Fire Pits and Chimeneas in the Garden

There is much to be said about a gas heater in the garden to keep warm when the sun goes down but for us at Dorset Log Stores, we prefer to use real wood to create the camp-fire ambience that draws guests to an intimate surrounding. It appears we are not alone, fire pits and chimeneas are becoming ever popular, and often felt to be safer than the traditional bonfire which may spread in dry weather.

Open fire roasting

The various designs involve everything from a moveable burner to a more permanent home-built affair and can create an atmospheric focal area for socialising outside, especially when it is just too nice an evening to be indoors. Plus there is something hugely satisfying about poking the fire with a stick, in a caveman kind of way. It can also be tempting to roast a few marshmallows or toast some bread over an open fire and our open fire roasting tool set is ideal for this. Created from wrought iron, the tools are designed for the outdoors and have long handles to avoid burnt fingers, in the quest for the sweet smoked taste of a fire cooked burger!

Sometimes it can be frustrating when the fire won’t light but if you follow our tips for lighting a BBQ in our earlier post, you should have not any need of accelerants. Of course it helps if the logs that you are burning are dry! Dorset Log Stores provide a vast array of quality purpose and custom built log stores to help you with the storage of wood for seasoning. For a full guide to the types of wood and how they burn, check out our wood burning guide to help you decide which to burn outside and which to keep in reserve for the cold winter ahead.

Okeford Log Store

If you have any questions about the log stores that we make, why not leave a comment below or call us on 01300 345916 to speak to a member of our team. 


Thanks for reading
James

Simple BBQ recipes

As barbecues can sometimes be a little impromptu, we have prepared our favourite, simple recipes that don't require a special trip to the shop or any fancy cooking skills!

Check out our previous blog for the Dorset Log Stores’ top 10 BBQ tips.

Image via Shutterstock

Simple Marinade

You can make a marinade out of any flavours you like, from curried, to hot chilli, lime to BBQ. Here is our quick marinade that uses many kitchen staples and is good for most meat and fish

You will need:

1/3 cup Soy Sauce

2-3 tablespoons Honey

1 ½ teaspoons Ground or 2 tablespoons of grated ginger

1 Garlic clove or 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 large or 2 small Onions, finely chopped

2-3 tablespoons white vinegar or sherry

½ cup vegetable oil 

Ground black pepper

Method:

Just mix it all up together! Add meat or vegetables and marinade in fridge overnight.

This makes an ideal marinade on its own or you can add chillies to heat it up a bit! Try adding lime for fish or replace the white vinegar with apple cider for pork! Works best if you can marinade for 4 hours or more.

Barbecued Dessert

No matter what age you are, the following is a very simple recipe that is fun to make and perfect for BBQs.

You will need:
Silver foil
Bananas
Mars Bar or similar

Method:
Peel a banana, slice in half lengthways. Cut a Mars Bar into chunks and insert between the two halves of the banana. Wrap the whole thing in silver foil, ensuring that there are no open edges. Place on BBQ once all meat and veg have been cooked and leave on the low heat for about 15-20 mins. Serve straight from the foil or top with cream, crème fraiche, or ice cream. Enjoy!
We know how the British weather can have it's own plan, so be prepared with our range of wellie boot stands and stores. Many a time my dad has stood out in the rain under his umbrella faithfully barbecuing, while the family sat safe and dry inside.  

With the with the promise of hottest summer on record, we are thinking it should be safe to put the wellies away and get the BBQ out. 

Wellie Boot Store

Let us know your BBQ recipe ideas in the comments below. If you have any questions about our log stores you can call us on 01300 345916 to speak to a member of our Dorset Log Stores' team.


Thanks for reading.
James

10 Tips for the Perfect Barbecue!

The sun is out and so is the barbecue! Here are Dorset Log Stores’ top 10 barbecue tips to make sure your guests have a great time and you enjoy it too!

Little Okeford Log Store

1. Site your barbecue on a level surface, up wind to avoid smoke and any hot ash causing problems.  Ideally, you want to have a couple of items on the barbecue by the time your guests arrive to get those lovely cooking smells creating ambiance as against the smoky fumes of a newly lit barbecue. To do this though, allow plenty of time, you are looking to have white hot coals not flames! 
2. Ensure your barbecue coals are dry.  There are plenty of gas barbecues on the market but in our opinion, it has to be charcoal – How else do you get that lovely smoky flavour? For the best flavour and about an hours burning use lump wood charcoal. To give that extra special flavour, consider adding Apple, Oak, or Chicory wood chips to your BBQ.  Keep everything dry and to hand with our Little Okeford Log Store which will fit nicely into most gardens. A great way to keep the barbecue items together in the summer and the perfect log or wellie boot store in the winter.
3. Light your barbecue in advance of your guests arriving.  Fire lighters have their place but you don’t want the taste of accelerators in your food! Be patient and make sure you have the following to hand: several pages of newspaper, kindling, long matches or gas lighter and dry charcoal. Scrunch up the newspaper, and top with a handful of dry kindling and a few chunks of charcoal. Carefully light the paper and wait for the flame. Once the wood kindling is well alight, add some more charcoal. You will probably have to wait for about 20 minutes until the flames die down and the charcoals begin producing even heat.
4. Get the tools ready.  How often have you dropped a sausage down the grills into the coals? Our recommendation is to make sure you have a good set of tongs, a fish-slice (not plastic) and an oven glove or thick tea-towel. Having foil dishes and plates to hand is a good idea too.
5. Prepare everything in advance, as much as you can.  Nothing worse than facing a whole load of washing up when your guests have gone. You want to enjoy your evening as much as they do. Prepare your meats as soon as you can, marinade for a few hours or ideally in the fridge overnight. Prepare your side dishes, drinks and desserts in advance. 
6. Stay with your BBQ.  Work out how to organise your workspace – keep raw food separate from cooked food and ensure you have enough space to work so you can stay with your BBQ. 
7. Use basic ingredients.  Now is the time of the year that vegetables and fruit are in abundance try some corn on the cob on the BBQ, or involve your younger guests in creating fun kebabs using colourful tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and peppers or perhaps some fruit as a dessert.  Do wash your fruit and veg especially if your are cooking with the skins on.  
8. Add seasoning.  Don’t forget to add seasoning, salt and pepper or better still, marinade meats such as chicken and fish the night before. Maybe have a go at making your own burgers – it’s fun and easy and you can add any seasoning you wish! If there’s no time to marinade in advance, all is not lost – brush with your chosen marinade as you cook! 
9. Temperature Control.  To begin with it is likely that the barbecue will be screaming hot! To help yourself with temperature control, you might like to move most of the coals to one side, making a ‘hot’ cooking side, with the other side being cooler and suited to the lower temperature cooking. Another great tip to avoid under cooking is to make sure you take your meats out of the fridge about 20 mins before cooking to allow them to be a room temperature and cook evenly. 
10. Test and Rest.  Cremating sausages and poisoning your friends is not what you want from your entertainment experience so it is always good to slice your meats to test for readiness. You are looking for the juices to run clear and for there to be no pink bits. For fish, press with a fork, if the flesh comes apart, it’s done! To keep things warm and moist place on a foil tray and cover in foil.

Most of all, whether you are having a barbecue, a BBQ or a barbeque, enjoy yourself!

High Wootton Log Store

If you have any questions about our garden stores, why not leave a comment below or call us on 01300 345916 to speak to a member of our team.

Thanks for Reading
James