What constitutes a perfect barbeque for YOU?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I'll bet I'm not the only one planing a barbeque this weekend.

I'd like to shamelessly steal some of your ideas OhCleverAndCreativeMNers.

Good quality meat - e.g butchers sausages with high meat content, decent steaks or homemade burgers, lovely juicy marinated chicken. No cheapo nasty Iceland-style crap.

Nice bread. Lovely, simple salads, some form potato, good relishes.

Summery cocktails, pimms, fizz etc.

I think someone got a bit click happy with the post message button

I do a rice salad, a pasta salad, potato salad, big green salad and a tomato salad.
Also a Tabolieh (sp?)

I go to the butcher and they do chicken wings and drumsticks dirt cheap so do half a batch of honey mustard and half a batch of sticky BBQ.
Good sausages, homemade lamb and mint burgers for Pittas and homemade beef and red pepper burgers for buns.
If there are only a few of us and I can afford it I also do maple ribs and steak kebabs.
Oh and smoked mackerel is always a winner on the BBQ.

Fresh filleted sardines (easy peasy to do) and squid (cut open and scored on the skin side so it doesn't roll up again). Marinated in olive oil and chilli. Make sure you do these last as they're a) very quick and b) will make everything else taste of fish if you don't .

Deffo having a bbq this weekend. Can;t wait, it's one of my fave ways of cooking & eating.

Like the idea of halloumi, haven't tried that one on the barbie yet.

I make chicken thighs marinated in nandos hot marinade. Sausages which have been marinated in hoi sin sauce and soy sauce - these are really delicious. 1/4 pounder burgers. Tomato mozzarella and basil salad. Parma ham, rocket and parmesan salad and israeli cous cous and feta salad. Then bananas with mars bars in them on the barbie for a dessert with vanilla ice cream.

Here I was expecting a whole post of ideas but it's all chaos!

I blame the whizzing off to get things for the eton Mess. She obviously whizzed a bit too much. :)

For sides, we often do a pasta salad (Jamie recipe using small pasta) or a potato salad with spring onions and course mustard. It's Jersey Royal season so I think it will be the latter this weekend.

Corn on the cob does well too, but do it in foil with butter otherwise it will end up all dry.

I really want a BBQ now

is someone going to get the ingredients for Eton mess? Didn't quite catch that.

I really dont like barbecues. So I only go for the puds - please make sure you have some nice ones for people like me!

Bunjies.

How do you bbq sardines. i would like to try them tomorrow. Are there any other fish you can bbq.

Rilla here a receipe for eton mess.

DH is in the pork business so ribs, pork chops, spare ribs, cheek and anything else that DH brings home to try out is bbq'd. It is memorial day weekend so I expect DH to return today with around 20-25lbs of ribs.

When it comes to burgers I don't use burger buns but whole wheat english muffins (we are in the US). They keep well in the freezer so I buy them when on offer.

Sides are normally bean salad, sweet potato salad, grilled veg salad (grilled eggplant, courgette and peppers with avocado) and rice salad. We have watermelon for afters.

In previous years we have done huge bbq's for DH's customers. Between having DD and DH doing his MBA we cancelled it this year (thank goodness).

You can bbq any fish, but sardines are good to start with cos they are cheap. Just beware of them sticking.

Gut, scale, rub with olive oil and lemon juice, grill.

It really helps if you have something like this

www.bbqbits.co.uk/barbecue-accessories/bbq-baskets/flip-n-easy-bbq-basket

Much easier to turn.

Lots of BBQ stuff in TK Maxx at the moment.

teriyaki marinaded chicken (thighs for best flavour)
teriyaki marinaded veg (aubergine, courgette)

My BBQ favourites:

whole turkey
beer can chicken
butterfly leg of lamb with garlic, herbes de provence and anchovies
beef short rib (Jacob's Ladder)
pork ribs
courgettes, cut length ways and rubbed with olive oil and salt

How many Eton Messes is Chaos making

I hate BBQs - I cook int t'Aga and eat it outside.

Sorted.

Please don't let me be the only person smiling at 'in the pork business' please.

Blimey your phone's giving it some today

Yep, oddly enough we're having a BBQ on Sunday.

Cooking this pork tenderloin recipe

along with this, a Greek salad, new potatoes with a cider/mint dressing and some lamb, which I'm marinading in olive oil, garlic, oregano and lemon.

Will do a few chicken and/or prawn satay skewers too I should think.

easypeasy teriyaki sauce: 1table spoon honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, hint of lemon.

YOu are not the only person rips...

forgot to ad the sesame oil: about a tablespoon. not entirely authentic but delicious.

Also taboule: take 200gish bulgur wheat, add lots of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes, rinse in cold water, drain/squeeze out the water in a sieve. Add large bunch parsley and mint (yes, a whole bunch), very finely chopped (use a food processor if you are lazy), a lemon, olive oil, a finely chopped cucumber. Leave to infuse in the fridge until cold, or maybe over night.

You can also add ripe tomatoes, and feta cheese, to make a sort of Greek taboule.

Halloumi cheese on BBQ is the best.

Make kebabs with big squares of halloumi, cherry tomatoes, chunks of peppers and button mushrooms. You can also put bacon on like a weave through them. SO GOOD (mind and drizzle a little oil over it before putting on so it doesn't stick to the grill)

A really easy marinade is oyster sauce and sweet chilli sauce. I mix in whatever I have in the cupboard/fridge that will go nicely, but it's a really handy standby mix

I second halloumi kebabs - but I do mine with fresh pineapple chunks, drizzle of olive oil and lots of black pepper.