It’s July, the weather is hot and sunny (fingers crossed it carries on as it has been in June) and it’s BBQ time.

Do you know where the word barbecue comes from?

A brief history of BBQ…

This article by Time Magazine says it was the Spanish conquistadors who landed in the Caribbean and used the word “barbacoa” to describe how the native people cooked over a wooden platform. Traditionally a BBQ involved cooking meat for a long time, up to 18 hours.

However people have been cooking over heat for much, much longer. Back as far as the stone age. Amazing Ribs has collated a fascinating article detailing barbecues across the ages and the world.

Barbecook Optima 96cm

Types of BBQ

Good Housekeeping have reviewed lots of different barbecues here.

There’s also a comprehensive review on choosing a gas barbeque at Jen’s Reviews.

From a portable one to take camping for £30 up to a two gas burner one costing a whopping £1,500 (you’d need to be doing a lot of barbecues to make this one a worthwhile investment!)

We like the Barbecook Optima 95cm at £99. A practical size and a reasonable price. Or for a little bit more the Weber Master-Touch GBS Charcoal Grill at £259.99.

And recommended tools?

Try this 3 piece implement set from John Lewis.

And once you have your barbeque we’ve put together some suggestions for things to cook and things to serve alongside.

What to cook on the BBQ?

The sky’s the limit for barbecues. You can cook meat, fish and vegetarian options. We recommend Southborough Butchers for excellent local meats. If you want local fish try Sankeys Fishmongers in Tunbridge Wells. Groombridge Farm Shop and Locality in Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells are both good sources for vegetables.

BBQ recipes

There are thousands of different recipes out there.

The Bikers Burger

Burgers and other meats

• Try making your own gourmet burgers (meat from Southborough Butchers above)
• The Bikers burger from The Hairy Bikers
• Spicy chicken kebabs (add some Must Chup Big Kick here)
• Cumin spiced lamb burgers
• Summer lamb kebabs
• Royal barbecued pork loin (add some Must Chup Kick or Big Kick)

Fish

Seafood burger

• Grilled mackerel with soy lime dressing
• Fresh citrus salmon
• Barbecued tuna teriyaki
• Seafood burger

Vegetarian options

• Jamie Oliver’s griddled vegetables and feta with tabbouleh
• Paneer and vegetable skewers
• Salt and pepper tofu skewers
• Garlic mushroom burgers with Must Chup Original for extra flavour
• Vege burger

Marinades

• 12 barbecue marinades and rubs
• 5 easy but brilliant marinades
• Add our Must Chup Original, or Big Kick if you fancy something hotter. Either order from our online shop or buy from an outlet near you.

Rice salad

Salads and Accompaniments

• Side dishes from BBC Good Food.
• Fresh tomato salsa from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
• Rice salad with radish, spring onion and avocado
• 12 healthy barbecue salads and sides

If you’d like something sweet afterwards

• Barbecued bananas
• Barbecued fruit with creme fraiche
• Grilled fruit kebabs
• Barbecued fruit brochettes

And to drink…

How about serving some Mint Lemonade alongside your food or an Elderbubble cocktail or the classic Pimms and Lemonade?

Pimms!

Finally…

A word of warning – always ensure that food is thoroughly cooked. It’s sometimes good to pre-cook in the oven and then finish off on the BBQ.

Have you any recipe favourites you would like to share with us? Please comment below or post on our Facebook page.