Soldier – August 2019

Sun’s out, buns out

Preparation is

everything

Working out how much meat

you need is key. A sausage, a

burger and a chicken skewer

per person is a good starting

point. Don’t forget the sides and

condiments to go with them.

Gas or charcoal?

There’s nothing wrong with gas

barbecues, but you won’t get that

extra smoky taste, so you’ve got

to go charcoal if you want to make

great food. Also, you should use a lid

to lock in the fl avour and keep the

temperature constant.

Pick the right fuel

In the UK charcoal is usually bought

in a rush from a petrol station as soon

as the sun starts to shine. But getting

ahead of the game can make a huge

diff erence, because the fuel you use

changes the way your food tastes. I

recommend lump wood charcoal for

the best fl avour.

Choose your

moment

Barbecuing takes patience

and concentration, in that

order. You need to wait for

the fl ames to die down

• fl ame-grilled is a very
  misleading
  term! You
  want the

coals white hot, which means grey and

glowing. That way you know you have the

hottest and most even heat.

Make your own

burgers

Homemade burgers are just better. Even if

you make them from nothing but salt and

pepper and good-quality meat, they will

beat anything in the shops. Buy mince

with plenty of fat and you’ll get juicy,

fl avourful burgers. Remember, always

cook them right through.

Marinade, marinade,

marinade!

We all know the phrase “leave for a few

hours, ideally overnight”. Well, that applies

doubly to barbecues to make sure the

fl avours aren’t overridden by the smoke. In

fact, it’s best to save some marinade and

brush your meat or fi sh with it every ten

minutes as it sizzles. That will add moisture,

trap the smoky taste and caramelise the

food gently while it cooks.

Rest the meat

Once the meat is cooked

through it’s a good idea to

leave it to rest it for a few

minutes. This allows it

to reabsorb its juices and

become more tender.

SKILLS

BBQ season is officially here

and Army chef Sgt Luke

Smith (RLC) has this advice

for raising your grilling game

King of the catwalk

Guardsman-

turned-model

offers some

expert advice to

those looking to

strike a pose

HAVING an Army career suddenly cut

short is a daunting prospect for soldiers

to deal with.

But when a PTSD diagnosis saw

Gavin Francis, a former lance sergeant

in the Grenadier Guards, medically

discharged last October it proved to be

the stepping-stone to a new life as a

catwalk model and aspiring actor.

The 33-year-old hits the big screen

this month as a henchman to villain

Idris Elba in Hobbs and Shaw, the

fi rst stand-alone feature in the Fast

and Furious franchise, and is currently

working on a new project for Netfl ix.

He is also due to front an upcoming

advertising campaign for Bet 365 and

has previously strutted his stuff at

London Pacifi c Fashion Week, as well as

being crowned Mr Hampshire.

“I’ve thought about a career in the

entertainment industry from a young

age,” Francis, who served for 14

years and completed three tours of

Afghanistan, explained.

“I would give the guys in my company

that morale boost when it was needed

and I made them laugh.

“Things have gone well and now it’s

about keeping my focus – I know this

will take me far.”

With his new career on the up,

Francis is happy to share a few tips with

Service personnel hoping to follow in

his footsteps...

24-31-sol-aug N2K.indd 7 25/07/2019 18:43