Tips for barbecuing with others if you have celiac disease
As the weather warms up, the barbecue will be turned on more often. You can organize a gluten-free barbecue in your own garden. But how do you do that if you eat gluten-free and are invited to a barbecue with others? It may take some preparation, but that’s how you participate.
Gluten-free barbecue in your own garden
With a barbecue in your own garden, you are in control. You can easily keep the entire barbecue gluten-free and still put something delicious on the grill for everyone.
Meat
Although vegetables are becoming an increasingly popular item, for most people a barbecue is still about meat and – to a lesser extent – fish. That should not be a problem for you as a gluten-free eater, because unprocessed meat is always gluten-free.
Unprocessed meat includes chicken breast, chicken drumstick, turkey breast, steak, lean beef steaks, escalope, pork tenderloin, tenderloin chops, lean pork chops, pork fillet steaks, ham steak and lean lamb. This concerns meat to which no further additions or processing has been made prior to sale. This also includes sliced or ground meat that has not undergone further additions or other processing. Check with the butcher if necessary.
The basic rule is therefore: watch out with pre-marinated pieces of meat or fish. Many ready-made spice mixes or marinades also contain gluten, so read the labels carefully. Ideally, marinate your meat and fish at home in your homemade gluten-free marinade. And that is not difficult at all. Miss Gluten-free has a delicious recipe for a classic marinade and also the Gluten-free Market has three tasty recipes for gluten-free marinades for the BBQ.
Do you want sausages on the grill? Make sure you buy a gluten-free version. The same goes for burgers.
Vegetables
The same applies to vegetables on the barbecue: if you make it yourself, you know for sure that it is gluten-free. Stuffed eggplant or bell pepper, zucchini, asparagus: delicious from the barbecue and you can season them yourself to taste.
salads
You can also be sure that homemade salads are gluten-free. An ordinary green salad is always possible, but how about a nice pasta salad? It is also easy to make yourself – and gluten-free. Simply mix cooked gluten-free pasta with tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil and a homemade balsamic dressing.
Bread
Gluten-free baguettes or sandwiches are baked in no time and should of course not be missing on a barbecue. Cut such a gluten-free baguette diagonally several times and fill it with garlic, pepper or gluten-free herb butter made from 75 grams of butter with finely chopped parsley, dill and chives, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt. Baking can be done in the oven, but of course also on the barbecue. Turn the bread several times to prevent it from burning.
sauces
Ready-made sauces often contain gluten, so only use them if they are labeled gluten-free. You can easily make a basic sauce yourself with a little mayonnaise, spicy mustard, tomato puree, salt and pepper. Add some fresh herbs for extra flavour. Also consider a tasty mango chutney with a little chili powder as a dip at the barbecue.
Gluten-free barbecue at others
If you are going to eat with others, it will of course be a bit more complicated to keep everything gluten-free, but with a little preparation it shouldn’t be a problem. The most important thing here is communication. Let others know that you cannot tolerate gluten and that to prevent cross-contamination you like to be the first to scoop up salads and sauces, for example, so that you can be sure that gluten-free is really gluten-free. Tell them that you can get sick if others touch ‘your’ gluten-free bowls of sauce or touch your meat with, for example, used barbecue tongs or cutlery. That makes it a lot easier for them to understand and makes you feel more secure. Other tips:
- Bring your own (disposable) barbecue to prevent cross-contamination or use aluminum grill trays on the shared barbecue. You can also ask the ‘grill master’ to prepare your meat first on the still clean barbecue grill. Also use clean barbecue tongs.
- Bring your own gluten-free sauces or pass on the brands you are allowed to the host. Place a flag in saucepans to indicate that these are gluten-free variants and that others should not touch them.
- Bring your own bake-off rolls and wrap them completely in aluminum foil. This way you can safely bake your sandwiches on the grill or in the oven.
- If necessary, roast a tasty potato in aluminum foil as a gluten-free side dish.
- Ask if the dressing and croutons can be served separately with the salads. Or offers to make your own gluten-free salad.
- Indicate which drinks you like and are allowed to have, so that the host can take this into account. Of course you can also provide your own drinks, but most people don’t mind getting something else once they know.
Sources):