Barbecue season is upon us and with our back gardens the destination of choice for a second summer, it is set to be the biggest one yet.
Brit barbecues have a bad reputation – all over-sizzled sausages and burnt drumsticks – but it needn’t be that way. A combination of confidence and education will transform your grilling skills and have you turning out perfect steaks, legs of lamb and So bring on the beefy burgers, glazed hot-wings, lamb skewers, pulled pork and sizzling sausages perfectly cooked by the grill master in your life Here’s what they may have their eye on this summer….
Invest in a good barbecue
The Smart Grill
There is a long wait list for this but it is well worth it.
Weber’s Genesis range is already knocking it out the park. Solid, reliable and long-lasting – one of our testers still has a 20-year-old Weber and has only recently had to replace even the flavour bars – these barbecues are expensive, but they are built for longevity.
Upgraded tech in the Smart range incorporates a digital thermometer and probe into the grill that connects to an app that will walk you through every step of the cooking process – from marinating the meat to when to move it from direct to indirect heat or to flip it, take it off and how long to rest it.
It’s incredibly smart – and will appeal as much to the type of cook who is most comfortable following precise instructions as those who want to be able to sit back and relax with a drink or get prepping elsewhere without losing control of their timings.
On the app you can view the cooking time, accurate food and barbecue temperatures and a readiness countdown.
There is also a series of recipes – think bone-in ribeye with garlic and rosemary, roasted leg of lamb or smoked turkey – to elevate your grilling game.
The barbecue also has a grill light, light-up knobs and a side burner for pans.
Accessories available are almost endless but include smoker box, rotisserie bar, pizza stone, cedar planks for cooking fish, griddle pans, dutch oven, poultry roaster and more.
GENESIS II SERIES Genesis II EX-335 GBS Smart Barbecue, £1773.45, Weber
The Phantom
Sold out across the UK before they even hit the shops, the Phantom Rogue Special Edition really does look like something Batman would love.
From the top of the lid to the easy to move locking casters, this gas barbecue is completely silky matt black. It features maintenance-free, stainless steel cooking grids and an integrated multifunctional grilling rack – ideal for entertaining.
The premium, heavy-gauge, stainless steel warming rack is great for appetisers and there is a infrared sizzle zone side burner to create steakhouse quality steaks with nice seared finish. The rear rotisserie burner that is great for high heat searing and slow spit roasting.
The ergonomic knobs are backlit to ensure that late-night entertaining is easy.
The Phantom Rogue® SE 425 Gas Grill, £1369.99, Napoleon
Smokin’
With this highly versatile beauty you can smoke, grill, sear, bake, or roast with ease. Just set the temperature on the digital control panel or your smart device and it will maintain the desired cooking temperature. The charcoal hopper holds over 12 hours of charcoal ensures you have constant fuel to the fire. The reversible cast-iron grates are perfect for smoking or searing and in just 13 minutes this fast-acting grill can reach 370°C.
Two porcelain-coated warming/smoking racks offer 3,600 cm² of cooking space and comes with a free cover.
Masterbuilt Gravity Fed Series 560 BBQ Grill and Smoker, £649, BBQ Barn
Kamodo Egg
Favoured by Michelin-starred restaurants, the 21” Ceramic Kamado Egg BBQ Grill can help anyone cook better than ever before – perfect for true barbecue aficionados or those who simply want to impress the neighbours.
With its easy-to-use design, high-spec ceramics, and seven different cooking modes, it can sear steaks, roast chickens, bake pizzas, slow-cook stews, smoke fish… you name it.
The Bar-Be-Quick Kamado Egg BBQ Grill, £529 barbequick.com
Grill on the go
This ‘Go-Anywhere’ range of barbecues – available in gas or charcoal – is great for grilling on the move.
Durable and weatherproof, the space saving design makes the most of every inch and the folding swivel legs helps hold the lid in place.
The triple plated cooking grill means you always get authentic charred flavour, and the gas version uses disposable gas canisters for maximum portability.
