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PREHEATING THE BARBEQUE

The cooking system and grids require heating prior to adding food.

1. Light your barbeque as outlined in the ‘LIGHTING’ instructions section.
2. Once lit, preheat your barbeque on the HIGH setting with the lid down for 6 to 10 minutes. The colder the temperature, the longer preheating takes.
3. Turn the burner control knobs to the appropriate heat setting prior to adding your food. Preheating your barbeque is not required when you are cooking food using the indirect cooking or rotisserie cooking techniques.

LID POSITION

Although keeping the lid up or down when cooking on your barbeque is a personal preference, you will find that you will have fewer flare-ups, and your food will cook in less time (therefore using less fuel) if the lid is down. Keep the lid down when cooking food that requires a long cooking period over a low flame, such as when rotisserie or indirect cooking.

COOKING TEMPERATURES

HIGH Setting: Use the HIGH setting to preheat the barbeque, sear meat such as steak, and to burn off any cooking residue from the grids after cooking your meal. HIGH is rarely used for extended cooking.
MEDIUM Setting: Most grilling or roasting of meat and vegetables, as well as any baking, is best done at a medium heat.
LOW Setting: A low temperature is used when cooking lean meat or delicate items such as fish. All rotisserie and smoke cooking is done at low heat.
For the best results, invest in a Meat Thermometer.

BARBEQUE COOKING METHODS

Your barbeque is more than just a place to grill your burgers and hotdogs - the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. But, before you start experimenting, here are some frequently used terms that will help:
Direct Cooking is also known as grilling. This is the most popular cooking method and involves cooking food directly over the flame, such as searing a steak. Other good candidates for this cooking method are thin cuts of meat, vegetables, kabobs and fillets. Indirect Cooking means the food is cooked away from the direct flame by placing it on the opposite side of the lit burner and allowing the heat to tumble within the closed confines of the closed barbeque, very similar to a convection oven. Much like your oven, you can roast and even bake, provided your barbeque lid is closed.
Rotisserie Cooking is one of the fastest growing barbeque cooking techniques, especially if your barbeque is equipped with a rear rotisserie burner. Just imagine, cooking restaurant style rotisserie meat in your own backyard! Rotisserie cooking allows the food to self-baste while turning on the motorized spit, sealing in the juices while browning the outside surface. Rotisserie-cooked food is an excellent cooking option for large cuts of meat such as roasts, leg of lamb or poultry. Fiesta Grill Gear Rotisseries and rotisserie baskets will allow you to enjoy rotisserie-cooked food on your new Fiesta Barbeque.

DUAL CONTROLS

You can simply raise or lower the flame height using Fiesta's exclusive patented Accuflow control knobs. To create an even greater distance between the food and the direct heat, place the food on the warming rack. If a smaller cooking surface is required, simply light only one side of your barbeque. By alternating between left and right sides of your barbeque, you can increase the life span of your burner.

WARMING RACKS

A warming rack may be included with your barbeque or can be purchased after. It provides you with additional cooking space away from direct heat. This is useful when cooking delicate items such as fish, boneless chicken breasts or vegetables. Warming racks are also a great place to keep food warm that is already done so you can serve your entire meal at the same time. Fiesta offers swing away single, double or our exclusive one-piece closed back cantilever warming rack. These can be added or upgraded at any point during the lifespan of your barbeque, call our info Fiesta experts for more details at 1-800-387-8643.
Tip: A light application of cooking oil prior to use will help to keep food from sticking to the warming rack.

CONTROLLING FLARE-UPS

Some flare-up during grilling is desirable to create the smoke, which gives barbequed food its unique flavour and appearance. However, excessive flare-up can not only ruin your food, it may lead to a dangerous condition as well. By excessively raising the temperature within your barbeque, particularly if a build up of grease in your barbeque ignites, these flare-ups may result in an uncontrolled grease fire.

TO MINIMIZE FLARE-UPS:

• Trim excess fat from meats before cooking.
• Cook fatty meats on a low setting, or use the indirect method described above.
• Ensure that your cooking system is free of excess grease from previous usage.
• Check that the grease drain hole is not blocked.
• Cook with lid down to cut down on the flow of air.
• Reduce the heat settings.