If you packed your barbecue away the moment the clocks went back, Tom Kerridge is here to say you’re missing out, as it's the ultimate cosy season cooking tool. The celebrity chef is a devoted year-round griller and, yes, he's even tackled a full roast turkey on the barbecue at Christmas.
'Barbecuing isn’t just for the summer months,' he says. 'I’m a huge fan of cooking outside all year round whenever it’s possible.'
However, if you want to be a master of the best BBQs like Tom, there's a few things you need to know (and items you might want to change)...
'A really helpful way to approach cooking on a barbecue is to think of it like using the grill in your kitchen oven, but the heat is coming from the bottom rather than the top,' he explains in Tom Kerridge: The BBQ Book, was £25 now £10.99 on Amazon.
In fact, if you have an egg-style barbecue (like a Big Green Egg or any ceramic kamado model), Tom says you can treat it 'almost exactly like a domestic oven at home.'
These barbecues heat evenly, hold temperature beautifully, and respond quickly when you open or close the vents. That’s how he pulled off the outdoor Christmas turkey as it’s surprisingly hands-off once you hit the right heat.
There's no doubt this is an investment but this entry level Big Green Egg did get a full 5 stars when it seriously impressed our reviewer.
With many egg BBQs out of stock for the season, this classic kettle is a solid choice if you're sticking with charcoal.
We rated this our Best Gas BBQ and it's helpfully reduced for 23% right now!
Tom is adamant you don’t need a shed full of gadgets to nail a barbecue, 'You don't need loads of equipment to get some seriously tasty results,' he says.
But a couple of clever pieces do make it easier, especially when you don’t want to linger in the cold.
Tom's BBQ essentials
A coal kettle (also known as a coal chimney or chimney starter) is 'a great bit of inexpensive kit to have'. It’s basically a simple metal cylinder with air holes that helps coals heat quickly and evenly.
'Long-handed fire-and heatproof tongs are vital', says Tom. These ones are from his popular M&S collab (which we're slightly obsessed with).
'Get yourself a meat thermometer,' the chef says. This one has 4.6 stars with over 17,000 ratings, comes in 8 colours and has a tidy 40% off right now.
So grab your coat, spark up the coals and embrace your inner winter BBQ-er. Tom would absolutely approve.
