Summer weather means barbecues

Barbecues are not all about meat.  You can cook a variety of food on even the simplest barbecue.

The main thing is to get the heat going under the grill plate so it doesn’t burn everything in sight but neither does it take hours to cook and test everyone’s patience.

You will need to follow the instructions that come with your barbecue and practise till you work out what works best on your barbecue.

So what to cook on your barbecue?

Barbecued meats

Some people say that it’s not a barbeque without sausages – and tomato sauce.  Basic barbecue sausages are sold precooked by butchers and supermarkets.  These are probably a good starting point as you only need to heat them through and you can be assured  that no-one will end up eating raw sausage meat.

Once you have had some practice you can experiment with the wide range of sausages on the market if you want to try different flavours.

Meat patties are good on the barbecue and can be sandwiched in a hamburger bun with sliced raw tomatoes, lettuce leaves and other salad ingredients.

Steak is another staple barbecue meat. You can often buy steaks that have been marinaded to tenderise them.

Or you can use pieces of rump steak or porterhouse steak. Either of these will be tender enough and won’t need much cooking.

Lamb chops work well too.

Chicken is very tasty when cooked on the barbecue but you do need to be especially careful to make sure its well cooked to avoid any risk of food poisoning.  Its worth doing a quick pre-cook of chicken pieces in the microwave or on a frying pan on the stovetop.

Clearly it’s important to time your cooking well.  Raw sausages and chicken need longer cooking so put them on first.  You can cook them through and keep them warm while you cook the meat patties, steaks or chops.

A barbecue can be made with just sausages or steaks or you can use several different meats.  Don’t be tempted to cook more than 2-3 different types of meat.