Foods & cuts · Squid
Squid
Either a very short cook or a very long one, with nothing usable between. That is a property of its connective tissue rather than kitchen folklore.
What it is
- Form
- Shelled
- Typical weight
- 80–200 g
- Typical thickness
- 3–8 mm
- Cut
- Not a cut of anything
Why it behaves as it does
Squid muscle is bound by collagen that toughens quickly on heating and then, given long enough, breaks down again. On a barbecue only the first path is available: a couple of minutes over a fierce fire, off before the collagen has time to seize. The long braise that produces the other result is not live-fire cooking and BBQHQ does not pretend a grill can reach it.
When is it done?
Food-safety endpoint
BBQHQ holds no food-safety rule for this food. We are not showing you another jurisdiction’s figure in its place — check your national food-safety authority.
When it goes wrong
- It came out tough
- Prawns, scallops, squid, lobster or octopus came out rubbery — 3 distinguishable causes.
Afterwards
Cooling, keeping and reheating what is left is general guidance for barbecue leftovers. Neither UK authority publishes anything specific to squid, and BBQHQ does not invent a distinction they do not make.