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