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| Don't just stop at the usual sausages, burgers and chicken drumsticks - get more adventurous with our ideas for marinating, saucing and spicing up what you put on the barbecue. |
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| Lots can be done in advance, so on the day you'll just need to light the barbie, prepare the salads and cook the meat. We've got ideas for salads, salsas, dips and breads to serve with your barbecue, and if you've got room for anything else, we've got desserts that you can bring out after you've recovered and had a good laze in the sun... |
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| If the term 'barbecue' conjures up images of burnt sausages and blackened burgers, the time has come to consider a whole new cooking experience. Let our handy tips for cooking and safety guide you to better barbecuing. |
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| Is there a rule book somewhere that says barbecued food must be black on the outside and grey in the middle? You'd think so given the barbecue efforts of many of us. |
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| Read our do's and don'ts below for tasty barbecued food, and stay safe too with our helpful hints on avoiding any nasty bugs! Don't forget the right equipment helps too, so check out our specially selected barbecue equipment range. |
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 do use marinades
Marinating prior to barbecuing helps tenderise meat, imparts flavour, and helps keep meats and vegetables moist throughout the cooking process. Try our delicious recipe for barbecue marinade.
do keep an eye on the time
Barbecuing is all about lots of flame and quick cooking right? Wrong! The 'scorch-and-torch' school of grilling is out. Cooking like this will produce the classic 'charred on the outside, pink on the inside' look. |
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| For best results find out the correct cooking time for all foods - ideally look in the instruction booklet supplied with your barbecue. Take note that it takes at least half an hour for the coals to reach the desired temperature; they should be a dusty white colour and have a reddish glow. Cooking time depends on the cut of meat and whether you prefer rare, medium or well-done. In general the larger the cut, the longer you cook it. Use a timer for best results. |
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| And if you want to speed up the cooking process, food can be cooked in the oven or microwave, but it must be done immediately before barbecuing. |
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do experiment with cooking methods
Use your barbecue to its full potential - modern barbecues can grill, fry, roast and bake. If you have a barbecue with a lid, leaving it on acts like an oven so you can cook whole fish and meat joints, and any other food that needs longer cooking at low temperatures.
don't prod
There is a common misconception that food must be constantly prodded with various utensils in order to cook properly. But if you constantly pierce your steaks and chicken legs the juices will escape and you'll end up with a tough piece of leather. |
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don't flip out
If you're cooking directly over hot coals, meat should only be turned once. If you're cooking with a lid on - similar to oven-roasting - there's no need to turn the meat at all. |
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don't resort to tin foil
Using tin foil in an effort to reduce the washing-up is a bad idea - adding anything to a barbecue is a fire hazard, and sheets of tin foil flapping about will obstruct the airflow and interfere with the cooking process. |
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don't peek
We have trouble believing that our barbecues can cook without our help. Despite the new modern barbecues with lids, most of us persistently peek at the food, which increases the length of cooking time and increases the risk of flare-ups as air fans the flames.
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more common sense cooking tips
- Choose a sheltered site that is level and away from fences, trees or anything else that could catch fire.
- Remember to light your charcoal barbecue about 45 minutes before you want to start cooking. For a gas barbecue, 10 minutes preheating is sufficient.
- Spread two layers of charcoal over the base and build a neat pyramid in the centre.
- Never use petrol, methylated spirit, paraffin or white spirit to light the barbecue. Add barbecue gel or firelighters, but always be careful to follow the instructions on the pack.
- When the coals begin to glow red, spread them evenly over the base and leave to heat up for 30 minutes.
- Only start cooking when all the flames have died down and the coals are glowing red under a thin layer of grey ash.
- To prolong the cooking time, add fresh coals around the hot coals. Placing them on top will kill the heat.
- Remember to use long-handled wooden tools and thick oven gloves when you are cooking with skewers and kebabs.
- To test the heat, carefully hold your hand about 13cm (5") above the coals. If you can keep it there for only 1-2 seconds, it’s a ‘hot’ fire; 3-5 seconds and it’s a ‘medium’ fire, while, 6-8 seconds denotes a ‘cool’ fire.
- Before barbecuing, brush the cooking grid with oil to prevent food from sticking to it.
- Control the heat for cooking by increasing or decreasing the distance the grid is from the coals – the closer it is, the higher the heat.
- Give your cooking a flavour boost with bundles of fresh herbs or whole cloves of garlic thrown onto the coals. Or use soaked aromatic wood chips – try apple or plum.
- Flare-ups (sudden flames that leap up at the food, blackening it and spoiling the flavour) can happen when fat, juices and marinades drip on to the fire. Keep a spray-bottle of cold water handy to douse the flames.
- Clean up: food left stuck to the cooking grids is a health hazard and will affect the taste of your next meal. Let it burn off, then, wearing thick rubber gloves, and while the barbecue is slightly warm, clean the grid with a wire brush. If necessary, wash it with hot, soapy water and a scouring pad.
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