Using herbs in cooking doesn’t just add flavour, it can also lower health risks of barbequing meat by preventing the formation of toxins such as heterocyclic amines that can otherwise form over high heats. Garlic, onion and rosemary are particularly effective, which is just as well they taste good too!
The best way of adding flavour is by marinating meat for at least an hour before cooking. You can also add flavour by brushing your food with oil during the cooking process, using springs of rosemary, sage, thyme, and even lavender, bunched tightly together. Softer herbs like chives, mint and parsley are great to first mix in with the oil or butter, and then be used to baste. Harder stemmed herbs like oregano, lemon verbena and rosemary can be used as skewers, threading your pre-punctured pieces of meat, fish or vegetables through the stems.
Classic combinations include:
- Dill – fish, pork and chicken
- Lemon thyme – perfect for marinating pork chops and fish
- Lemon verbena – terrific for fish and barbequing fruit like pineapple, peaches, banana and mango
- Oregano – skewered vegetables or chicken
- Rosemary – perfect for lamb and potatoes but also delicious with chicken and pork
- Tarragon – great for chicken, fish and turkey