As well as being a great excuse for getting your friends and family together, our favourite thing about having a barbecue has to be the BBQ food! The fresh summer salads, the delicious meats and cold tipples.
But with so many delicious options to choose from, both in the supermarket and online, deciding exactly what to spend your pennies on can be a hard decision. That's why we've pulled together the top products available to buy, whether you fancy bangers, burgers, all-in-one kits or veggie and vegan options. So get your bbq lit, and prepare your BBQ area for summer.
The best BBQ food
Burgers
TESTED
www.tesco.com
Lightly seasoned, and finely ground for succulence, these Tesco Fire Pit Quarter Pounder Beef Burgers are small and compact, making them ideal for those who want a bot of everything on their plate at a BBQ.
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www.iceland.co.uk
With the Iceland Luxury Aberdeen Angus XL Cheeseburgers you don't need to buy cheese separately as it's hidden inside! These burgers took about 15 minutes to cook through and they were very succulent and didn't shrink at all! As you can see from the photo below, they got some lovely grill marks whilst they were cooking.
groceries.asda.com
A classic steak burger is a must-have for any BBQ and these steak burgers won't disappoint your guests. Thick and juicy, they're great with a slice of cheese melting over them in a bun.
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groceries.aldi.co.uk
I make a lot of burgers at home (this is a smug way of saying I get some mince from the butchers, albeit a special blend, and smush it into hockey pucks) so anything off-the-shelf proclaiming to be "The Best Ever Burger" is going to raise suspicion.
That said, the mixture of chuck, brisket and bone marrow in these burgers suggested a rich and meaty flavour, which on the whole they largely delivered. After squashing them down quite a bit (they're really thick) I cooked them directly over the hottest briquettes with the lid on to quell flare-ups, on one side and then the other.
They caramelised really nicely on the outside and resisted drying out on the inside, and after being left to rest a few minutes were really tasty, although the meat has been quite finely minced so there wasn't much texture to it. I've had better burgers, but in terms of convenience and ease of cooking, these are easy to recommend.
Sausages
www.tesco.com
There's no skimping with the seasoning in these chorizo sausages. If anything, there might be a tad too much! The flavour is rich and indulgent and the fat content created lots of satisfying sizzling on the grill. Definitely best served with salad or vegetables to help mellow out the strong chorizo flavour. Fans of spice will love them, but those with more conservative palates might find them a little too overpowering.
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groceries.morrisons.com
These Heck Sweet Chilli Chicken Chipolatas are chewy and sweet, with a hint of warmth from the chilli. I liked that they are small, as they're perfect for adding to sandwiches, buns or salads, plus there's 10 in a pack.
They are gluten-free, low in fat but high in protein, which is a bonus!
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groceries.morrisons.com
These Morrisons The Best Thick Pork & Bramley Apple Sausages are a great addition to any BBQ, as the sweetness from the blossom honey and apple pulls through and goes slightly caramelised. I sometimes find sausages a bit heavy with a BBQ but I had two of these! I also enjoyed them with mash potato, gravy and veg too.
Chicken
TESTED
www.iceland.co.uk
You can't beat a classic BBQ drumstick and these Iceland ones are brilliant. It's a large 1kg packet, so there's enough to go round, plus there's lots of meat on the bone and the skin goes nice and charred.
TESTED
www.sainsburys.co.uk
This summery flavours makes a refreshing change to all the usual marinated chicken flavours. I eat these marinated Sainsbury's Mango, Coconut & Chilli British Chicken Breast Fillets regularly and they cook up lovely on a BBQ. I highly recommend enjoying them with some salad and coleslaw!
TESTED
www.sainsburys.co.uk
This spatch-cock poussin is sourced from approved farms in France and are a special breed that's naturally slow growing so you get meat that's young and tender yet thoroughly flavourful. 'Spatchcock' means the bird has been cut along the spine and spread flat for fast and even cooking.
The flavour from the marinade is delicious, we simply served it straight from the BBQ with a side salad and both of us cleared our plates! The perfect size for two for dinner, I'll definitely be buying these again.
Kebabs
Morrison's The Best Gourmet Collection Queen Lamb Kebab Coronation Dressing
These giant lamb koftas are infused with chilli and cumin and finished with a deliciously fruity coronation dressing.
We say: "A nod to this years Jubilee celebrations these huge kebabs are dubbed 'Queen lamb kebabs' - they're a generous size perfect for sharing at street parties. The coronation dip is lovely and fruity and goes great with the slightly spicy koftas."
