How to cook excellent BBQ on a yacht, long title but an easy topic you may think? Have you ever had to BBQ on a yacht? It truly is not that simple for a number of reasons.
Key considerations of Yacht BBQs
– For insurance reasons no ‘fire’ is usually allowed on a BBQ so the BBQ is usually a hotplate.
– You are usually completely exposed to the weather on a yacht BBQ because it is on the outer side of the yacht for safety. Yes, I have had people holding umbrellas for me as I cook, fighting torrential rain.
– It’s usually really small. If you have a BBQ on a yacht for a large number, 10+ pax, you’re going to have to be creative. Even the galleys are usually tiny.
– Try and prepare as much as you can at home before you get there because the prep space for even a decent-sized chopping board is usually limited. So cut that bread, chop those vegetables, and so on at home. Again, throw it all in a zip-lock bag to keep it fresh.
– A BBQ on a yacht is a closed door. You can’t just run to the shops to top up on something, what you have with you is it.
– It’s always moving. It’s a yacht on the water after all. Get used to everything rolling about, and potentially your guests being sick all around you.
But, do not let that deter you because the ChillaxBBQ’s we have done on yachts have been some of the best fun, with truly excellent food. So, we have confidence in writing how to cook an excellent BBQ on a yacht.
How to cook excellent BBQ on a yacht
– Marinate your food before you go. I find that big zip-lock bags are an excellent way to do this. Throw everything in a zip-lock, and in the fridge overnight. Pop all of them in a cooler box the next day. It’s also a great way to transport food due to no spills.
– Reverse-sear all your meats. It’s a great way to protect your guests from a nasty bit of raw pork, or chicken, but is also a great way to reduce time to serving and address the tiny BBQ issue. For example, throw a thick tomahawk in the oven at 90 degrees for 90 minutes to cook to just under medium-rare. Then you are searing only on the little yacht BBQ.
– Keep it simple whilst making it complex. For example, a recipe I do is Yabbie’s (aka Crayfish) marinated in Mala sauce, with a load of salted butter, sea salt, Kampot black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and a finish with fresh basil. Get that in a zip lock overnight. Literally, you just throw all that on the BBQ until the Yabbies are pink, just like you would cook prawns. Now that is killer and a massive WOW for your guests. But how simple is that to prepare? In fact, that is the photo used for this article.
– Use a cooler (Eski) with wheels. I guarantee you’ll arrive at the marina and have to walk a long distance to the actual yacht itself. I learned that lesson the hard way. Wheels become very important, especially for the journey to the yacht.
– Make sure you have what you need, from ingredients to utensils. Never assume a yacht has something you’d have at home. Always air on caution, and over-plan.
– Take suntan lotion and a hat. If you are the Chef you are usually the poor soul that is outside the whole time on the tools. When others are running for shade and cover, or going for a lovely dip, you will be there in the sun facing the heat of the BBQ. Grease up, hydrate, get a hat on.
– Most importantly. Have fun. As I mentioned, some of our very best BBQs have been on yachts. You can’t help but interact with people as you cook as the space is quite small. Plus people always want to know what’s cooking.
How to cook excellent BBQ on a yacht – conclusions
As the song states; “You’ll always find them in the kitchen at parties.” Even on a yacht. We hope you enjoyed our little blog How to cook excellent BBQ on a yacht?
If you want to see some other great tips for cooking BBQ on yachts from experience, and also some excellent recipes have a look here at the ChillaxBBQ crew; https://islifearecipe.net/chillaxbbq/
