Nothing beats the thrill of barbecuing and eating outside – especially in the UK, where bright days and warm spells seem like gold dust some years.
Whether we’re searing off a simple piece of salmon or steak after work to go alongside a dressed salad for the ultimate easy supper, or dedicating hours to making our own rubs and marinades, allowing them to sink into slow-roasted briskets and pork shoulders, us food lovers tend to feel an affinity with this ‘wild’ way of getting food on the table.
Working the grill in the sun, a bottle or drink in hand, the sound of birds chirping and friends and family chattering, is one of the great joys of summer.
Over the next few pages we reveal recipe ideas, expert advice and intel to help you make the most of cooking in the great outdoors this year.
2025’s BBQ trends – What's hot this summer?
Ben: We do get influenced a lot by America – no doubt about it – and American and South American-style cuts are taking off here, especially the picanha part of the top of the sirloin. That’s really flavourful.
I’m also seeing more people are making their own sauces and butters. Cowboy butter, with garlic, herbs, paprika and a bit of cayenne, is all over Tiktok and appeals to everyone. Put it on vegetables, fish or steak.
Desserts and cocktails made using the grill are becoming popular too.
Christian: One thing I’m starting to see is everyone wants that holy grail of brisket on the barbecue, but if you’re a family of four, that’s a lot of meat, so there’s a thing now called a brisketta. It’s a kind of mini brisket that has all the fat content, so you still get the same results.
People are getting more adventurous cooking head meat, like beef cheeks and pork cheeks, and using other cheaper cuts. The price of beef has gone up 23% in the last year, so cooks are having to turn to these more affordable options, also things like bavette, onglet or rump instead of sirloin.
And what’s really exciting is we’re seeing more people flat topping using Blackstone grills and planchas. I think grill marks are the dumbest thing in the world - I don’t understand why people are so fascinated with them. Why would I only want to season my steak on a grill when I can put it on a flat top and get a good crust on it? I think people notice over live fire they lose a lot of fat and stuff, but in a pan on a flat top that sticks, and you can make sauces. I do want to kiss my meat with fat – when it renders and the flames come up, that is a beautiful thing – but I’ll get a much better cook with a flat top.
 | Brisketta is one of the hottest BBQ cuts of 2025 - a miniature version of brisket ideal for cooking for a smaller crowd, with all the flavour of a regular sized piece |
BBQ ideas for a crowd
Pork shoulder is the ultimate crowd pleaser, says Christian. “Ask your butcher for a classic American cut – the Boston butt or pork butt, here they might call it the spare rib. Get them to take out the chine bone and remove the rind to leave a thin layer of fat.”
He recommends showing it the flames of a barbecue to get a crust and some flavour going, before covering and cooking in a low oven (around 105C) overnight until it falls apart. “That’s our festival protein for serving the masses. It’s great. Or I like to do tonnes of chicken thighs. Chicken breast is easy to mess up (if you go over 74C they get dry), but thighs don’t mind being taken a bit further. A lot of people don’t do ribs or meat with bones because they think there’s too much wastage, so go for a tonne of deboned chicken thighs.”
His go-to side? “I make a big pot of basmati or long grain rice and run through some coal roasted veg, add seasoning and olive oil, and then I’ve got a really flavoursome dish.
10 best ever BBQ tips
1. Give yourself ‘zones’ on the BBQ, says Christian. “It’s a game changer once people realise it’s like being indoors, having the stove top and the oven and different heat sources. Normally I set my grill up one third charcoal to one side for direct heat, leaving the other side empty. If I’m cooking for more people I’ll go half and half. Having these zones is the key to cooking. If you’re doing a belly of pork or chicken and fill the charcoal all the way, you’ve got nowhere to go. Always have an area for dynamic, direct heat, and indirect heat for resting. When you’ve got a big steak, you can move it around, then rest it, cook it, and rest it.”
2. Ben’s favourite tip is to fill a (clean and unused) plant sprayer with unsweetened apple juice to spritz over meat as it cooks. “It does two things- keeps the meat moist, and gives a lovely caramelised finish,” he says.
3. Christian says if you’re serious about being a home BBQ pro, you’ve got to invest in a meat thermometer or probe to prevent both over and undercooking. “I’ll cook a steak to the lower 40s and let it rest for the same amount of time if I want a good medium finish,” he says. “If I want it rare, I’ll go late 30s, pulling it off at, like, 38C. You don’t want to go over – it's sacrilege.”
4. Pay attention to your glazes and marinades, says Ben. Chicken, ribs, lamb chops and steaks will be ready in a few minutes, but bigger cuts should go in for several hours. Also, warm up your glazes before brushing over meat in the last minute or two before serving. “A lot of people apply these too early, and supermarkets sell packs with the glaze already on. You put them on the barbecue and they burn on the outside. Don’t use them until the end of cooking.”
5. “Use your hood,” Christian adds. “You can turn your BBQ into an outdoor oven. Don’t be afraid to do big cuts and whole meats. You can indirect roast a whole chicken outdoors with all the fixings.”