T Firepit Chilli & Lime Salmon Kebabs
These kebabs consist of skinless salmon strips smothered in a sweet chilli and lime flavour marinade. They have a nice amount of heat with great flavouring and are really tender. Would be great to see these all year round.
<br>Steak
Big Daddy Sirloin Steak
When you think of Iceland you think of frozen food, so it was a lovely surprise to get a fresh steak, not to mention one as tempting as this! This is a real treat to fire up the BBQ for and it's enough to split between two, sliced finely alongside salad and some other summery sides. We're normally rump fans, but this sirloin was absolutely delicious.
Morrison's The Best Gourmet Collection British Beef Aged Rump Cap
Dry aged for exceptional tenderness and a rich, meaty flavour, our succulent and perfectly seasoned rump cap is designed to help you recreate the barbecue grill house experience at home.
We say: "This is absolutely delicious, the rub gives the meat a gorgeous smokey flavour. We actually cooked this in the oven, but it tasted like it had been on the BBQ. The slow part of the prep has been done for you so it takes just over 30 minutes to cook which is brilliant. We served it on top of couscous with roasted vegetables and both had seconds."
Tesco Finest Smoky Miso Style Flat Iron Steak
Instead of your regular rump, we recommend swapping to these flat iron beef steaks instead! Smothered with a smoky glaze, they come with a citrus miso dressing to add in the final few minutes of cooking. This flavour made a really nice change to the usual barbecue marinade options and the steaks cooked really well on the bbq.
<meta charset="utf-8">Vegan and Vegetarian food BBQ food
Future Farm Plant Based Burger
Future Farm combines soy, pea and chickpea for a thick and juicy, plant-based patty. A very realistic appearance taste and texture, chunky, juicy and delicious.
Future Farm Plant Based Sausage
These plant-based sausages combine soy, pea and chickpea for some brilliant bangers that don't harm the planet. We could not tell that these were not pork sausages. Totally convincing, we were really impressed.
The Meatless Farm 6 Plant-Based Sausages
These vegan sausages are made using a mix of pea protein and the finest plant-based ingredients.We say: These sausages are great texture and appearance. However, their flavour was really more-ish. They do not try to mimic meat flavours but taste really excellent, and great made into kebabs and barbecued.
Heck Meat Free Vegan Italia Sausages
These Vegan Chipolatas combine tomato, vegan mozzarella-style cheese, basil and garlic seasoning.We say: 'A tasty sausage with a hint of basil and tomato one of the more flavourful ones we have tried.'
Heck Meat Free Vegan Chipolatas
Made using pea protein and tasty seasoning, these are super high in protein despite being meat-free. We say: 'These will please even the meat lovers at the dining table and taste very similar to real Richmond sausages.'
Moving Mountains 1/4lb Plant-Based Burgers
Packed with plant protein and an irresistible juiciness, this succulent burger will satisfy those meaty cravings and fool even the most committed carnivores. We say: 'These are truly just like the real deal, and even the 'meat' juices taste delicious.'
Heura Chorizo Burger
If you love chorizo but want to cut down on meat then this burger is for you. It's full of protein, high in iron and fibre levels, low in saturated fat and an excellent source of Vitamin B12. We say: 'We love some real chorizo, but we must say this vegan alternative is delicious and almost tastes just as good as the real thing - we'll definitely be buying it again!'
Heck Vegan Italia Burgers 228G
These burgers high in protein, high in fibre and also low fat, plus, they are soya & gluten free! They're full of tasty flavours including beans, vegan cheese, tomato, basil and garlic for the perfect Italian flavour combination. We say: We must say we loved these burgers. Not only were they very tasty and full of delicious Italian flavours, they left us feeling full for a long time, so it's big tick from us."
Heck Vegan Breakfast x6 255gHeck Vegan Breakfast x6 255gHeck Vegan Breakfast x6 255gHeck Vegan Breakfast x6 255g Heck Vegan Breakfast x6 255g
So they might not exactly be classed as BBQ food, but these breakfast sausages are perfect for the morning after your big barbecue celebration. They're made with all the breakfast favourites including mushrooms and tomatoes plus carrots, parsley and sage. We say: 'These sausages are the perfect vegan sausage for your full English. Full of flavour, they're delicious dipped into some tomato ketchup or in a breakfast sandwich.'
