Popular condiment ‘does all the hard work’ on ‘tender’ BBQ food, claims chef

Dining al-fresco is enough to make food taste better according to some people, but there’s one cooking hack an award-winning chef swears by.

When grilling meat outside, award-winning British chef, butcher and BBQ expert, Richard Turner claimed that there’s one ingredient which is often overlooked.

While it’s often spooned onto a plate as a condiment, Richard suggested using mayonnaise as a coating for barbecue proteins instead.

He said that when used correctly, it beats both olive oil and butter as the foundation of a good marinade.

Richard added: “I know you’re all going to think I’m mad but hear me out! Using mayonnaise is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to marinate and grill your meat.”

The chef continued: “Mayonnaise, I tend to opt for Hellmann’s Real or the Chilli Charger, is a surprisingly great sauce to use as it encourages the Maillard effect.

“This is the chemical reaction that allows meat to absorb the infused fats and oils helping it brown evenly, and achieve a crisp outer layer, whilst ensuring the inside remains tender and juicy.

“You really don’t need to be a cooking afficionado to achieve these incredible and tasty results – the mayo does all the hard work for you!”.

While the plain condiment doesn’t have the same complex flavour palette as traditional marinades, it’s easy to add in almost any herbs or spices.

By mixing them all up into a bowl with a large serving of mayonnaise, home cooks are free to experiment with their favourite flavours and ditch the over-elaborate marinades that are often viewed as staple BBQ ingredients.

Richard explained: “I know it’s surprising and I could get in trouble for this, but the success rate of mayo is better than anything else I’ve seen, you can use it on your BBQ, oven or pan-fried food. Also, there’s minimal clean up, so you don’t have to worry about any mess or your meats sticking to the grill”.

It’s not just cuts of meat that the unique cooking hacks works on. In fact, there is a host of other ingredients that also work incredibly well when coated and grilled in mayonnaise.

This includes vegetable skewers, chargrilled aubergine, corn on the cob and even the humble cheese toastie – despite it having no place on a barbecue.

Trying it out at home is really simple too, simply swap the mayonnaise in for any oils, fats or rubs that would ordinarily be used to coat the barbecue ingredients.