How to look like a BBQ master

Our tips to pulling off the perfect BBQ

Return to 25 days of Christmas

The sun is out, your Dad and your Uncle are in their speedos, and your grandfather is keen on telling the same story for the tenth time. The last thing you need is the integrity of your BBQ skills being questioned. We’ve created 5 steps to keep you ahead of the game and leave your guests in awe.

1. Use the right equipment
Using the right equipment is essential to a quality BBQ and to maintain your image. We’ve seen tragedies where sausages have been turned with spatulas and forks have been used to hack at the casing of joined sausages.  Before you set out to cater for the Christmas masses, make sure that you’ve considered all of the necessary equipment so you at least look like you know what you’re doing.

2. Deflect all advice
There’s a reason that the phrase too many cooks in the kitchen exists. BBQs are a hotspot for hearing advice that’s not wanted, taking up your valuable alone time with the four burner. While there may be a few good points in the advice that you receive, all you need to do is focus on getting your sausages cooked and the chicken on time. A friendly nod and a sarcastic smile should do the trick. Engage and you’ll have to ride it out…probably until the end of the day.

3. Crosshatch your steak or chicken
Crosshatching is the mark of excellence. No matter the quality of the steak or the toughness of the chicken, a good crosshatch will have you a step in front. That charcoaled pattern will show that you’ve mastered the art of grill manipulation and send Instagram fanatics into a frenzy.

4. Balance your meat with salads
Gone are the days of rich red, onion, sausage and a few slices of bread. With the rise of healthy eating, you’ll need to invest a significant amount of time in your salads – and we don’t mean iceberg with sliced tomato. Throw in a bit of quinoa and kale, referring to kale by its latin name Brassica oleracea, and finish it off with pomegranate seeds for that extra effect.

5. Charcoal instead of gas
Charcoal gives your food a far better flavour and charred smoky goodness will be accompanied by a feeling of accomplishment when for that brief moment you believe you could live in the wild if you had to. That satisfying feeling of success following the anxiety of “will or won’t my teepee of kindling catch alight”

Discover more Christmas tips and tricks