<meta charset="utf-8">The all in one kits
MuslceFood Essential BBQ Meat Selection
This bargain meat hamper will feed six people and is packed full of BBQ favourites including Cumberland sausages, free-range steak burgers, chicken drumsticks, chicken steaks, extra lean chicken burgers, jumbo hot dogs and diced chicken breast in a Piri Piri marinade. While the quality of the meat is certainly up there, we would have perhaps preferred less choice and a higher quantity as for our party of six, not everyone was able to try the likes of the steak burgers of which there were only four.
Sticky BBQ box
Famous for its award-winning gluten-free sausages, The Black Farmer (founded by Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones) now stocks an array of BBQ food boxes. One of Wilfred’s personal favourites, The Sticky BBQ Box includes Ribeye Eye Steak, Free Range Chicken Wings, Pork Ribs and more, all smothered in a delicious marinade. We were really pleased with our box, you could tell the meat was high-quality and we loved how well the sauce came through the meat once it had been cooked. Due to the mixed quantities, we found that the box could easily be split to comfortably feed two across a couple of meals.
44 foods BBQ bundle
44Foods are the producers of high quality, fresh produce which is all ethically sourced, sustainable and delivered to your door from a host of amazing produce partners. Available as a 20 piece bundle, 40 piece and even as a gluten free version. We tried out the 20 piece bundle, which came with burgers, sausages, ribs, chicken kebabs and two rump steaks, as well as burger buns and rolls which do come at an additional charge: "The meat and buns were both gorgeous. Really great quality and arrived fresh but with long use-by dates so we didn't feel pressured to eat it all at once. We didn't even end up having to freeze any. The steaks were definitely a favourite, and the marinade on the chicken kebabs was delicious."
Wild and Game BBQ Pack
We're big fans of game, but it can be hard to find sometimes in supermarkets or even at the local butcher, so the idea of having a whole box of it delivered was really exciting. Everything arrives frozen so there's no panic about having to eat it all at once. It was fun to try new flavours and have something a little more exciting than the usual beef or chicken. The game box would be great for those who want to try out game in a more 'familiar' way and the venison sausages particularly were delicious. You also get a whole load of recipe cards for seasonal dishes throughout the year and we'll definitely be cooking with game more from now on!'
Falleninch Farm BBQ Pack
If you're not lucky enough to live near your own butchers, this is a fantastic option for buying meat that will be delivered to your front door. Perfect for a family of four or a group of friends, the portion sizes are generous and there really is everything you could need for a barbecue. We couldn't fault the taste, you can instantly taste how high quality the meat is and the burgers and steaks were particular favourites. We liked that the pack included glaze sachets too, offering you the chance to add some flavour to the chicken."
Bbq meat box mixed grill
There was a lot to love about this BBQ box! The Steak & Bone marrow burgers were very impressive. They had the perfect thickness so they didn't take long to cook. There was very little fat dripping from them which shows there is high-quality meat in them. The texture was soft and juicy with plenty of flavour and we didn't feel bloated after eating them. The Nidderdale sausages had a nice herby flavour, with a soft texture on the inside and crisp on the outside. They didn't shrink when cooking and were easy to cook without burning. Despite not being that spicy, the Peri Peri Beef Flank Steaks were loaded with flavour with a nice juicy texture and minimal fat. They took a little longer to cook than usual as they are quite thick. We found 5 minutes on each side gave a nice medium-rare, which usually takes 2-3 minutes on each side.
Marinades and sauces
Green Chilli Sauce
Also available via 44Foods is this zingy and fresh green chilli sauce. If you're a fan of spice but don't want your head blown off, this is the chilli sauce for you. Made with jalapeño chilli and finished with a splash of apple sours. Great with lamb, plain yoghurt as a dip or with oil as a salad dressing.
"Tried this alongside a bowl of chilli and it was amazing, honestly I was blown away by the flavour hit that this added, without being overwhelming. It's got a nice bit of heat and spice, but it's so fresh and green - you can tell its been made with fresh ingredients."
Oxo Spicy Mexican rub
Rub into steaks, chicken for fajitas, veg or sprinkle over potato wedges for an extra kick.
Oxo Smoky BBQ marinade
Simply pour over your meat and leave to marinate for 10 minutes before cooking, grilling, or placing on your BBQ.
Check out what BBQ food ASDA has on offer.
Post-BBQ desserts
TESTED
www.ocado.com
Refreshing with a warm, cinnamon kick, this Ben & Jerry's Spectacu-love Ice Cream Tub is a delicious treat to cool down with after a big BBQ. The combination of crunchy cookies and smooth swirls makes for the perfect sensory treat.