I started barbecuing during Ramadan but since the weather has improved a lot more people will start barbecuing now. Actually by visiting Sultan Center you can tell its BBQ season since the Sharq branch for example is now highlighting BBQ equipment when you first come in. So here are some tips by me if you want to start barbecuing:
The Grill
One of the best grill brands you can get in Kuwait is Weber. Sultan Center, Ace Hardware and Sears carry Weber brand grills. From the three Sears is the cheapest while Sultan is the most expensive. Problem with Sears though is they don’t have a large variety of grills nor accessories. Ace Hardware on the other hand is just slightly more expensive than Sears but have the largest variety of grills in Kuwait with a ton of accessories. I picked up the 18 1/2 inch Weber grill pictured above for KD34 from Ace. It was KD36 at Sultan and KD33 at Sears. There are cheaper Weber grills and a lot more expensive and bigger ones but if you don’t want to spend you can find some no brand grills for under KD5.
The Coals
Two best places to buy coals are Sultan and Ace Hardware. Again I found Ace Hardware cheaper and they alsonhad a larger variety of coals some of which you can see in the picture above.
Fuel gels, starter cubes or lighter fluid?
Personally I hate waiting for the coals to get ready so I use a combination of starter cubes and fuel gel to light up my coals. Gel is better than lighter fluid since it doesn’t leave any smell or flavor behind. Both Sultan and Ace sell fuel gels, both cost KD2.200 but the one at Ace is a better brand plus if you’re picking up your grill and coal from there you might as well pick up the gel. For cubes Sultan has them while Ace doesn’t. Another tip, have a blow dryer handy since it helps speed up the process considerably. I got a cheap one for KD4 from Carrefour and combined with the fuel gel and cubes I could have a grill ready in 10 minutes.
Accessories
Both Ace and Sultan have a large variety of accessories. If you want a chimney starter to help speed up the coal burning process then you need to get it from Sultan Center where they have two models to choose from. For gloves, BBQ tools, cleaning brushes etc.. I’ve mixed and matched from both Ace and Sultan, it’s really personal preference and both have cheap and expensive options to choose from.
Burgers and more
I’ve been making some great burgers with fresh Sultan Center meat patties. Just go up to the meat fridge and tell the employee you want burgers. They will ask you what kind and what weight, I usually go for the 95% lean and a 200 grams patty for me while a 100 grams one for Nat. I don’t make them add any spices although you can ask them to, I prefer adding my own spices at home. For chicken taouk I get it marinated and ready on skewers from Dean & Deluca. 1KG is for KD2.500 compared to Sultan’s KD3.900. It’s really good and the only thing I do to it is swap the green peppers for fresh mushrooms before I grill them. Finally for kebabs I get them from the butcher which is located between La Baguette and Dodo on Baghdad Street in Salmiya. He makes two kinds, one with onions the other with garlic, I prefer the onions version. 1KG is for around KD2.500 and he prepares it for you while you wait. I can’t recommend any other items to BBQ since I haven’t tried anything else. Actually I did try to BBQ a steak but didn’t like the result because I think I chose the wrong type of meat. If you can recommend me something that would be great, just leave it as a comment below.
And that concludes my BBQ post. The prices I mentioned above are 99% accurate, my memory isn’t that great and I round up numbers so if they don’t turn out to be exactly the same don’t shoot me. If you have any tips, suggestions or questions just leave them below.
31 replies on “The BBQ Post”
What? no Hot Dogs?!
Nope, haven’t had the chance yet
apparently u don’t know how to BBQ Kuwaiti style…
i think the cheapest weber grills u can find them in true value and they have a large collection as well, btw why do u use coal? is itt any better then propain gas?
Very informative post, thanks. I used to buy wood chips for smoking from Ace a while ago, but then they ran out of almost everything. Good that things seem back to normal, I’ll have to stop by there.
BBQ steaks are great, but cooking them can be tricky. You don’t want the fire to be too hot, otherwise the steaks will char too much on the outside and will be almost raw on the inside. I actually like my steaks bloody, but not too crisp on the outside. Any steak cut would work really, but if you like your steak cooked more than medium, then you want a cut with a bit of fat to keep the steak juicy – like a ribeye or striploin. If you’re going for something a bit more rare, then you can’t go wrong with a good sirloin or flank. Try marinading with a bit of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, soy sauce – whatever you like… best if marinated overnight. And the best way to make sure you cook your steak to the wellness you prefer is using a cooking thermometer. Digital readout is good. let it sit for a good 5 or 10 minutes afterwords before cutting up the steaks. Cut against the grain of the meat for easier eating.
enjoy
You cannot beat soug il sefafeer, the grill stations are cheaper and can be custom made to your liking.
I have one at the chalet thats about ehmm 7 years old and still going strong problem is, it’s too small now so barbecuing arayis, kabab, chicken o wingiz and onions / tomatoes and potatoes is some what limited.
i love bbq-ing but i don’t really have the space at home for it, however, i have been reading up on recipes/how to grill and there are two things i’d like to add.
