A successful grill party starts with having the right grill and fuel for your outdoor cooking aspirations. Master how to start a BBQ and keep it burning as long as you need to, which suggests you should have an idea of your grilling menu. This guide takes you through all these steps, and then details food and grilling safety, and the grilling accessories you should have on hand.
How to BBQ: a Step-by-Step Guide to the Grilling Process
- Choosing a grill and fuel: gas, charcoal or electric, and adding a smoke box for flavour.
- Essential accessories for grilling success: everything from tongs and meat forks to charcoal chimneys.
- Preparing a grilling menu: meats and vegetarian selections, sides, and desserts.
- Care and safety while grilling: tips and techniques to ensure your grill party goes off without a hitch.
Choosing Grilling Equipment: Grills and Fuel
Your choice of grills depends on several factors, not the least of which are your grilling aspirations. If you have a decent-sized yard and intend to host large grilling parties, you'll need a grill with a big cooking surface and lots of staying power.
Conversely, if it's just you and your partner dining on a tiny patio, a smaller unit would suffice. In all cases, your budget will be the final decision-maker. But regardless of your circumstances, you have three types of grills to choose from:
gas
charcoal
electric
Each comes in a variety of styles and can cook in different ways, including smoking and searing. They also come in a variety of sizes, and with a range of price tags1. As grills are durable and a properly cared-for one can last for years, you should consider every aspect of grills before settling on your preferred model.
How to Start a BBQ
Often, a grill's ease of use helps decide what type of grill to invest in. Arguably, one of the biggest barriers to grilling is the ability to light the grill and keep it going. If that's one of your worries, rest assured that it's not such a large challenge.
If you have an electric grill, plugging it in and setting it to the desired temperature is all it takes. For a gas grill, you only need to open the gas regulator valve and push the ignition button on the front of the grill while turning the knob, much as you would for your kitchen hob.
How to Light a Charcoal BBQ
Barbecue purists insist that cooking over charcoal is the only true BBQ2. If you count yourself among those numbers, grill lighting is an essential skill to master. The traditional way involves piling coals in the middle of the grill and dousing them in lighter fluid, opening the bottom and top vents, and tossing in a match.
It takes about 15 minutes for your coals to develop a white, ashy coating.
Wait until they're covered in ash and glowing red to begin grilling.
Many grills come with thermometers built into their lids, and some chefs rely on that temperature gauge to calculate grill readiness. However, thermometers aren't necessarily reliable guides; this method is far more trustworthy.
The Hand Test
This test involves holding your hand about 5 inches above your grill rack, over the fire or coals, and counting the seconds before you have to pull it away. It gives you an idea of your grill's radiant heat, the type of heat that cooks the food.
This chart outlines the approximate temperatures for various time increments. It also shows what you can safely cook at that temperature.
| ⌚ Time | 🔥 Approximate temperature (Celsius) | 🏆 Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 seconds | 230 to 340 degrees | searing tuna grilling chops and steaks |
| 3 to 4 seconds | 190 to 232 degrees | fish burgers vegetables |
| 5 to 7 seconds | 160 to 190 degrees | pork chicken sausages |
| 8 to 10 seconds | 100 to 160 degrees | ribs roasts briskets |
BBQ Equipment: Accessories to Make Grilling Easier
These days, grill speciality stores feature aisles of tools to make your grilling experience as effortless as possible. Most of them would be nice to have, but the list of accessories you actually need is quite short. And one of them is a must-have if you cook over charcoal.
By far, the easiest way is to use a charcoal chimney.
A charcoal chimney gives you a safer, more efficient way to light your fuel, and it helps cut down on fuel waste by ensuring every briquette catches. This short clip demonstrates proper use of these chimneys and, as a bonus, also shows how to create a heat zone!
Smoke Boxes
Gas grills have a lot going for them, but the one thing they lack is flavour. See, charcoal is nothing more than the carbon-rich residue of wood burnt at high temperatures.
So, cooking over coal gives you a range of flavours to accent your foods with, from hearty mesquite to sweet, light apple wood.
By contrast, gas is deliberately odourless and flavourless. So many grillers invest in a smoke box or two. These are typically small, stainless steel boxes with vents on all sides. You place wood chips into the box, light them, and set the box on your grill.
Within 15 minutes, you'll have the tantalising aroma of a wood-fired grill, a flavour that will imbue everything you grill. If you have a gas grill - and even if you have a charcoal grill but wish to enhance flavours as you cook, a smoke box is an accessory to have. Otherwise, standard barbecue accessories such as these should feature on your BBQ shopping list.
| 🔥 BBQ accessory | 🔎 Purpose | 💳 Average cost |
|---|---|---|
| tongs meat fork spatula | to handle food while on the grill | £24-45 |
| sauce brush | to slather sauces on while the food grills | £10-15 |
| long-arm heat resistant gloves | to protect against burns | £10-16 |
| meat thermometer | prevent foodborne illnesses | £6-50; more for higher-end digital devices. |
| chimney starter (for charcoal grills) | light coals quickly without lighter fluid residue | £22-35 |
| cast iron pans grill plates | to diversify cooking options | £45-70 |
| smoker box wood chips | change your flavour profile with different types of wood. | £3.50-36 |
| grill mat | cook smaller foods (vegetables, shrimp, etc), without them falling through the grill | £9.50-15 |
| grease trays drip pans | help keep grill clean reduce the risk of fire | £8-15 |
| grill brushes | to scrape the grill clean while cooking and after a grilling session. | £15-22.50 |
| fire extinguisher | for safety's sake! | £15-45 |
Planning Your Menu: Main Dishes, Sides, and Desserts
Even the most experienced chefs are on a perpetual search for the best recipes to enhance their culinary repertoire3. But sometimes, cooking even the simplest foods on the grill can pose a challenge.
