This is the best barbecue tip during hot days like now.

It’s another very hot day and we suspect many more to come. In other words; perfect weather for the barbecue. The best barbecue advice during a heat wave is simple: no meat. Apart from that, we share a series of tips and alternatives, where we also think about carnivores.

With this weather we think it is permissible to smuggle an hour of work time to enjoy a barbecue with friends and family. And lighting the barbecue at night is a great idea. We have some tips to make the moment even better.

barbecue in the heat

This is an ideal day (and season) to hang out in the garden, listen to music, and have a cold beer or cocktail. Then the barbecue should not be missing. Let’s start with the most practical barbecue tip during a heat wave. You just have to give it a try.

The advice of the barbecue during the heat: neither meat nor fish

Barbecue is still often associated with meat or fish. However, we eat more and more grilled vegetables. Research showed that 70 percent of us find barbecue vegetables a great alternative or supplement. Vegetables like mushrooms (or portobello mushrooms), bell peppers and certainly cauliflower too are very tasty to grill.

In addition to being tasty, it is healthier. Dutch barbecue is usually filled with sausages, burgers and bacon. In many cases, these meats are not the healthiest and highest in calories.

But the most important thing during a heat wave is, of course, that meat and fish spoil quickly at these temperatures. Plus, meat is highly digestible, so your body gets cold less quickly at night. And, also important: less meat means less wasps.

alternatives to meat

Fortunately, the time when vegetarian meat alternatives tasted like cardboard is over. In fact, many ‘carnivores’ today don’t even realize it’s not meat. This certainly applies to the products you cook on the grill. So you know even more legal.

So be sure to try things like The Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat Burger, Veggie Chicken Nuggets, and Sausages. Find the right variants and chances are your visitors won’t realize it’s not meat. Even this connoisseur had some difficulty figuring out which burger is ‘real’.

Is it still meat?

If you still want to eat meat, fish or chicken, we usually recommend taking them out of the fridge beforehand. If the product is done around 18 degrees (room temperature), the chance of it being overcooked, but still raw on the inside, is much less. It can take some getting used to, because meat, chicken or fish cook much faster. So you have to keep a close eye on your barbecue. If you’re already used to it: during a heat wave, the meat product reaches room temperature much faster.

It is also not advisable to put the dishes out too quickly. It looks good for guests, but especially with chicken and fish, the chance of spoilage is much higher. Especially during a heat wave. So not in the fridge and not outside. Unless you think it’s funny when your guests spontaneously run to the bathroom.

Invest in a good barbecue

Of course, you can have a barbecue on an aluminum tray in the park (we do not recommend overturned shopping carts, dear students). Or you score one at an Aldi or a hardware store. But it is worth investing in a good grill. Thanks to Green Egg, for example, you have more control over the preparation of meals. They aren’t cheap, but there are countless affordable and comparable variants.

If you really want to take it seriously, then there’s the smoker grill. Aside from the fact that you ‘just’ barbecue on it, there is a separate compartment where you put wet firewood, and the choice of firewood influences the taste.

It is an ideal grill if you want to make smoked fish or ribs, for example. The only catch: sometimes that smoking thing can take you a day.

No flames in your barbecue

This last tip is a skeptic. Basically, you don’t want a flaming grill. Some people think this makes barbecue faster, but you’re more likely to eat charred chicken or corn that isn’t cooked yet.

However, there is an exception that is used by master barbecues: singed. That means something like, for example, you put a steak or sausage on the side of the barbecue without flames. Then let the meat bake or cook and very briefly put it over the flames. For example, you get one strange steak, with a charred abroad. Most likely it won’t work, but this technique is worth experimenting with.

Oh, and a quick BBQ tip within these tips: get a lemon to clean your grill grate from time to time. So your vegetables will not taste like fish and meat, or vice versa. Enjoy this very hot day today, but above all enjoy the food and the company during your barbecue.

No alcohol during a heat wave

Don’t want to drink alcohol during a heat wave? Check out these mocktails, which usually help you get through a dry January.