Weber Go Anywhere Charcoal Portable BBQ £ 94.99, Wow BBQ
Countertop Precision
Eliminate the guesswork with the George Foreman Precision Grill, which gives great results with a precision temperature probe.
The rectangular deep pan is really versatile grill for all occasions, and the removable plate makes cleaning up a breeze.
Precision Grill Removable Plates, £199.99, George Foreman
The Accessories
Sign Up
Let everyone know what’s grillin’ with this personalised BBQ chalkboard sign. The Grill master’s name is printed the top and the rest you can fill in with chalk. The board comes complete with handy hooks for tongs and tools.
Personalised Chalkboard Sign – BBQ – £42.99, Getting Personal
Light It Up
No one wants to stand there all day trying to get a fire lit.
Light your barbecue in minutes with this gadget (even on the windiest of days) that sends out a stream of 600°C air to light charcoal or wood quickly without the need for firelighters, making it more environmentally friendly too. Bonus -as the Looftlighter uses only hot air to fire up your barbecue, you can enjoy your food minus the nasty taste of lighter fluid chemicals.
Also works wonders to light chimineas or fire pits.
Looftlighter Hot Air Barbecue Lighter BA131730 £59.99, Lakeland
Meater
Boasting a range of up to 10m, this wireless smart meat thermometer helps cook the juiciest steak, chicken, turkey, fish or other meats perfectly.The guided cook system walks you through every step and even estimates how long to cook and rest your food.
The Original MEATER, £79, MEATER
Thermapen
One of the professionals’ absolute essentials for grilling success is a meat thermometer – to prevent dry, overcooked meat or too-raw chicken. This digital meat thermometer is a best seller because it gives fast and accurate food temperature readings in less than three seconds. Its automatic 360° rotational display is clear and easy-to-read and it has a battery life of 3,000 hours. Is configurable in °C or °F.
Thermapen Professional Thermometer, £66, Thermapen
Strong tongs
Decent tools are a must for grilling – especially when you’re dealing with ultra high temperatures and heavy cuts of meat. These sturdy, stainless steel kitchen tongs from Cuisipro are heavy-duty enough to flip a whole roast chicken while their heat-resistant silicone tips make them suitable to use on non-stick surfaces, too. The strong locking mechanism keeps the tongs closed when not in use. Dishwasher safe.
Cuisipro Silicone Locking Tongs, £12.49, Lakeland
Saucy
Does your grill master have a secret sauce?
Perfect for marinating meats, the gently curved edge of these bowls is designed to hold the bowl in the optimal mixing position, while the silicone base coating prevents it from slipping. Handy measurements inside of the bowl make it simple to mix ingredients accurately. Heat resistant up to 220ºC and suitable for warm ingredients.
Mixing Bowl Set, £78, Brabantia
Tool Kit
Tools are a must before you get grilling. Tools used in the kitchen are often not quite robust enough for use on the barbecue.
Affordable for beginners, this useful set is packed in a sharp looking aluminium case and contains everything you’ll need, from spatula and and tongs to skewers and a sauce brush. Available to pre order online from 6 June and in-store from 13 June.
BBQ Tool Gift Set, £14.99, Aldi
Fiery Footwear
These Bistro Clogs will leave no doubt in anyone’s mind about your passion for the grill.
Comfort wise, they are designed with food service, hospitality, and healthcare workers in mind, and are light and supportive enough to get you through even the longest grill session.
Bistro Graphic Clog, £44.99, Crocs UK
Spicy
Each box contains pear chips, for a spice edged fruity smoke flavour, and Whisky Barrel Chips, for a heady oaky smoke punch, together with a Piri Piri Hot Spice Rub and the Hot Smoked stainless steel smoker box. Recipes included.
Smoke and Spice BBQ Kit, £27.50, Hot Smoked
Rack ’em
This 2-in-1 BBQ Rib & Roast Rack makes it easy to grill multiple racks of ribs or a large rack of lamb on the grill – and also doubles up to make it safe and easy to carry roasts and poultry from the kitchen to the barbecue. Easily holds up to 5 racks of ribs at one time or a large rack of lamb.
