Food Preparation

Just as important as getting the grill set up correctly. It's no good sitting there with the grill at its optimum temperature if you are still trying to prepare your burgers & steaks for cooking. Make sure you know what food you will be cooking before you start the grill up. You can then plan on what you will cook first, and how best to arrange the food on the grill.

Make sure any steaks etc are well marinated before chucking them on the grill. Steaks, kebabs etc can be left over night in a fridge to marinate. We cover a great marinade elsewhere on the site. You won't benefit from a marinade if you dunk the meat in for 5 mins just before you start cooking.

As when cooking in a regular oven, hygiene is everything. Keep raw meat away from the cooked - and its always an idea to keep each type of meat in separate trays prior to cooking. Make sure any pork or chicken products are thoroughly cooked before consuming. There's nothing worse than giving friends and relatives food poisoning.

If you are unsure about cooking chicken or pork on the grill, pre-cook them in an oven until done and then place on the bbq for 10 mins to soak up some of that smoky flavour. There's nothing wrong with this - I still do it!

You also need to be careful over sausages & hot dogs. These two are usually made from pork, so make sure they are cooked through before serving.

Burgers, steaks & ribs are not so bad - red meat only needs to be seared on the outside to be considered "safe", whereas ribs usually have a fairly thin covering of meat, which should cook quickly.

Shellfish must be cooked through - again to prevent food poisoning. They will usually cook quickly, and it can be pretty easy to tell when cooked (shells open / change colour etc).

Whatever you are cooking, make sure that it is properly cooked before eating - I really can't stress this enough. Use a food thermometer or simply cut a burger/sausage in half to check how it looks on the inside.

Barbecues are not just about the meat that's on offer - the side dishes, sauces and marinades can also turn an average BBQ into a fabulous one.