6. You shouldn’t forget to remove the back membrane from your ribs according to Ben. “Take that inedible layer of skin off, apply your rub and barbecue, brushing on layers of warm sauce towards the end of cooking every five minutes.”
7. Wrap a load of potatoes and throw them directly into the embers to cook, advises Christian. “Then the next day you can make the best hash browns and chips.”
8. Christian also loves to put halved lemons directly into the flames. “You can get that caramelisation going. When you want to flavour stuff, you’ve got this amazing grilled lemon ready to go. Just make sure you wait a bit before using because those things conduct heat!”
9. Ben like to use the residual heat after cooking the main event to prep easy puddings. “Wrap some bananas in foil and stick them right into the embers. When they’re soft to the touch, slice open and pour in a nice chocolate cream liqueur. It’s simple but delicious.”
10. Cocktails are enhanced by some BBQ magic too, Ben adds. “Make a strawberry jam by boiling strawberries on the grill in a foil tray. Cool down and shake with some ice and strawberry vodka, finishing with strawberry lemonade so you keep that core ingredient all the way through. It just tastes amazing!”
 | Grilled fruit tastes amazing on the BBQ. Clean down the grills after cooking meat and fish, and use the residual heat to fire off peaches, pineapple slices, bananas and more |
What's the best BBQ to buy?
Invest in the best: If you’re in the market for a new BBQ, Christian recommends buying the best you can afford – ideally one with a lid so you can switch between open grilling and roasting. “Always try to have a Weber 57 Master-Touch in your arsenal. And if you want to scale up, get a ceramic grill. A monolith like a Kamado Joe or Green Egg. They’re more efficient, and hold heat for a long time. If you’re doing a brisket or shoulder in a regular barbecue you’ll have to keep refuelling that, whereas a ceramic barbecue will hold its heat for longer and you don’t have to keep feeding it.”
What's the best charcoal to use for BBQs?
Support British charcoal producers: Using sustainable British charcoal is one of the most important investments you can make when you’re cooking outdoors, says Ben. “In Britain we make the best lump wood charcoal in the world. I get mine from Westonbirt Arboretum – it's sustainable wood, naturally felled. They put it into the oven for 15 hours at 450C and it comes out beautifully light – much better than something that’s travelled halfway across the world and been sprayed with chemicals. You can also get ethanol firelighters now and they’re great because they’re also eco-friendly. They don’t give off any nasty chemicals or taint the food.”
 | Dry skin is the secret to cooking fish perfectly on the BBQ |
How to cook fish on a BBQ
Cooking fish on the BBQ is something that can strike fear into the hearts of even the most able of cooks – but we shouldn’t be scared, say our grilling pros.
Christian recommends removing all the packaging well before cooking, patting the fish dry, and placing it on a roasting trivet where it can further dry out before you’re ready to get that fire going. “Dry skin is key,” he says.
Fish is Ben’s favourite thing to cook on the BBQ, and he recommends wrapping whole fish in vine leaves, seaweed or foil for protection. “If you have a fillet, use a flat top grill, get it really hot and oil the skin of the fish. Cook it skin side down. You want to get it super-hot to seal and to put a crust on it. You won’t even need to turn it, it will cook all the way through like that.”
Vegetarian BBQ ideas
Discerning vegetarians and vegans won’t appreciate being fobbed off with faux burgers and sausages. The bounty of summer springs forth from the garden and in shops at this time of year, and it’s your chance to help these ingredients shine.
Christian’s favourite plant-based dish involves roasting whole onions and garlic bulbs (in their skins) and peppers in the flames until soft, charring off a few plump tomatoes, and bringing them together into a salad. “Live fire changes their dynamics,” he smiles.
“Get a cauliflower, slice it up, grill it and throw on some tahini, or make a shawarma butter, rubbing that on before cooking. I also have a great recipe for grilled broccoli with sesame oil and soy sauce.”
Ben’s best vegetarian dish is a little bit out there, but keeps everyone coming back for more – watermelon pizza. Yes, you read that right. “Watermelon is the only melon that keeps its shape when you BBQ it,” he explains. “And this is an amazing way to cook it. Slice it to pizza thickness. Slice red onions really thinly and pickle them in a bit of red wine vinegar. Put those on top with a lively cheese (I like Shropshire Blue). Finish with fresh basil, and barbecue for eight to 10 minutes, then slice like a pizza. It’s delicious. You can make it in advance too.”
How to: Make Cowboy Butter
This is dreamy melted over roasted fish, meat, vegetables and even tofu.
Simply mash together 115g unsalted butter, 3 cloves grated garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh herbs of your choice, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, zest of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Combine and wrap in foil or film, storing in the fridge for up to five days.
How can I tell my BBQ meat is cooked?
If you’re using a probe, here are the need-to-know temperatures for the BBQ.
Beef and lamb
Rare: 49-52C
Medium-rare: 54-57C
Medium: 60-63C
Medium-well: 66-68C
Well done: 71C and above
Chicken
Whole, thighs and drumsticks: 74C at the thickest part
Breast: 71-74C
Pork
Chops, roasts, tenderloin: 63C
Fish
60-63C
