The Beginner's Guide to a Bangin’ BBQ with Sauce Shop

Summer is finally here, well, for now anyway. And that only means one thing if you’re a foodie like us: it’s BBQ season. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time griller, we think this blog post is the only guide you’ll ever need to host an absolutely banging BBQ. Even if we do say so ourselves. Let's go 👇

Which BBQ should I cook with?

If you haven’t done much outdoor cooking before, you might not know that there are multiple different BBQ’s that you can use to cook your food with, so we’ve put the main types here to make it a bit easier to see which one will suit you best.

Gas BBQ’s

BBQ’s that use gas are great for beginners as they offer a lot more control over temperature, they’re quick to heat up (usually between 10-15 minutes), and they’re easy to clean as there are no ashes to deal with after use.

Electric BBQ’s

Electric BBQ’s are brilliant if you’re a picky cook because you can select the exact temperature you want to cook at, which means no burnt food for you or your guests. The only disadvantage to this particular BBQ is people often report that you can’t get the smoky flavour that is famously associated with a BBQ, so bare this in mind if you’re going for this option.

Charcoal BBQ’s

This type of BBQ is an absolute classic. Although it takes more time and effort to light and maintain, it’ll give your food a delicious smoky flavour that everybody knows and loves. If you ask us, definitely worth it.

Wood Pellet BBQ’s

Wood pellet BBQ’s are perfect for adding that traditional wood-smoked flavour, and they’re super easy to use. Just pour in the pellets, turn on the grill and you’re good to go.

How do I prep my BBQ?

Now we’ve gone through which BBQ to choose, it’s time to understand how to prepare it for cooking. Which BBQ you choose at the last step will impact how you prep it, so let’s go through each one 👇

Gas BBQ Prep

You always want to season your grates when using a gas BBQ, and you can do this by using a spray bottle to completely cover the entire surface of the BBQ with oil, before using a paper towel to evenly distribute it over the entire grill. Then you’ll want to start your grill and let it burn until the oil burns off (usually around 15 mins).

Electric BBQ Prep

If it’s your first time using this BBQ, wipe it down with a damp paper towel to remove any dust, and then heat it on a high heat without any food on it. From then on, each time you use this type of BBQ, you should allow it to preheat with the lid closed for 20-30 minutes on high heat. Easy.

Charcoal BBQ Prep

If this BBQ has been used before, make sure to start by emptying the old ash into the bin, before beginning the prep. Pour your new bag of charcoal onto the bottom grate in an even layer before putting 3-4 firelighters on top and lighting the coals. Leave them for about 15-30 minutes until they’re white hot before cooking.

Wood Pellet BBQ Prep

To start using your wood pellet BBQ, you want to fill the hopper with wood pellets (about 2 lbs. of pellets for every hour of smoking), before opening up the hood of your grill and setting it to ‘smoke.’ When you see thick clouds of smoke, that means your pot has caught and your pellets are burning, which is a very good thing.

What tools do I need?

You don’t need loads of fancy tools to have a bangin’ BBQ, but we would suggest these four key items to make your cook as easy as possible:

1. Meat thermometer - if you want your guests to avoid food poisoning (this we would recommend), this is arguably the most important tool. This will check the temperature of the inside of your meat, and make sure it’s safe for your guests to consume.
2. BBQ Tongs - great for flipping and moving food around without piercing it. Top tip: get extra long tongs for added safety.
3. Basting brush - this tool will allow you to evenly apply all of your marinades and sauces.
4. Spatula - essential for flipping all of your burgers and other items whilst on the grill.

How should I choose which meat to BBQ?

Choosing what food to serve and how to prepare it is arguably the most important part of hosting a good barbie, so it’s VERY important you get this bit right. No pressure.

Popular meat to serve at a BBQ includes:

• Ribs - use a rub on these to make them perfectly crispy.
• Burgers and hot dogs - a classic choice for a BBQ, but don’t forget the mustard and ketchup.
• Seafood - grilled prawns, salmon, scallops and lobster are all great seafood options.
• Chicken - chicken drumsticks, chicken thighs, chicken skewers, you get the gist.
• Steak - choose either a T-bone, fillet or rump steak and tell your guests to thank us later.

Preparing the meat:

This is where we come in, good meat prep is a surefire way to cook great food, so it’s really important to do it correctly.

Firstly, you could use a marinade to prep the meat, which enhances its flavour and makes it nice and tender. All of our sauces are perfect to use as marinades, as the delicious flavours are sure to come through the meat, especially if marinated for a few hours.

Secondly, you could add a rub to your meat, which adds a flavourful crust. Our Honey Chipotle Pork Rib video shows you how to apply rubs to your meat.

Do sides and condiments matter?

The short answer is… yes. The long answer is… absolutely yes of course they do what a silly question. But don’t just take our word for it, there are a huge variety of guides on what sides you should make for your next BBQ. We’ve even done one, right here. See, that proves good sides are an absolute must for a great BBQ.

As for the sauces, we could go on all day about how important they are for a great barbecue, but that would get boring fast. But we ARE going to tell you however, some of our fav sauces that you absolutely need to include in your next cook:

• Original BBQ Sauce - an obvious choice, but so… SO good.
• Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce - staying on the BBQ sauce hype, this sauce is an absolute must for your next cook.
• Chipotle and Lime Aioli - creamy aioli with a kick, perfect for your BBQ sides.
• Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce - sweet, smoky and a hit of mustard, delicious.

These are just a few sauces that we think would be perfect for summer, but of course, we have LOTS more recommendations, find them in our blog here.

How can I keep my guests happy?

Good food = happy guests, so if you follow the tips already laid out in this blog, you’re mostly there. However, there are a few things you can do to ensure your guests are enjoying the BBQ as much as you are:

Food safety

As mentioned earlier, food poisoning might leave your guests with a bit of a bitter taste in their mouths (literally). So avoiding this by keeping raw and cooked foods separate, using different utensils and plates for raw and cooked meats, and refrigerating leftovers promptly is always the best practice.

BBQ Safety

Our top tips for keeping guests safe during a BBQ are to keep the grill in an open area, away from any structures, keep a spray bottle of water on hand, and never leave the grill unattended.

Hosting Tips

Our ultimate guide to being a good host:

• Have all ingredients and tools ready before guests arrive.
• Arrange food, sides, and condiments in a convenient layout, for example, a buffet, so they’re easy to grab.
• Stay as organised as possible so guests aren’t waiting a long time for their food.
• Have an array of amazing sauces on the table, nothing worse than dry food 👀

In conclusion, a banging BBQ is easy to achieve when you have good food and the right knowledge, and we hope this blog post has covered it. We think your main takeaway from this should be that you need good sauce, and that nothing else actually matters… ok maybe that’s not true but still, buy the sauce, cheers.