Grill Masters Guide to the Ultimate Summer BBQ
BBQs are one of the best things about getting a glorious summer's day in the UK, and with them being very unpredictable, it's only right to make the most by inviting your friends or family around to enjoy great food outside.
At Fresh Meat Packs, we love this time of year as we get to hear about all the wonderful ways our customers prepare our various meats and the amazing dishes they've enjoyed as a result. Read on to explore our BBQ meat guide and be known as the grill master to your friends and family this summer.
Oriental Salt and Pepper Grilled Chicken Wings
Chicken is a great choice for a BBQ event, but many people are put off due to the extended time this meat requires compared to other, quicker meats. Trust us; the wait is worth it. Choose standout options like our marinated chicken wings, which will certainly make your BBQ memorable this summer.
Preparation: Embrace Pre-Marinaded Chicken
To get the best flavour from your chicken wings, you need to marinade them. We offer a selection of high-quality wings already marinated in various cultural seasonings, so you can choose between Chinese, hot and spicy, or smokey BBQ and get cooking immediately. For this BBQ recipe, we recommend Oriental salt and pepper as a great starting point that will save you a lot of time marinading your wings; these are chosen when ordering your selection through our website, so make sure to pick the right option. We marinade our wings in the finest mix of spices and let them sit for many hours in an appropriately refrigerated environment to guarantee that flavour is present in every bite.
How to Best Cook Chicken on a Grill?
Generally, wings will take roughly 20 minutes to cook when using a covered gas grill with a direct medium to high heat of 425°F or 220°C. It is vital that you properly preheat your grill; the time until they are cooked will vary drastically otherwise, and even when preheated, the time will be slightly different depending on the size of the wings.
Rotate or flip the wings on the grill every 3 – 5 minutes to create a consistent charing, prevent burning and ensure they are cooked all the way through. The signs of properly cooked grilled chicken are crisped skin with some good char, and if you cut a test piece open, you should see a consistent pale colouring that indicates it's cooked all the way through. However, we highly recommend using a meat thermometer to detect the required 165°F or 74°C.
BBQ Chicken Serving Recommendations
You can't go wrong with BBQ sauce when serving grilled chicken, but we feel there are other options that people are missing out on, such as tzatziki, which is a cool Greek yoghurt mixed with cucumber sauce. But with the oriental origin of the marinade, soy chicken sauce is a good choice, too. Serve your cooked wings with a nice salad of mixed leaves to create the perfect BBQ chicken meal for your guests.
Greek-Style Lamb and Mint Koftas
Koftas are an increasingly popular dish from the Mediterranean region that is becoming a growing favourite for creating unique BBQ experiences. As part of our extensive selection of online BBQ meat packs, we make sure to include some exciting variety with items like these 8-pack freshly made lambs and minted kofta kebabs, perfect for any outdoor eating experience.
Preparation: Choose Pre-Minted Lamb Koftas
Choosing our pre-minted koftas will improve your BBQ experience by making it streamlined and simple. Our koftas come perfectly seasoned with fresh lamb mince and a delightful kofta seasoning, all coated in a refreshing garden mint glaze.
They are ready to go straight from the package to the grill, and they save you the time and effort of mixing and seasoning the meat yourself. Additionally, their suitability for freezing means you can always have a tasty BBQ option on hand, ready to impress your guests without any hassle.
How to Grill Your Koftas Outside
Check if your grill grates are clean before lightly oiling them to prevent your koftas from sticking when cooking. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and allow the grill 10 minutes to get up to the target heat of 400°F or 200°C.
Our packs come already skewed, which makes them easy to cook and eat, but be aware that the skewers we provide are wooden and should not be overly exposed to the flames of your grill as they will combust.
Turn your koftas every 4 minutes to create consistency and even cook at an internal temperature of 65°C. You can always test one to check if they are cooked all the way through, but be careful not to taste too much and leave none for your guests! A meat thermometer is the best way to make sure, but do not use the same one on two different types of meat without thoroughly cleaning it. The target temperature reading should be 160°F or 71°C
Kofta Serving Recommendations
Once they are cooked, let them rest for 3-5 minutes before serving to let them settle. This gives you time to assemble a plate with soft flatbreads and a green salad with optional mint yoghurt dip like raita or tzatziki.
BBQ Meat Packs Available Online at Fresh Meat Packs
At Fresh Meat Packs, we have many years of experience as online butches for UK families, providing the best meats for their BBQs every time. Explore our varied range of fresh meat packs across our online store, or if you are having trouble choosing, contact us today, and we'll help you find the perfect choices for that summer BBQ party you've got planned.