7 things you're doing wrong when you barbecue

There are few things tastier than a juicy burger, chargrilled veggies or a hot dog fresh off the grill, but we've all been to barbecues where the food is either anaemic or burnt to a crisp.

At Which? we've tested dozens of charcoal and gas barbecues with the help of professional chefs, so we've learnt a thing or two about what to do – and what to avoid – when you fire up the grill.

Here are some of the most common barbecue mistakes and how to fix them, so your friends and family will be blown away by your food every time.

If you're already a grilling pro but want to upgrade your barbecue, check out the best gas and charcoal barbecues

1. Using meat straight out of the fridge

It may seem like a no-brainer to leave your meat in the fridge until it's ready to go on the barbecue, but this is actually a mistake that could really throw off your timings.

If your meat hits the grill when it's still cold, it will take longer to cook on the outside and could end up still lukewarm on the inside. Bringing your food closer to room temperature will prevent it from burning and ensure your meal is ready as quickly as possible.

Try to remember to take your meat out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you intend to cook it. Certain meats, such as steak, can come out even earlier – up to one hour before.

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2. Having the grill far too hot

A red-hot grill with flames leaping through isn't necessarily the best cooking tool. You'll realise this when all your food is charred and black on the outside but hardly cooked in the centre.

The best way to set up your barbecue (if it's big enough) is to divide it into two different zones – a hot one and a cooler one. Use the hot side to sear your food, then transfer it to the cooler side to gently cook it all the way through.

If you're working on a smaller barbecue, or your model doesn't have a warming rack, try leaving some cooler spots around the edges that you can push your food into if it starts to overcook.

3. Not using the lid properly

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the lid of your barbecue doesn't play a major role in the cooking process, but it's more important than you might realise.

Opening and closing the lid will cause different problems depending on whether you have a gas or charcoal barbecue. With gas barbecues, moving the lid around too much will let cold air in and hot air out, so your food will take much longer to cook.

Opening the lid on a charcoal barbecue will allow more oxygen in, which will make the grill much hotter and could cause your food to burn. When you start cooking, decide whether to leave the lid on or off and stick with it.

4. Cooking the wrong kinds of meat

While it's possible to cook most things on a barbecue, that doesn't mean you should. Some kinds of meat and fish will taste much better cooked in a frying pan or a conventional oven.

Try to avoid flaky fish (such as cod, sea bass and trout), as the flavours are too delicate and will be overpowered by the smoke from the grill. It's also worth steering clear of tough cuts of meat, as these should be cooked low and slow for the best results. Also avoid anything with a high fat content, such as Wagyu steak.

Stick to items such as burgers, sausages, steak and chicken for the meat-eaters. If you're a fish lover, then oily, meatier options are your best bet – think salmon or tuna.

Bored of burgers? Check out 10 foods you didn't know you could cook on your barbecue, or use the best mayonnaise for your potato salad

5. Pressing down on your burgers

We're all guilty of copying the chefs we see on TV and using the underside of a spatula to push our burgers down onto the grill as they cook. You might think that this will give them tasty-looking char marks, but annoyingly, this is rarely the case.

Pushing your burgers down will force all the delicious juices out of the patties, causing them to burn onto the grill bars or drip onto the coals or the burners. Not only will this make the cleaning process difficult, but it also means you'll lose loads of moisture and flavour.

Burgers will cook fairly quickly without you pressing them down, so there's really no need to interfere with them too much. Simply cook them for four to five minutes on each side and leave them to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

6. Leaving the grill unattended

Obviously, from a safety point of view, you should never walk away from your barbecue for long periods of time, especially if there are young children running around the garden who could potentially burn themselves.

However, barbecue food cooks so quickly that taking your eyes off the grill – even for a minute or two – could result in a dinner disaster. The only real advice we can give here is to try not to get too distracted, or ask someone else to watch the food like a hawk if you absolutely need to step away.

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7. Not cleaning it after every use

You should always give your barbecue a thorough scrub down after every use, preferably as soon as it has cooled down and is safe to touch. It can feel like a bit of a pain, but you'll thank yourself later.

Not only will a good clean extend the life expectancy of your barbecue, but it will also help you to cook better-tasting food. Leftover meat residue on the grill will stick to any new food and give it a horrible, charred flavour that's not very healthy, either.

You don't need to buy any fancy products to keep your barbecue clean. Simply leave it with the heat and lid on for 15 minutes after cooking to bake the grease and make it easier to remove. 

Once it's cooled down, use a wire brush or scrunched-up aluminium foil to scrape off any food residue. Next, spray the grill with vinegar, citric acid or lemon halves to break down the grease. Leave it to work for a couple of minutes, then scrub with the wire brush or foil.

Finally, wipe down the grills and apply a coating of vegetable oil to stop them from rusting. 

Our simple step-by-step video shows how to clean your barbecue using cheap everyday products.

The most popular barbecues

At Which? we pit barbecues from popular brands such as Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe and Weber against top-selling models from Argos, B&Q and John Lewis.

We enlist independent professional chefs to test cooking performance and also assess how easy they are to assemble, use, clean and move. 

The big-name brands and most expensive models don't always win out in our tests. For example, one of our Best Buy gas models is among the cheapest barbecues on test, and we recommend several Best Buy and Great Value picks priced under £150.

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