Lets talk BBQ food!

[GiveMumABreak]

Gorgeous weather predicted this weekend! Yay! We're having some of our lovely friends over or a BBQ. I'm just starting a shopping list and my BBQ ideas just seem so boring (what do you all think?) anyone with some interesting suggestions?

Chicken kebabs (sweet chilli marinade)
Veg & halloumi kebabs
Good butchers pork sausages
Pasta salad (pesto, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts & feta)
Mixed green salad
Corn on the cob
Garlic bread (I've heard about homemade garlic bread with gooey brie cheese, which I might try)

Kids will construct their own ice cream sundaes for afters (my friend is bringing another pudding too)

What are your BBQ favourites??

That sounds pretty fab.

I'm trying to think of BBQ ideas for a pescatarian friend. I might borrow your veg and halloumi kebab idea and then I was also thinking tuna burgers but not sure if they'd break up on the bbq.

I like to do homemade potato salad and couscous with roasted veg mixed in. Also lamb steaks with sliced garlic and rosemary pushed into it.

What do you put out for the homemade sundaes and do you have proper sundae glasses?

Witt I lost a batch of lovingly-prepared tuna burgers down the slats of the grill last year . You can apparently wrap them in the corn on the cob leaves and sort of steam them? Or if you make them small and thin (more thai fishcake size) then cook them on a non-stick pan till there's a proper 'skin' on them, they could maybe then be transferred?

Big prawns with their shells on are good for bbq and look great.

OP, Tesco were doing thin pork steaks with a Chinesey marinade a couple of weeks ago, they were literally all that was left on the shelf by the Sunday night when we were on our way to an impromtu bbq, but they were surprisingly good - easy to do yourself too I'd think.

I also love plain lamb chops, very well done.

I love the sound of doing prawns with their shells on but unfortunately another friend has a shellfish allergy (very annoying!)

I'm tempted to try steaming the burgers in the leaves.

I'm having a bbq this weekend and we're having thai crying tiger steaks, and for the pescatarian I want to do prawns. I hate fish and have never cooked prawns on a bbq. Do they need to be shell on - can you skewer them with the shell on? Or will raw shelled tiger prawns be ok?

Sorry to hijack!

Cubes of salmon alternated with thick slices of courgette make lovely kebabs for the BBQ.

We had some lovely thin sirloin steaks - which we put on ciabatta with mustard mayo and rocket the other day
Prawns in a chermoula marinade
Whole leg of boned lamb
chicken thighs in a billion different marinades

witt for ice cream sundaes I put out 2 flavours of ice cream, chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce, and i bought some other bits and bobs (chocolate chips, crushed nuts, mini marshmallows, smarties and wafer biscuits) and some squirty cream (laid out for kids to help themselves, they love it!) I hide keep it all in little tupperwares and bring out to impress the kids! I considered adding some fresh berries and crushed meringue (Eton mess flavours) but really the sweetie stuff is enough! yes, I have some coloured plastic sundae glasses (Sainsbury's) and long teaspoons.

(I see aldi have glass sundae glasses on as a special buy this or next week)

Good luck cooking for your pescatarian (another good option is large garlic mushrooms - a dollop of bousin cheese on a mushroom wrapped in foil) and salmon kebabs like lilo said

What/how do you do your cous cous? I'm a bit scared of cous cous I think mine may be bland undercooked tasteless

wilson thanks for the pork steak idea - I'm in tesco tomorrow nod will have a little look (these would be lovely on the BBQ)

the string steak on ciabatta sounds divine!

lilo salmon kebabs are lovely, my friend always makes them for us - I worry DH may well burn overcook them while drinking beer socialising, he is chief BBQ person and cannot multitask feels the pressure!

Thank you all for great ideas! Enjoy the sunshine

Lovely ideas!

I'm absolutely useless at BBQs. Kids are really picky eaters so it ends up being sausages or burgers with salad. Chicken sometimes. Sigh.

A quick question - if you're cooking meat, do you cook it in the oven first? I got some ribs at the butchers this morning - with some sort of a Chinese glaze. Recall ages ago someone telling me that they're bet started in the oven and finished on the BBQ. Would that be right? I can imagine they'd be burned to a crisp on the outside if I cook them entirely on the BBQ.

Thanks!

silver you could use shelled prawns but be wary of overcooking. You could probably skewer the shells (a metal skewer would be easier than a wooden one), but I usually just lay them over the bars.

Sorry, meant to answer Mrs M too - if it's something that needs a long, slow cook like ribs then yes, I'd start in the oven and just finish on the bbq. If you have a gas bbq where you can be certain of temp this is probably not as much of a problem, but it's hard to keep coals at an even temp for a long time...

My BBQ fave is asparagus with olive oil and salt yum yum yum

Thanks Wilson. I should have asked - how long in oven Nd what temp? They're teeny ribs (couple of inches long) so am thinking an hour plus, maybe 1.5 hs at 160 then a few mins on BBQ (coals)?

Thanks

we normally have BBQ flavour chicken wings for the kids although dh cooks them in the oven first and then finishes them off on the BBQ (ds doesnt like 'burnt' bits). The heinz barbeque sauce is quite tasty.

could you use something like this for fish things?

homebase sells one much cheaper too

Coleslaw and potato salad.
Was going to say couscous but has already been added. I like ainsley's spicy one, cant remember the proper name of it tho.

Mushroom and peppers on skewers.

I'm still trying to work out what crying tiger steaks are.

For the couscous I usually use a packet of mediterrean flavoured couscous mixed with an equal amount of plain couscous. Then I cut up courgette, red onion and a couple of peppers into chunky pieces and roast in the oven with garlic olive oil and the mix into the couscous.

Thanks witt that Couscous sounds divine (do u serve it warm?)

I serve it warm or cold. It keeps in the fridge well and is a good thing to add to salad to take to work for lunch.

A lovely fresh salsa/relish made with mango chopped up small with fresh coriander, a hot red chilli and lime juice - great on burgers. Grilled lengths of aubergine and courgette served with lashings of tzatziki.