Everyone loves having a BBQ. No matter if it’s summer or winter, outdoor or indoors BBQ always provides a good space for social gathering, with your neighbors , relatives or friends. But you should know how to do it properly as you don’t want your friends or neighbors to eat over grilled nasty tasting charcoal or leave them with stomach aches the next day with ill cooked meat. And most importantly you need to ensure all the harmful bugs like salmonella are killed while cooking the meat. Properly lit BBQ will cook your meat in no time and add a unique taste with an attractive look for the food.

First thing you should consider before starting the BBQ is the place where you’re gonna have it. Because when BBQ is lit it throws out quite a large amount of smoke and that can be annoying to your neighbors. If possible, place the grill where the wind won’t blow the smoke to your neighbors. If it’s indoors make sure you have ventilation with open windows and doors as otherwise the indoors will get really smoky and full of carbon dioxide which will not be good for the people inside.

BBQ means that you are technically making a contained fire, so make sure if it’s outdoors to keep the barbecue away from fences or trees. Keep your children and pets at a safe distance and in case of fire hazard it’s always a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher or bucket full of  water closeby. Try to use long hands Tongs possible with insulated handles . And make sure that your hair is neatly tied and wear no loose clothing.

Please make sure that all your meat or veggies are properly marinated before the BBQ. The recommended time for marinating meat and poultry are about six to 24 hours. More time the meat gets marinated, the more it will taste better. But keep in mind after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Things You will need to Light BBQ

• Charcoal
• A charcoal chimney (optional)
• A barbecue temperature gauge
• High heat neutral cooking oil (like sunflower oil)
• Kitchen roll

Use a high heat cooking oil to season the BBQ grill and wipe off the excess oil with a kitchen roll. This will ensure a deliciously crispy skin on charbroiled chicken thighs and also fish won’t stick to the grill.

Next important thing is to find some good quality charcoal.Usually  charcoal which is made from coppiced wood or Forestry Commission-approved wood will be a better choice for sustainability of the environment. They will light easily, burn better and won’t taint the flavor of the food, unlike charcoal containing accelerants.

Using the right amount of charcoal can save you a lot of time and money. The more charcoal you pack the hotter your fire will be and will burn for a longer time. If you are not planning to BBQ more meat, say for instance if it’s a couple of burgers, wings or sausages you can use 15 to 20 coals. If it is a stake you will need about 40 to 50 coal briquettes. And if you are hosting a party or for a large gathering scale the coals up per person, working with around five to 10 pieces of coal per piece of meat.

If you have a charcoal chimney you will be able to light the charcoal in fairly less time. With the use of the chimney the coal will catch the fire easily and fast and the chimney will protect the coal and the person who is doing the BBQ on a windy day. If you expose the meat to the flames all you will get is the burnt charcoal taste meat. The best BBQ is done with the ashen coal.

Once a few coals catch the fire, eventually will spread onto the rest of the coals and they will light up. You need to be patient here and don’t let the fire increase by adding more fire starters. When the heat starts to die, keep adding more coal briquettes to the outside of the BBQ  and leave them to flame up and die down before cooking over them.

If you arrange the coal in an even layer the heat will be spread equally as you are cooking everything on the highest heat in the hottest pan. This direct equal heat method will best work with thin cuts of meat, like the burger patties or thin cut steaks.

If you do not want direct or equal heat you can push the coals to one side of the BBQ. The side with hot coals can be used to cook the meat and with this way you can use the coal free side to cook by indirect heat or to leave the already cooked meat warm. This indirect heating method will be handy when you BBQ larger joints and meat on the bone such as Chicken, Mutton and Lamb.

And will work great with more delicate items like fish filets and veggies. And this method gives  some direct heat where the coals are stacked should you want to brown other items quickly. Cooking indirectly means food won’t burn or scorch. If you are BBQing for a larger crowd you can get a gradient of heat from searing hot to sizzling gently by sloping the coal, you can keep meat  ticking over at one end while cooking at full pelt at the other.

The other important thing is to know if your coal is ready with the right heat. As if you leave the meat too early before the coal is not ready the meat may overcook or burn. Looking at the color of the coal will give you an idea whether they are ready or not. If the coal is Black and gray and still with fumes that means the coal is not yet ready.

When the coal glows white hot with red centers that means coal is ready for meat that needs direct heat.  If the coal is white or ash color but still very hot, you can keep the meat that needs indirect heating or meat that needs a long time to cook

Use a BBQ temperature gauge to ensure your barbecue retains the right amount of heat. You’re looking for at least 107ºC+ (225ºF). And you can control the temperature by closing or opening air vents. But complete closing on vents will kill the fire and opening the vents will create a fiercer, faster heat.

Best Place to buy Big K BBQ Charcoal

If you are residing in the United Kingdom and if you are looking for lumpwood charcoal that is 100% natural and free from chemicals and additives Big K charcoals will be your best choice.  Big K BBQ charcoal company was started in 1965 from an immigrant called Theodoros Kleanthous from Cyprus who was a passionate cook.

But he found it very difficult to obtain good quality charcoal in the UK for his cooking.As charcoal is the most important element in Greek cooking, Theodoros imported 10 tonnes of charcoal from his home country Cyprus so he could add an authentic taste of home for his food.This simple idea  changed everything.

With the word spread on imported charcoal the local restaurant community and his friends came calling for proper charcoal.First he provided from his local stock and with growing demand he started importing more charcoal from Cyprus  and In 1965, Theodoros made things official, forming the company Kleanthous & Son.

After Theodoros his son Chris took over the company and in 1981 he rebranded the company as “Big K” .Now over three generations of family owned business Big K has built a strong relationship based on consistency and trust among their customers. They offer a wide range of charcoal related products for BBQing such as BBQ charcoal, logs, fire starters, BBQ grills and much more.

Their best selling product BBQ charcoal is guaranteed 90 minutes cooking time, quick to light, ready to cook within 30 minutes and since they are 100% natural they will burn cleanly. Big K charcoal always comes in a waterproof packing and will be ideal for home BBQ’s. Big K offers restaurant grade charcoal also called Dura which has a cooking time of 3 hours and for use in smoke control areas, burns with no smoke.

Teeparam Traders, a leading wholesaler and retailer in the United Kingdom offers our customers BIG K charcoal products to buy at ease. You can buy from their online supermarket or convenience store if you are a retailer or a wholesaler. We are an online supermarket offers great deals and bargains for their customers. Teeparam traders offer the most competitive prices and great customer service.