BBQ Made Easy

Everyone loves a BBQ but it can be a little daunting knowing how to go about it. Worry no more! Follow our step-by-step guide to safe cooking with fire and enjoy these super-simple recipes with friends and family

- Lulu Grimes

HOW TO LIGHT A BBQ

1 Set up in an open space

Fire up your barbecue in an open space, clear of fences or trees. It’s a good idea to have a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water nearby as well, and keep kids and pets well away. Use long-handled tongs and proper barbecue equipment with insulated handles, or you may burn yourself.

2 Buy good-quality charcoal

Look for good-quality, sustainably produced charcoal – a type made from coppiced wood works well. This lights easily, burns better and won’t taint the flavour of the food, unlike charcoals containing accelerants.

3 Use a chimney starter

You can light the coals inside one of these tubular starters, just with a few sheets of newspaper. They will quickly catch and glow. Also, the chimney protects the coals (and you) from flying sparks on a windy day. Once the coals are ready, you can easily tip them into the barbecue.

4 If you don’t have a chimney, stack your charcoal

Put balls of newspaper, wood shavings or wool amongst the coals. Light and allow the flames to catch, get going and die down again. You need ashen coals to cook on – flames will only burn food. When a few coals are lit, the rest will catch on their own, so don’t hurry them along by adding more firelighters. If the heat is starting to fade too quickly, add coals to the outside of the barbecue and leave them to flame up and die down before cooking over them.

5 Know whether you need direct or indirect heat before you start to cook

How you arrange your coals will give you different heat zones and more control over your barbecue.

DIRECT HEAT