As the warmer months approach,
and the lure of spending time outdoors in the garden with friends and
family beckons, planning for the garden barbecues that lie ahead, is
time well spent.
One
of the most common mistakes that people make is to assume that leaving
things to the last minute will suffice. While this is true to an
extent, a little careful preparation goes a long way, and will help to
ensure that the time you spend outdoors hosting a garden barbecue will
run smoothly and be enjoyable for everyone.
There
are several bases that need to be covered prior to having a garden
barbecue, and this checklist can prove to be invaluable.
Location,
location, location
Choosing
the best location for your barbecue grill. While this will vary from
garden to garden, the best site for a BBQ is freestanding with
free-space around the sides. This is recommended as guests can stand
around the BBQ grill and socialise freely with other people. Placing
the BBQ in the far corner may be ideal for storing your barbecue,
though it is not nessessarily the best place to cook your food.
Ideally
any garden barbecue should be positioned on level ground, preferably on
concrete, or patio slabs to ensure stability and safety. Having
concrete or patio slabs as a base has the additional benefit of being
easy to clean afterwards should there be any food spills, or flare-ups
from the barbecue itself.
Wooden
decking, or planks also make a suitable level position for a garden
barbecue,
but under no circumstances place your barbecue in a position where it
is unstable.
Position
the grill in a location that has at least 3-4 feet of free space around
the outside of it, and once situated, test the stability by placing
your hands on the edges of the grill and try to rock it gently to see
if the base, or wheels, are stable. If not, see if the level of the
position can be improved before lighting the barbecue and cooking any
food.
Garden
Furniture
Using suitable
garden furniture
for your garden barbecue is an important part of hosting a successful
day. You will need to make sure that you have enough chairs available
for all of your guests, allowing one or two extra seats just in case.
Plastic garden chairs are relatively inexpensive, last for years, are
easy to clean. If you are looking to buy new garden chairs, look for
models that stack well, as these are preferable due to the fact they
will take far less space to store in your garage, shed, or corner of
your garden.
Having a suitable table is important only if you are hosting a party
that requires everyone to be seated. These are usually only needed at
more formal occasions and are generally accompanied by the use of a
gazebo or other outdoor canopy that will provide additional shelter
from the heat or inclement weather to keep your guests comfortable
outdoors for extended periods.
Bestselling BBQ Grills
Gazebo's and Canopies
Gazebos and canopies come in any
size and shape that you can think of, though for your garden barbecue,
you will only need one that is just large enough to cover your guests
and of course will sit comfortably within the boundaries of your garden.
If you are going to cook underneath a gazebo, make sure that you have a
fire extinguisher, fire blanket and access to running water as a safety
precaution.
When buying a gazebo ensure that there is ample headroom to stand and
cook beneath so that no parts of the garden barbecue are in close
proximity to anything that could be easily set on fire.
Patio
Heating
If you are hosting a
garden
barbecue that will run into the evening, you may need to provide
additional heating for your guests to keep them comfortable. There is
nothing worse than trying to enjoy an evening outdoors when you are
freezing cold.
Patio heaters, chimneas and firepits are available in many different
styles that are both functional, and aesthetically pleasing. From sleek
contemporary designed gas or electric powered patio heaters to more
rustic concrete, stone, or wrought iron fire-pits and chimneas that use
wood or charcoal as fuel.
Before considering the purchase of a patio heater, you will need to
ascertain how many people you will want to cater for, and allow a
little over in case you have some unexpected guests.
Garden chairs can be positioned in a circular or semi-circular shape
around the patio heater, and a small picnic table or two provided so
that your guests can place their food and drinks on without having to
rest them on the ground and possibly knocking them over accidentally.
These small details really do make all the difference.
Choosing a garden barbecue
While most people
give a great
deal of attention to the food being cooked at a garden barbecue, often
the barbecue grill itself is overlooked.
Preparing excellent barbecue food that will put smiles on your guests
faces is what it is all about, and while having great food to cook is
one thing, how you cook it is something else.
The generic garden barbecue that many people have in their gardens
these days is not up to the job. In most cases, they are tired, old
workhorses that have been left uncovered to rust and rot in the
elements since they were used last year.
What better time could there be to start thinking about replacing the
old trusty barbecue grill with a new model that will not only be more
durable, but will produce better tasting food and also be a pleasure to
cook BBQ food on?
Knowing what you should be looking at when choosing a new garden
barbecue is vitally important.
Garden
Barbecue Grills
First and foremost,
the size of
the garden barbecue that you are looking for is important as you will
want a BBQ that will not be too large to store, or so small
that it will be unable to produce enough food for the amount of guests
that you are catering for.
1) Where will you store the garden barbecue?
2) How many people will you be catering for.
Whether you are storing your barbecue outside in the garden or in a
shed or garage, you should use a barbecue cover to protect it from the
elements. These are available for relatively little money and make a
sensible investment to protect your garden barbecue and if used in
conjunction with basic barbecue cleaning maintenance, can extend the
life of your garden barbecue by several years.
If you are going to be cooking BBQ food for 2-6 people then a small
charcoal kettle-type garden barbecue is ideal in most circumstances.
They have relatively small footprints making them ideal for easy
storage, and are capable of continually cooking food for an extended
period of time if required.
Most basic small garden barbecues come without any form of trays or
side-tables to place BBQ tongs, accessories and food upon. There are
some models however which bridge this gap by offering functional extra
storage that is often found on much larger models. So you can have your
cake and eat it so to speak with a small kettle-type barbecue.
If you are catering for a larger number of people, then of course the
size of the garden barbecue that you are looking for will need to be
larger. Do not be tempted into buying a particularly large garden
barbecue regardless if you have the space or not, as you will be
surprised at how much BBQ food a medium sized grill can produce in a
relatively short space of time.
Stainless steel gas barbecues offer professional catering-quality
barbecue food that can easily provide enough food for 20+ people in one
go, so bear this in mind when selecting the size of the barbecue itself.
Size is not neccessarily everything.
For more traditional garden barbecues, cast iron BBQ grills have become
quite popular with people who enjoy cooking in a more basic and
traditional style of barbecuing that dates back to the ancient Japanese
era. Cast iron BBQ grills are extraordinarily durable workhorses that
cook food "open-faced" without a cover on a bed of charcoal.
These garden barbecues are comparatively basic compared to their
contemporary counterparts, but offer a unique style and distinct
barbecue flavour. The only real downside to a Hibachi-style cast iron
BBQ is the size. Most models will only be large enough to cook for
around 4 people comfortably.
Garden
maintenance
Ensure
that the garden is clean, tidy, and that objects like tools and
childrens toys are stored in their rightful place. You don't want to
have guests tripping over bouncy balls, or garden spades when eating
their food!
