BBQ Cooking FAQs

For conventional charcoal grilling, wait until the charcoal is established, glowing and covered with a light grey layer of ash. Avoid cooking over the initial lighting flames. For kamados and smoking, follow your BBQ's instructions and stabilise the cooking temperature first.

Read our guide to lighting a charcoal BBQ.

On BBQs designed for lid-down cooking, closing the lid helps retain heat and suits roasting or indirect cooking. Open it when checking or turning food. Follow your model's instructions, and always open the cooking lid before lighting a gas BBQ.

A cooking grill gives food direct exposure to heat and creates grill marks. A griddle provides a solid surface suited to smaller pieces, sliced vegetables and delicate foods. Use accessories approved for your BBQ and avoid blocking ventilation or covering the entire cooking surface unless permitted.

Explore what you can cook on a BBQ griddle for more ideas.

Defrost meat in the fridge in a covered container that catches any juices, away from ready-to-eat food. Allow enough time for it to thaw completely. Cook within 24 hours of full defrosting. If using a microwave to defrost, cook the food immediately afterwards.

Only cook food from frozen if its packaging specifically permits the cooking method you plan to use. Otherwise, defrost it fully first. Frozen food can brown outside while remaining cold inside, so follow the instructions and check that it is thoroughly cooked.

No. Washing raw chicken, meat or fish can splash harmful bacteria onto hands, worktops and nearby food. Thorough cooking makes the food safe, rather than washing. Wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw meat or fish.

Use separate tongs, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food, or wash them thoroughly between uses. Never place cooked food onto an unwashed plate that held raw meat. Keep serving utensils separate from those used during raw food preparation.

Keep raw meat separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food. Prevent raw juices from dripping or splashing onto food that is ready to serve. Cook in separate batches or use clearly separated areas, with clean utensils and plates for serving.

Do not use marinade that has touched raw meat as a dipping sauce, dressing or finishing glaze. Set aside a separate clean portion before adding the meat. Keep marinating food covered in the fridge and discard the used marinade after cooking.

No. Do not eat or cook meat after its use-by date, even if it looks and smells normal. Harmful bacteria are not always detectable by smell. If you froze the meat before its use-by date, follow the defrosting and cooking instructions.

No. A lid thermometer measures temperature inside the BBQ near the gauge, rather than the centre of your food. Temperatures can also vary across the cooking area. Use a separate food thermometer to check whether meat is safely cooked.

Insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat, avoiding bone and large pockets of fat. Check more than one place on large joints and several pieces when cooking a batch. Clean the probe between checking undercooked food and food that is ready to serve.

A food thermometer is the most reliable check. Without one, cut into the thickest part of chicken, pork, burgers or sausages and check that it is steaming hot throughout, with no pink flesh. Chicken and pork juices should run clear. Colour alone is not a reliable safety test.

Cooking time depends on the food's thickness, starting temperature, BBQ heat and cooking method. Use a suitable recipe or packaging instructions as a guide, then check doneness before serving. Do not assume food is ready simply because the suggested cooking time has passed.

No. Meat can brown or burn before the centre is cooked. Move it to a gentler cooking area and continue cooking until it is safely cooked through. Check the centre with a food thermometer, particularly for thick burgers, sausages and bone-in chicken.

Choose the BBQ temperature to suit your recipe and cooking method. Higher heat suits quick searing, while gentler heat suits larger cuts and longer cooks. There is no single setting for every food. Always check internal food temperature separately from the BBQ temperature.

On a suitable multi-burner BBQ, heat the cooking chamber using one or more burners and place the food above an unlit burner. Close the lid and monitor the temperature. Follow your model's instructions for burner arrangements and suitable accessories.

On a suitable charcoal BBQ, arrange the lit charcoal on one side to create a hotter cooking area and leave the other side free of charcoal for indirect heat. Follow your manual. Ceramic kamados may require an approved heat deflector instead.

The heat may be too high, the food may be too close to the heat source, or sugary sauces may be scorching. Reduce the heat or move food to an indirect area. Apply sweet glazes towards the end and keep cooking until the centre is safely cooked.

Start with clean cooking grills and preheat them properly. Lightly oil the food where suitable and avoid moving it before the surface has browned. Use an appropriate spatula for delicate foods. Follow the care instructions for cast iron or coated cooking surfaces.

Our gas BBQ cleaning guide explains how to care for your cooking surfaces.

Use a food thermometer so you can stop cooking once the required safe temperature and holding time are achieved. Avoid unnecessarily high heat for thick cuts and use indirect cooking when suitable. Rest cooked meat briefly before serving, rather than leaving it on the heat.