For burgers, almost all experts agree that you should not use anything more than 80% lean meat for burgers, as it gets really dry. Sure you could cooking it less but with minced meat if it is not cooked well it gets all mushy and disgusting, not to mention some serious food poisoning potential. also, don’t flip the burger too much, and when shaping the patties, don’t press hard and condense them, as that just makes the burger tough.
The other one is for steak, i know everybody has their preferences, but a general piece of advice, the best seasoning for a steak is just salt and pepper, nothing more. One note on this, the meat should be of high quality or this well not work out well, but if you have a good/great steak, its best not to do anything fancy like marinating and all that stuff.
I have one question for you guys, usually when we grill we just use the regular coal from the nearest baqala. Is there a significant difference in flavor if you use the brands shown above (i’m talking about regular coal, not hickory or stuff like that)?
Mark,
Go for anything “Wagyu”. Pricey but you won’t regret it.
what about buns ? a good chewy bun can make a difference in your BBQ burger 🙂
Now I am hungry…When do we eat?
my theory on marination is that it shouldn’t overpower the natural flavours of the steak – it should enhance the flavours. anony – salt should only be applied after cooking because it draws out the juices of the steak – a black pepper application is great. about the coals, as long as they are natural wood coals they should be ok – avoid the perfectly shaped ones because they have a slight chemical taste that you can taste in the food.
ksa – wagyu is good, but it’s just a hybrid between black angus and kobe beef. it has good marbling and should never be cooked more than medium at the most, otherwise it will taste like any other steak.
anony: I cook my burgers medium well and they’re super juicy, like dripping in juice, really great. I only flip the burger once and don’t press on it so to keep all the juices in. For buns I am using the Kuwait Flour Co. burgr buns that come in the green colored bag. They get soggy from the burger juices but I haven’t really found a better option.
mmmm looks like a great Bq , may i come ?
I miss the Pork Chops
a great marinade for all meat is garlic, Thai chilli’s, pepper, a little ginger, dark soy and most important fish sauce.
Fish sauce is a must as it brings the meat alive.
you will only need marinate the meat for 30 mins in the fridge.
Depedning how spicy you like it add more chillis, I would recommend about 1 per steak.
Thanks for the great tips.
In South Africa we call it a “braai” and love to braai lamb chops, steaks especially t-bone steaks and of course boerewors – all available from the Butcher Shop and Grill at Avenues to take home and braai yourself . We then cook a corn meal (we have mielie meal at home) based porridge and tomoto and onion sauce to go with it – yummy!
Never poke the meat while grilling as it will release all the juice therefor make it dry. Also, try rubbing a little bit of oil and pepper to the burger before grilling. And yes, salt while its cooking/by the end – this will avoid the salt from drying up your steak.
@Mark: I was also looking for a better alternative to the burger bun. For now, try grilling it with the meat for a minute or so to give it a crunchier effect..
@ Zohak: Fish sauce and garlic to the meat?! Doesn’t sound too enticing…
I used to have small Webber gas grill … I killed my neighbors with the BBQ smoke almost every day. I think brand grills prices in Kuwait are overpriced, so you may get good cheap one from made here (Souq El Sifafeer)
NOBODY GRILLZ LIKE MY DAD
Mark – thanks a lot for the post. I’ve been looking for the Weber Chimney Starter for a while now – almost ordered it off Amazon, but the shipping costs would have been ridiculous. Went to Sultan at Souk Sharq today and picked one up! 🙂
NS – Thai’s always use fish sauce when cooking meat, it smells disgusting but it does bring out the flavour.
Thanks Mark for sharing your experience. Currently i am using the indoor grill, but hopefully in the near future i will go for the outdoor BBQ 😀
Butterball turkey sausages from Sultan Center are yummy on the grill!
Try grilling a Rib Eye steak as it is the perfect cut of meat if your going for that juicy fat flavor. Otherwise for a lean cut, you cant beat the tenderloin. The tenderloin needs to be grilled medium, otherwise it will harden and be dry.
The secret to a juicy steak is to continously baste while grilling to keep the mouisture locked in. The basting will also give you a very nice flavorfull crust. Never use regular salt, sea salt is king. Never Never Never press your steaks, burgers etc as this will drive all the juices out.
Bon Appetit
As an Ex Famous Daves BBq quick order chef.
I recomend buying 83% lean ground beef. Make pattys how ever large you want. DONT ADD NOTHING. no salt no peper no NOTHING. and grill on high fire flipping at least 10 times to make it REAL char broiled. then add to a BUn with MUSTERD only and what ever veggies you like.
if you feel like you must not take advice from a famous daves chef. then you MAY add Johnnys seasoning. THATs all. Try it.
the best coal is at diwwar alfa7am (coal round about)
near 7sainiyat ma3rafi (old)
sodani coal i believe or sumali… 1 of the 2
nx time u bbqing bettA ring me
Try the ‘boerewors’ sausages from The Butcher’s Grill.They’re the best.
i just ate, but this post managed to make me hungry ! ahhh i want burgers !
I love the fact that you took the time to even write the prices which is very helpful.And also the options of looking into different shops and all.Good work!
hey everyone,
where can i find the ‘Souq El Sifafeer’ ? i need to get a grill for a BBQ i’m having with my friends this weekend! last minute but yeah, any help would be great! thanks.
Have you tried Prime Cuts in kuwait?