Tell me your fab BBQ ideas

[romaniabound]

OK I am a Scot of the 70s and summer eating for me was sandwiches in the car in the rain. I have never BBQd but love eating other people's bbq efforts! I now live in sunnier climes and need some nice ideas for what to do with the pile of meat I have bought. Please inspire me - I have chicken, beef and pork.

Thank you all!

Try making some herb butters - basically chop some fresh herbs into butter, mash it all together, roll it up in foil and put in fridge until firm. Then slice onto the meat once it's cooked and you get lovely buttery herby mix over the meat. Tarragon and basil for chicken perhaps or chilli and um . . . oregano for pork (??) sorry ran out of ideas.

Also spice rubs are good - basically just rub some spices into your meat and let it marinade for an hour or so . .

Here are some recipes you might like to look at.

When I'm bbqing I tend to marinade the meat in oil, herbs, garlic etc then cook fairly plainly but serve with roast vegetable cous cous or a nice rice salad or something, so lots of tasty salads are good to know.

Depends what cuts you have, but Greek souvlaki is lovely with pork. Cut into cubes and mariate in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano for 1-3 hours. Thread onto skewers and cook over a medium heat.

Chicken is lovely marinated with sliced onions, garlic, a pinch of saffron, lemon juice and olive oil. Again depends on the cut really but in theory you could do it with any.

Just make sure that you wait for the coals to be white so you have a good even heat, cook the meat through but don't cremate it, and as nothing said, serve lots of really tastey side dishes.

Wish I was somewhere sunny too!

Thank you both for your great suggestions. Those sound lovely and I am looking forward to trying some of them this weekend, sunshine permitting!

when we have bbq, we usually have

grilled chicken that we have left marinated in lemon and herb olive oil marinade (Olive oil, lemon juice, and various herbs)

and stuffed mushroom, simple garlic and herb cheese (preferably Boursin) and sprinkle some red Leicester on the top,

Sod the meat, the best thing on a BBQ is chocolate bananas!

cut a slit into the inside curve of some bananas, stuff some squares of chocolate in, wrap in tin foil and sling on the BBQ. Eat with a spoon. Absolute heaven

OK do I put the stuffed mushrooms in foil? These all sound great. I will have to BBQ every weekend from now on and will surely be an expert by the end of summer??!
P.S. Couldtryharder - it may be sunny here but it is a dump in all other respects

cut banana in half, stick squares of chocolate in middle, add a few marshmallows as well, wrap in foil and put on bbq.

Most important point there is to make to you light the BBQ far enough ahead and wait till the coals have gone white.

Another vote for pork souvlaki here - in fact, put with a greek salad (lettuce, cucumber, feta, olives) warmed pittas and tzatziki (yoghurt with finely chopped cucumber and mint) and chopped ripe tomatoes and it looks very impressive with minimum effort.

All meat tastes great barbequed...

The bananas ... skin on or skin off?? Sound delicious.

You can do bananas skin on, but I prefer to skin them first, then fill with choc, slosh of rum and wrap in buttered foil. Put straight on the coals (which are cooling down by then) and eat from the foil.

That reminds me, a good non-meat idea - butternut squash. Peel and cube a squash, and divide it between 6 pieces of buttered foil. Add some lime zest and juice to each, maybe a little crushed chili, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, wrap up and stick on the coals until soft.

Red peppers also work with a garlic and herb cheese spread (pimento peppers are particularly nice0 put them in foil and leave on the bbq. Also corn on the cob (done in foil) then served with creme fraiche and green pesto spooned over cold.