Cook sausages over moderate heat and turn them regularly. Move them away from direct heat if the outside browns too quickly. Follow the packaging instructions and check that the centre is thoroughly cooked before serving. A browned skin does not confirm that the middle is ready.

At home, cook burgers thoroughly rather than serving them rare or pink. Mincing can spread bacteria throughout the meat, so searing the outside is not enough. Check the centre with a thermometer and reach 75°C for 30 seconds, or an equivalent safe combination.

An intact whole beef or lamb steak can be served pink inside if all outside surfaces are thoroughly seared. This does not apply to burgers, rolled joints, or meat that has been mechanically tenderised or injected. Follow the packaging instructions and cook thoroughly if unsure.

For cooking inspiration, read our guide to grilling steak.

Yes, if your BBQ is suitable for indirect cooking and the food fits safely beneath the lid. Follow a suitable recipe and use the correct accessories. Check several points in the thickest parts with a thermometer, especially for poultry, pork, rolled or stuffed joints.

Explore our kamado BBQs for another way to enjoy outdoor roasting.

Yes. Cook the chicken thoroughly in the oven, then transfer it straight to the BBQ for a final grilled finish. Do not partly cook chicken, leave it sitting around and finish it later. Use clean utensils when transferring fully cooked food.

Yes. Use clean, preheated cooking grills and a suitable fish grill rack or griddle for delicate fillets. Handle the fish gently and avoid repeated turning. Cook fish thoroughly according to the recipe or packaging instructions, and keep raw fish utensils separate from serving utensils.

Cut halloumi into substantial slices and cook on a clean, preheated grill or griddle, turning carefully once browned. Avoid leaving it on excessive heat for too long. Serve promptly and keep it separate from raw meat and any ingredients your guests need to avoid.

Use separate clean utensils and a clean, separate cooking surface, such as a suitable griddle or tray. Keep meat juices away from vegetarian or vegan food. Ask guests about their preferences and check ingredients, particularly in sauces, rubs and marinades.

Browse our BBQ accessories and check compatibility with your model.

Ask guests about allergies in advance and check every ingredient, including sauces, rubs, bread and marinades. Use thoroughly cleaned equipment and separate utensils to prevent allergen cross-contact. Heat does not reliably remove allergens. If you cannot prevent cross-contact, tell the guest rather than promising the food is safe.

Yes, with a suitable pizza stone or BBQ pizza oven approved for your model. Follow the accessory instructions for positioning, preheating and temperature. Keep toppings manageable so the base and toppings cook evenly. Use pre-cooked meat toppings unless your recipe specifically accounts for safely cooking them.

You can also explore our outdoor pizza ovens.

Apply sugary BBQ sauces and glazes towards the end of cooking so they are less likely to burn. Use a clean brush and a separate portion of sauce that has not touched raw meat. Continue checking that the food itself is safely cooked.

A compatible smoker box with suitable smoking wood can add smoky flavour on a gas BBQ. Check that your model permits this accessory and follow its instructions. Never scatter charcoal or loose wood over gas burners or use treated timber for smoking.

Low and slow cooking uses a steady, relatively low cooking temperature over a longer period, usually with indirect heat. It suits cuts such as pork shoulder and brisket. Use a suitable recipe and monitor both BBQ and food temperatures. Tenderness and food safety are separate checks.

A short rest can improve the eating quality of steaks and larger joints. Place thoroughly cooked meat on a clean plate or board and loosely cover if appropriate. Follow your recipe's resting time. Resting does not replace checking that the meat was safely cooked first.

A warming rack is useful for short periods, but it does not guarantee a safe holding temperature. Food being kept hot should remain at 63°C or above. Check with a food thermometer, keep raw juices away and serve promptly rather than leaving food on the rack indefinitely.

Divide leftovers into smaller portions so they cool quickly, then refrigerate within one to two hours. Store in clean, covered containers at 5°C or below. Do not leave food outside overnight. Discard food if you cannot be confident it was handled and stored safely.

Eat properly cooled and refrigerated leftovers within 48 hours, or freeze them promptly if suitable. Follow any shorter storage instructions for the food. Rice needs extra care and should be used within 24 hours of refrigeration. Only keep leftovers that were safely cooked and handled.

Yes, if it was safely cooked, cooled and stored. Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout, and check the centre rather than just the surface. Only reheat the amount you need. Reheating cannot make food safe if it was stored incorrectly.

Cool cooked rice as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour, and refrigerate it. Use it within 24 hours. If reheating, do so only once and make sure it is steaming hot throughout. Never leave rice sitting outside while waiting for the BBQ to finish.