Weber Premium Grilling Rack, £29.99, Hayes Garden World
Chop it Up
Small but mighty, this countertop friendly 2-in-1 blender and food processor combo system massively cuts down on prep time for your BBQ sidelines.
One base with two attachments blends, chops, mixes and slices.
Magic Bullet Kitchen Express £69.99, High Street TV
The Sizzle
Build Your Own Box for same day delivery
Provenance Village Butchers are offering Londoners the chance to create the ultimate barbeque box to be delivered to their doorstep the same day. Choose from a wide selection of high quality meats, rubs and marinades including T-bone steaks with bone marrow butter, Galician burgers, Thai chicken marinated skewers, Bloody Mary Campfire sausages and Prairie fire BBQ sauce.
Sides include Truffle Mac & Cheese and Ready-to-eat Slaw, and pre-batched cocktails.
Minimum orders online are £30 (with £5) delivery charge. Free delivery for orders over £50.
Build Your Own Box, starts at £30, Provenance Village Butchers
Lincoln Red
Reared on the South Ormsby Estate in the Lincolnshire Wolds, Massingberd-Mundy Lincoln Red Beef is one of the most highly-valued breeds in the UK.
It is 100% grass-fed and hung for a minimum of 21 days to allow the meat to mature before being expertly butchered by artisanal butchers close to the estate on a seasonal basis. Pure quality.
Massingberd-Mundy Lincoln Red Beef Box, 6kgs, £125, South Ormsby Estate
Farmison Lamb
Visually stunning, and even better tasting, this rack of lamb is on the bone for maximum flavour. Ideal as a smaller roasting joint for two, its rich flavours are courtesy of the lush pastures of and farms where the flocks mature on diets of wild flowers, herbs, and natural grasses.
7 Day Dry Aged Rack of Lamb – Heritage, £19.99, Farmison
BBQ Kit
Fridays (formerly TGI Fridays) has launched BBQ boxes that include everything you’d need for the perfect Fridays BBQ including, ribs, burgers, sausages and the Fridays Legendary Glaze.
The kit comes with clear instructions to walk you through the process of making each meal – our burgers with iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese dressing were just as good as the real thing.
Fridays BBQ Kit for 4 £39, Great Food 2 You
Grillin’ and Chillin’
Fire Pit
A hard-working, good-looking garden accessory, this decorative fire pit is great for grilling and then keeping the party going afterwards. Stylish and laser cut, this handmade Boston Fire Bowl has a concave shape that prevents wind from blowing embers out of the bowl and around your garden. Works as a fireplace, portable grill, heat source or light source.
Boston Steel Decorative Fire Bowl £259, Dunelm
Sitting Pretty
This super-relaxed garden chair comes in a range of colours, and is built from high quality synthetic material made to look like wood for a design that matches outdoor living with practicality. Assembly is required.
Calais Garden Chair £289.99, Wayfair
Outdoor Tunes
The Bang & Olufsen Beolit portable speaker is a fantastic way to keep the party going while grilling. Hooks up to a smartphone or tablet wirelessly with an 8-hour battery life that will keep the music flowing for ages.
The True360 sound sends audio in all directions without any distortion and a built-in Qi wireless charger lets you power up other devices.
Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20 Wireless Speaker – Grey £450, ao.com
Plated
Transport yourself to the South of France this staycation summer.
Outdoor dining never looked so lovely with Cambridge’s English by design St Tropez outdoor serving set.
Plates, bowls and serving trays start at around £12, Amazon
Hard Water
Hard seltzers are one of the drinks of the summer – and they happen to be the ideal partner to a grilling session too – a light, refreshing drink that has 5% alcohol and a sprinkling of delicious natural fruit flavours.
Coming in at just 70 calories with no sugar it’s a great waistline-friendly tipple, too. Comes in strawberry, watermelon and mango.
Island Bay Hard Seltzer, 12 pack for £15, Island Bay
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