19 BBQ Tips to Impress Your Friends This Summer

Whether you are a seasoned pitmaster or lighting your BBQ for the first time this year, there is always room to improve. We have compiled our 19 best BBQ tips — each one tested and proven to make a real difference. Follow them all and your next barbecue will be one your friends talk about long after the last coal has gone out.

1. Plan Your BBQ

A great barbecue starts long before you strike a match. Plan your menu a day or two ahead. Consider the number of guests, dietary requirements, and how much grill time each dish needs. Work backwards from when you want to eat — charcoal needs 30–40 minutes to reach cooking temperature, and some dishes need resting time after cooking. A simple written timeline prevents stress and ensures everything hits the table at the right moment.

2. Skip the Supermarket Meat

The single biggest upgrade you can make to your BBQ is the quality of your ingredients. Visit a local butcher instead of the supermarket meat aisle. Butchers can advise on the best cuts for grilling, cut to your preferred thickness, and often source from local farms with higher welfare standards. The flavour difference between a properly aged, well-sourced steak and a shrink-wrapped supermarket equivalent is enormous.

3. Invest in Quality Charcoal

Cheap charcoal is a false economy. Those bargain bags from the petrol station are full of tiny pieces that burn out fast, produce mountains of ash, and can taint your food with chemical off-flavours. Hardwood lump charcoal burns hotter, lasts longer, produces less ash, and gives your food a clean, pure smoky flavour. It is one of the easiest upgrades you can make.

4. Ban White Firelighters

White firelighters contain kerosene and other chemicals that produce toxic fumes and leave a chemical taste on your food. Switch to natural brown firelighters — they are made from wood shavings and natural wax, burn cleanly, and cost only marginally more. Your food will taste better from the very first cook.

5. Use a Crème Brûlée Torch

A kitchen blowtorch is the fastest and cleanest way to light your BBQ. No matches blowing out in the wind, no lighter fluid, no chemicals. Aim the flame at your natural firelighters for a few seconds and you are done. Precise, reliable, and oddly satisfying.

6. Start with Clean Grill Grates

Dirty grates cause sticking, off-flavours, and uneven cooking. Clean your grill grates after every session — a quick burn-off followed by a scrub with a stainless steel scourer takes just a few minutes. Make it a habit and you will never have to deal with a heavily encrusted grill again.

7. Bring Meat to Room Temperature

Take your meat out of the fridge 30–60 minutes before cooking. Cold meat placed on a hot grill cooks unevenly — the outside overcooks before the centre reaches temperature. Allowing the meat to come to room temperature ensures more even cooking and a better sear. This applies to steaks, chops, chicken pieces, and anything else you are grilling.

8. Choose Dry Rub Over Marinades

Wet marinades add moisture to the surface of meat, which causes steaming instead of searing. A good dry rub creates a flavour-packed crust that caramelises beautifully over hot coals. It is faster to apply, less messy, and delivers a more intense flavour. Keep a jar of all-purpose rub in your cupboard — you will use it constantly.

9. Make Homemade Herb Oil

Blend fresh herbs, garlic, and olive oil together and brush it onto food during grilling. Homemade herb oil adds a layer of aromatic flavour that transforms steaks, vegetables, prawns, and bread. It takes five minutes to prepare and makes everything taste like it came from a Mediterranean restaurant.

10. Half-Fill the Charcoal Basket

A common mistake is using too much charcoal. For most grilling sessions, filling your charcoal basket to about half capacity provides more than enough heat and gives you better control. Too much charcoal creates excessive heat that is difficult to manage and wastes fuel. You can always add more if needed — you cannot take it away once it is lit.

11. Start Early

Light your BBQ at least 40 minutes before you plan to start cooking. Charcoal needs time to ash over fully — the coals should be glowing orange with a fine layer of white ash. Cooking over freshly lit, flaming charcoal is one of the most common BBQ mistakes. Patience at the start leads to consistency throughout the cook.

12. Keep the Lid Closed

Every time you lift the lid, you lose heat and disrupt the cooking environment. A closed lid turns your BBQ into a convection oven, cooking food evenly from all sides. It also traps smoke, adding flavour. Open the lid to flip, baste, or check — then close it again immediately. Resist the urge to peek constantly.

13. Experiment with Smoking Wood

Adding wood chunks or chips to your charcoal introduces another layer of flavour. Oak and cherry are reliable all-rounders. Apple wood is excellent with pork and poultry. Vine branches add a unique Mediterranean character to fish and vegetables. Start with a small amount — you can always add more, but over-smoked food is unpleasant.

14. Invest in a Meat Thermometer

Guessing when meat is done is the fastest route to either raw or overcooked food. A digital instant-read thermometer removes all uncertainty. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat, away from bone: 55°C for medium-rare beef, 63°C for medium pork, 74°C for chicken. It costs under £20 and is the best investment you will make.

15. Rest Your Meat

Resting meat after grilling is the single most important step most people skip. Let steaks rest for 10 minutes, roasts for 20–30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil on a warm plate. The muscle fibres relax and reabsorb the juices, resulting in meat that is dramatically more juicy and tender. Never skip this step.

16. Grill Vegetables Too

A BBQ that is all meat is a missed opportunity. Courgettes, peppers, aubergines, sweetcorn, asparagus, and mushrooms are all outstanding on the grill. Cut them into pieces large enough not to fall through the grates, toss in herb oil or a light seasoning, and grill over medium heat. They cook quickly and add colour, variety, and freshness to the table.

17. Go Beyond the Basics

Once you have mastered burgers and sausages, push yourself. Try a spatchcocked chicken, a beer-can turkey, slow-smoked pork ribs, or a whole side of salmon. Experiment with flatbreads cooked directly on the grill, or grill fruit (peaches, pineapple, watermelon) for a surprising dessert. The BBQ is one of the most versatile cooking tools you own — use it to its full potential.

18. The Afterparty

When the cooking is done, close all the vents on your BBQ to suffocate the remaining coals. This saves fuel — partially burned charcoal can be relit next time. Once everything has cooled completely, empty the ash, give the grill grates a quick clean, and cover your BBQ. Five minutes of care after each session extends the life of your equipment and means you are always ready for the next cook.

19. Choose a Versatile BBQ

The best BBQ is the one that adapts to whatever you want to cook. A dedicated grill is fine for burgers and steaks, but what about smoking, roasting, and baking? A versatile multi-purpose BBQ — like the KLAUWE BBQ & Smoker Drum — lets you grill at high heat, smoke low and slow, and bake bread or pizza, all in the same unit. It is built from stainless steel to last for years, and the modular accessory system means you can configure it for any cooking style. If you are serious about outdoor cooking, invest in a BBQ that can keep up with your ambitions.

Put It All Together

None of these tips require expensive equipment or years of experience. They are simple, practical upgrades that anyone can apply at their next cookout. Start with the ones that are easiest for you — better charcoal, clean grill, rest your meat — and build from there. Before long, you will be the friend that everyone hopes will host the next BBQ.