Barbecuing is often seen as a strictly summer activity, only to be undertaken on days when the sun is shining and the chef can stand in their sandals, serving up charred sausages to guests around an outdoor table.
But, according to chef Simon Rimmer, star of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, we’re really missing out.
Here are his tips for great BBQ food year-round.
1. Fire up your BBQ in autumn and winter
“I genuinely cooked my Christmas turkey three years ago on a BBQ and it was brilliant. It was really, really good. There’s something quite nice about being out in the cold by a hot BBQ,” the 61-year-old says. “Thing is, you don’t have to stand by it all the time.”
For him, BBQ “is better in cold weather”.
In conditions “where there is more moisture in the air due to rain, snow or heavy clouds, the added moisture in the air stops the food drying out,” he says.
“So, a slow cooked piece of beef or pork will have more moisture and therefore will be juicier than if the conditions are arid.
“It’s a really great time of year to do it,” says Rimmer, who has partnered Calor to launch their BBQ forecast, shared via Instagram (@CalorGB) every week, featuring recipes depending on suitable weather windows.
Interestingly, research by the brand found that nearly a quarter of people (23%) are willing to BBQ in temperatures of 15°C or lower. But 17°C is the average minimum temperature Brits are willing to, the survey found.
2. Understand direct and indirect heat
This is “the biggest key to knowing how to use your BBQ properly”, says Rimmer. “The basic principle is, anything that takes up to 20 or 25, minutes, you can cook on direct heat, so a burger. Like a frying pan in effect.
“With indirect heat, [cook] anything that takes longer than that. I’d always cook chicken breast on indirect heat. For example, if you’ve got four burning points on your gas BBQ, you would ignite the two outer ones, and you keep the two inner ones unlit. Then you place your chicken, whatever it might be, on the indirect heat that isn’t lit. And then you always close the lid on it, so you treat it like an oven, so the external heat heats everything, and you cook it more evenly.”
It avoids the risk of a piece of meat being burned on the outside but still raw in the middle. “You’re cooking it more slowly, and you’re actually letting letting science do the business,” he says.
“Say I’m going to roast a load of courgettes and aubergine – I’d probably start it on direct heat, get a little bit of colour on it. Then I’d shift it onto indirect heat, so it cooks through and cooks slowly and more evenly.”
3. Think beyond burgers and sausages
Don’t be afraid to do slow cooking on a BBQ, Rimmer adds. One of his favourite things to make is “a really beautiful, slow cooked shoulder of lamb”. Make it flatter and cook it low and slow.
“Rub on things like a harissa paste, little bit of cinnamon, little bit of chilli, plenty of salt, little bit of sugar, and that is just beautiful. Like a really high end kebab. The meat is just falling off the bone,” he says.
“I also like to do smoked feta cheese. You smoke it on a really, really low heat and it softens a little bit and then when it cools down, it firms up again. The delicious smoky flavour is off the scale.”
Marinades and rubs will really add to the flavours of your food. “You don’t even need to let things marinade for a long time,” says Rimmer. “If you’re doing a chicken breast and you just mix some yoghurt, some garam masala, some cumin, some smoked paprika, some chilli, and just marinade your chicken in that for 10 minutes, shake off the excess then griddle it, then you’re going to end up with that sort of tandoori chicken [kind of taste].” The same will work for any meat, fish or veg.
“Potatoes are always ace on BBQs,” he adds. “If you cook potatoes, let them go cold, and then slice them and put them on the direct heat, charring those potatoes on a barbecue is just brilliant. Use a little bit of smoked salt. I really, really love smoked salt, and that on potatoes is just heaven.”
4. Get more creative with accompaniments
“Your accompaniments really make [the meal]. The more different flavours and textures you can have, then you really improve what happens,” says Rimmer.
“I think dips are brilliant. A really simple dip you can make is cream cheese, tinned artichokes, loads of spinach and chilli and lemon juice. Just literally a tin of artichokes into your processor with your cream cheese, add a little bit of salad cream into it. It’s an amazing dip for chicken, fish, or sausages – it’s just a very different flavour.”
5. Don’t overcrowd your BBQ or move food too much
Try not to put too much on the BBQ at the same time, says Rimmer. “The more you put on – same as in your oven – the more then the heat will drop all of the time.” Although gas BBQs will maintain the heat a little bit better, he adds.
And how much should we be turning or moving the food around? “Not at all, really,” says Rimmer. “I think you don’t want to move things around, that’s the same with all cooking. People tend to want to fiddle things around and move them and it’s a big mistake.
“Cooking is fundamentally about heat transfer and you want that heat transfer to be right, and move it when it needs to be moved – the less intervention with any food is always better.”
