot enough to cook the hotdogs and burgers now.
Charred: when something is burned slightly or burned to the point that it turns into charcoal.
· I like my burger so cooked that it’s charred!
· The tin foil was really charred after we used it to grill the salmon.
Burnt: When food is overcooked on the grill. If something is extremely burnt it’s common to
say that it’s “burnt to a crisp.”
· I accidently burnt the potatoes, but I think they’re still salvageable.
· They completely forgot about the hamburger and hotdog buns on the grill, so they
were burnt to a crisp.
Lighter fluid: a highly flammable liquid fuel that’s used to help start a fire.
· Throw some lighter fluid on the charcoal so we can get the barbecue going.
· You only need a little bit of lighter fluid to start a fire.
·
Flame(s): the glowing, gaseous part of the fire.
· When you see flames coming from the grill you know that it’s time to cook!
· You can feel the heat on the barbecue coming from the flames.
Sizzle: A hissing sound that food makes when it’s cooking.
· I’ll flip the burgers when they start to sizzle.
· I love the sound of sizzling hot dogs!
Season: Something you add to food to enhance the flavor. For example, you can season
vegetables, tofu or meat with salt, pepper, herbs, spices, etc.
· Maria Teresa does the best job seasoning the tofu.
· We weren’t big fans of how the steaks were seasoned, they could’ve used a little less
salt.
Marinate (verb): To soak meat or vegetables in a sauce with spices and oil before grilling it
on the barbecue in order to give it a particular flavor.
· Sebastian has the best recipes for marinating the chicken.
· Let the sweet peppers and onions marinate overnight before grilling them.
Marinade (noun): A sauce you soak meat or vegetables in before cooking.
· I can share my pork marinade recipe with you if you’d like.
· This sweet and sour marinade makes the chicken taste amazing!
Barbecue sauce: A popular sauce to put on barbecued food that’s made out of vinegar,
tomato paste, or mayonnaise.
· These chicken wings have the perfect amount of barbecue sauce on them!
· My grandpa makes the best barbecue sauce I’ve ever tasted!
Skewer: The metal or wooden stick you put pieces of meat or vegetables on (similar to an
“anticucho”, but it can be used for vegetables too. It’s also called a shish kabob).
· Let’s put about six pieces of meat on each skewer.
· Grill the skewer with vegetables over a gentle heat so they don’t burn.
Don’t forget the vegetarians
Obviously, there are lots of people who don’t eat meat, so it’s not uncommon to have a barbecue with alternative protein options like tofu burgers, veggie burgers, bean burgers, and tofu dogs. These are all very tasty options for any non-meat eater!
For the meat eaters
It’s common for someone to ask “how do you want your steak cooked?” at a barbecue, so here are a few answers you can give them to make sure your meat is cooked to perfection.
· Rare: the meat is lightly cooked and still red/tender in the middle
*Tip: If someone says they want their meat “still mooing” that means they like their meat
extremely rare
· Medium rare: it’s more cooked and firmer than rare meat, with the middle being pink
· Well done: The meat is firm and is a brownish, gray color (no sign of pink or red)
· Overcooked: The meat is black and has been burnt
Note: It’s also common to say “grill out” or “cookout” instead of having a barbecue. Another common spelling for “barbecue” is “barbeque.”
Para más tips del inglés o información sobre clases de inglés sígueme en Instagram y Facebook @monicayourprofe
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