Step 1: How to plan the perfect BBQ, from shopping lists to timelines and recipe ideas

If planning a BBQ has you breaking out in a cold sweat, we’re here to help. Here’s our timeline that helps you know exactly when to do what. If you are unsure about when to bring the meat to room temperature or when to prep the salads, this timeline provides all the answers. 

Passionate epicureans know: the most important thing is the ingredients. This also applies to what goes onto the grill. Take your time, put a menu together and be sure to double check your store cupboards before you write your shopping list.

Do you experiment with ingredients when you’re grilling vegetables, like cauliflower with a fresh tomato salsa, or radicchio with honey? Or artichokes, tofu or grilled baby lettuce salad? There’s no trick to it – just use your imagination! We recommend grilling vegetables in a packet made with aluminum foil. This is the perfect way to cook chopped vegetables, whose juices will form a delicious gravy whilst cooking. After grilling, we’ll add some fresh herbs and aged mountain cheese for flavor.

Our shopping list for two:

• 1 romano pepper
• 1 small eggplant
• 1 red onion
• 1 small zucchini
• garlic
• mixed herbs
• mature mountain cheese

To dress the vegetables, you need a bit of olive oil and rock salt. In terms of herbs we recommend things like parsley, chervil, dill and basil.

Marinades are an important part of your planning and pre-prep, since they add flavor to your dishes. Meat can be marinated the night before so that the flavors can be well absorbed. Add the marinade to your veggies just before grilling. The base of a marinade is good olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Everything else is a matter of taste. If you are unfamiliar with juggling ingredients in the kitchen, try a slow approach. Choose just a few ingredients; too many different flavors can quickly clash with each other. Play around with ideas and see what you like. If you want to save a bit of time, avoid marinades and just season your food before grilling it.

Ingredients:
Garlic, wholegrain mustard, olive oil, cane sugar, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and lavender flowers

Preparation:
Peel and finely chop the garlic, wash and finely chop the herbs, add the remaining ingredients and season with some freshly ground pepper before marinating your steaks.

Ingredients:
Olive oil, thyme, fresh chilis, sea salt and coarse pepper, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:
Cut the chilis lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into very thin strips. Remove the thyme leaves from the stalks. Add the chili, thyme, sea salt and pepper to the olive oil, mix well and brush the spare ribs with the marinade. Just before grilling, mix the maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce, to make a glaze which will then be brushed on to the spare ribs.

Ingredients:
Lime juice and zest, kaffir lime leaves, cane sugar, wholegrain mustard, thyme, chili, pink pepper

Preparation:
Zest the lime into fine strips, squeeze the lime and mix the juice well with the zest. Finely chop the kaffir lime leaves and the thyme. Remove the seeds from the chilies and cut into very fine strips, add the remaining ingredients, mix and let stand briefly. Add some fleur de sel before covering the fish with the marinade.

Side salads or sauces can make or break a meal, but it doesn’t have to be complicated to succeed. Butter leaf lettuce with a simple oil and vinegar marinade or colorful salads with small fruit pearls – pretty much anything goes. A splash of citrus here and there, fresh herbs, flower blossom syrups or even edible blossoms provide deliciously stylish surprises. Unusual toppings or sauces can help take your grilled meat or fish to the next level.

Ingredients:
Olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey, fresh ginger, pepper, sesame seeds, arugula leaves and a mango

Preparation:
Roast sesame seeds in a pan without fat. Finely grate the ginger. Blend olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey and pepper until creamy and add the ginger. Let stand for a while. Wash the arugula, dab with kitchen paper and place in a salad bowl. Peel the mango, remove the core and cut the flesh into small cubes. Mix with the arugula, add the dressing and toss well. Garnish with the roasted sesame seeds before serving. Pairs well with meat dishes.

Timing:
Prepare the salad one hour before grilling: just before serving, whisk the dressing again and add it to the salad; garnish with the sesame seeds.

Ingredients:
Jalapeños, blue cheese, cream cheese, pear, salt, pepper

Preparation:
Halve the jalapeños lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and membranes. Peel a quarter of the pear and cut into fine cubes. Crumble 2/3 of the blue cheese and mix with 1/3 cream cheese. Add the pear cubes and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the jalapeños with the cream cheese. Grill over indirect heat for about 15 minutes. Pairs well with meat of all kinds.

Timing:
Can be prepared in advance and added to the grill 15 minutes before meal time.

Ingredients:
Limes, fennel seeds, fresh chili to taste

Preparation:
Zest the lime. Dry roast the fennel seeds in a pan, toss from time to time and reduce the heat as soon as the aroma of the seeds is released. Cut the chilies into wafer-thin strips and sauté briefly in the pan with a little olive oil. Ideal as a garnish for fish.

Timing:
Prepare the zest, chilis and fennel seeds just before serving. Garnish the fish with them after grilling.