That depends on the type of grill and the flavour you want this meat to have.
Chicken breasts do not have much fat on them. So basting them with oil or butter will give them the coating they need to remain moist and come off the grill a delectable golden brown. Otherwise, you can wrap them and their coat of butter in aluminium foil before grilling to preserve tenderness and moisture.
Grilling vegetables also creates challenges for budding grillmasters. Their texture is much more fragile than meat, so you must take extra care when grilling them. Using a grill mat or a cast iron plate helps prevent scorching. You can also use the temperature zone technique to grill veg over low heat.
Charcoal grills: push all the coals to one side of the grill.
Gas grills: turn off a burner on one of the grill's sides.
Creating these zones allows you to regulate your grill's temperature better, which, in turn, expands the range of foods you can grill. It also defines how you grill your food.
1. Wash and dry the cobs; place them on the grill's low-temp side. Brush with butter, turn often.
2. Wash and dry the cobs; place each one on aluminium foil. Butter, salt and pepper to taste, wrap tightly, and place on the grill's high-temp side.
Making Desserts on the Grill
Traditional BBQ desserts range from chilled fruit salad to cake and ice cream, either store-bought or made hours before. But did you know you could make delectable desserts on the grill without ever having to leave your party?
We're not just talking roasted marshmallows here, though they are much loved. Glazed peaches and pineapples, fruit kebabs, and even cheesecakes and brownies. You can make all of these on the grill, too.
Grill Safety and Care
Grill safety covers everything from placing your outdoor cooking station away from anything flammable to avoiding foodborne illnesses from undercooked meats. The UK Food Standards Agency offers guidelines for outdoor food preparation and safety.
They range from safe internal temperatures of meats to avoiding bacterial infections. As a beginner griller, you should keep their page on speed-dial, as it were, so you can return to it as needed.
On a more pragmatic level, now. You hardly need to be reminded that grills get hot and pose a grave danger to pets and small children.
Your grill is the centre of your backyard event, and it gives off yummy smells, so it's natural that they would gravitate there. Always keep your eye on the grill to ensure everyone's safety.
NEVER spray charcoal lighter fluid on already-burning coals!
In films, we often see people squirting charcoal lighter fluid on coals just as the flames die down. Those suddenly leaping flames make for great cinema, but, in fact, that's a dangerous practice. You never know where the fluid will land, but you can be sure that the fire will follow.
Besides, doing so is counter-productive: if your coals have already caught, dousing them again will cause you to wait longer to start grilling.
How to Clean a BBQ
Keeping your grill clean and well-maintained is the best way to ensure years of service4. It's also the best way to make sure you're ready to grill at a moment's notice. Whether yours is a charcoal or gas grill, these are the steps to take.
After each grilling session
- wait until the grill is warm to the touch.
- scrub grill racks with an aluminium foil ball, a grill stone, or a scraper to remove stuck-on food bits
- rub racks with heat-resistant oil
- charcoal grills: empty ash collector
- gas grill: empty grease tray
A couple of times per season
- soak the grill racks in a vinegar-baking soda solution
- scrape the grill chamber to remove residue
Besides this routine care, you should cover your grill with a UV-protecting, waterproof cover when not in use. Protecting your investment like that, along with the grilling tips and techniques in this article, will ensure that you enjoy many years of summer barbecue fun with the least hazard and expense.
References
- McFarlane, Jenny, et al. “I’ve Selected the Best BBQs to Level up Your Summer Grilling, Tried and Tested in Real Gardens.” Ideal Home, 24 June 2022, www.idealhome.co.uk/buying-guide-reviews/best-bbqs-199688. Accessed 24 May 2026.
- Phyland, Isaac. “What’s the Best Charcoal to Use? A Guide for BBQ Lovers Who Want to Level Up.” Wattle & Flame, 27 June 2025, wattleandflame.com.au/blogs/the-charcoal-journal/what-s-the-best-charcoal-to-use-a-guide-for-bbq-lovers-who-want-to-level-up. Accessed 24 May 2026.
- “BBQ Recipes.” Great British Chefs, 2026, www.greatbritishchefs.com/collections/barbecue-recipes. Accessed 24 May 2026.
- “How to Keep Your Grill Clean.” Serious Eats, 2025, www.seriouseats.com/how-to-clean-your-grill-barbecue-oiling-thegrate-charcoal. Accessed 24 May 2026.
Summarise with AI:
Did you like this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
