Revealed: How to Host the Perfect Christmas BBQ

Food has been at the heart of Christmas for decades, with all focus on the main feast of the year on December 25! So when better to bring loved ones around and cook up a storm, not just in the kitchen but in your garden too?

Whether you are experimenting with new meats, offering an array of options, or adding an exciting twist on tradition, you can honey roast those carrots and glaze up the gammon from the splendour of your BBQ. 

Here, Flogas beings you the best ideas on how to host the perfect Christmas BBQ for your 2022 celebrations. 

Why choose to BBQ your Christmas?

We’ve all had an oven-cooked Christmas turkey – it’s a seasonal classic. Choosing to BBQ your turkey this Christmas will give you the chance to surprise your guests with a fresh festive favourite. 

Flavour-enhancing benefits aside, it’s also been reported that cooking your average Sunday dinner will soon start costing upwards of £5 per time. And what is Christmas dinner if not a bigger, better extension of our usual Sunday roasts? 

A BBQ at Christmas can also be a novelty – adding a splash of excitement into your long-established tradition! Sausages are perfect summer BBQ items, but why not wrap them up in bacon and make full-sized pigs in blankets straight on the grill?  

Plan ahead for the perfect Christmas feast

To benefit from a Christmas BBQ, you will need to plan; it is the planning and preparation which makes it easier. Unlike an oven, which if used every day doesn’t require much consideration beforehand, a BBQ needs planning. Firstly, you need to make sure it is clean enough, especially if it has been hiding outdoors under a rain cover of late.

You will also want to plan how you power your BBQ. Making sure you have coal and BBQ gas cylinders to hand, which have enough fuel to complete the dinner, is crucial – you can’t have your BBQ going out mid beef-roast. 

Christmas BBQ food tips

BBQs are perfect for cooking meat, and whether chicken skewers or roasting legs of lamb, the BBQ can cook to juicy, smoky perfection. And depending on the fuel you use; you can even add additional smoke flavours. Try using applewood chips for a signature sweet taste to pork or gammon joints. 

How about sweet treats on the BBQ – including the festive favourite, mince pies? These won’t be like your standard oven cooked ones, but will have an additional smokiness, giving them that extra indulgence – perfect for Christmas Day. 

You can even roast marshmallows on the BBQ. In fact, the BBQ can stop your marshmallows catching fire, like they do as on a traditional fire, and instead turn them perfectly golden – making the perfect smores. 

Depending on your cooking method when it comes to your BBQ, you could put the meat on early during the day and slow roast it until the evening, giving you the perfect tender cut without unnecessary electricity bills. And as you allow it to cook over time, you can give that extra bit of attention to being the perfect host.

With the popularity of Elf on the Shelf, you can have a bit of fun for the children! Give Elf his own BBQ station, complete with chef’s hat and apron!

Christmas is all about indulgence, special moments, and food. Making use of a BBQ can add that extra level of wonder, as you cook your meats to smoked perfection, while also saving your pockets from the ever-rising utility prices. 

Sources

• https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/cost-of-living-sunday-dinner-24873853 
• https://www.gardeningetc.com/news/experts-reveal-cost-premium-of-charcoal-bbqs 
• How To Get That Authentic BBQ Smokiness With Flavoured Wood Chips, Chunks And Pellets | Hayes Garden World
• https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/blog/food%2Bdrink/how-to-toast-the-perfect-marshmallows.html#:~:text=Roast%20perfectly%20on%20the%20BBQ&text=The%20barbecue’s%20grill%20plate%20can,marshmallows%20a%20lovely%20golden%20colour.