Step Up Your BBQ Game This Summer With These 9 Barbie Hacks

What’s an Aussie summer without a good old barbecue with your mates? Whether you like to keep it classic with succulent barbecue snags, are hosting a vegetarian cookout or can’t resist a nice piece of fish on the grill, discover nine BBQ tips and tricks that will take your backyard grilling skills to the next level:

When you think of an onion, your mind probably doesn’t go straight to “cleaning tool.” Cooking staple, yes, tearjerker, yes, but cleaning tool, we’re going to say no. However, thanks to its acidity and antibacterial properties, this vegetable works wonders for loosening up grime or charred bits on your barbecue grill – an easy BBQ cleaning hack involving no chemicals or nasties!

Simply chop your onion in half, turn up the heat to high and, once your barbecue is hot enough, use your BBQ tongs to rub it along the grill.

End your barbecue on a sweet note by grilling your favourite fruits. Peach and pineapple are two commonly chosen fruits to throw on the BBQ, but why not get a bit more adventurous and try banana, mango or even watermelon? 

Just be sure to do this with fruit that isn’t completely ripe and to chop it into large chunks. The heat is going to caramelise the sugars and soften the fruit, and you don’t want your sweet treats to fall apart as they cook.

Grilling fish isn’t always as easy as it seems. The skin sticks to the grill easily, which means you lose a lot of its crispy goodness and probably end up spending longer than ideal cleaning up afterwards (unless you grab an onion from the kitchen, of course).

One easy BBQ tip that will help you avoid this is to line your grill with thin slices of lemon or orange and lay your fish on this citrusy bed. Not only with this keep your fish intact, but it will also infuse it with a smoky, yet refreshing flavour.

Too hungry to wait for your coals to heat up? Grab an empty cardboard egg carton, fill it with BBQ charcoal pieces and pop it in the middle of the barbie, before lighting it on fire.

This BBQ tip will speed up the coal-burning process without messing up the taste of your food, as you don’t need any lighter fluid that could otherwise ruin the smoky flavours. Just remember never to use Styrofoam cartons for this, as these can create toxic fumes when set on fire – a big no-no for any barbecue.

If you ever need to check your propane tank levels but don’t have a gauge with you, you’ll be happy to know that all you really need is a glass of water.

Super handy and simple, the hot water test is one of the best BBQ hacks. Start by pouring a cup of hot water down the side of your propane tank while it is off. Then, slide your hand down the tank and look for the area where it goes from feeling hot to colder. That’s your propane level!

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to flip a kebab skewer and watching as the meat twirls around... every-single-time. The good news is that there’s a quick fix to this problem. 

Skewers actually work best in pairs, as they can better secure the food in place, ensuring a well-balanced grill all around. While we’re talking about skewers, here’s an extra BBQ hack: soak your skewers in water for an hour or two before using them to prevent them from drying out or burning.

Aromatising your meat, fish or veggies with herbs is a no-brainer, but if you want to punch up the flavours, throw them on your BBQ charcoal as well. This will enhance the herby flavours and make the entire BBQ area smell delicious, and what better way to entice your guests’ appetite?

If you're using rosemary stalks, you can also turn them into skewers for a fragrant, woodsy flavour throughout.

No one likes a dry burger but you can easily keep your patties juicy and succulent by pressing a small ice cube into the centre of each raw burger before heating up the grill. As the barbie gets hot, the ice will melt and add some extra moisture to the patties.

You can do the exact same thing with a knob of butter, but remember that this will add fat to the burger. If you want to keep it healthy, ice is the way to go.

Your grill is a lot more versatile than you’d think and you can turn it into a DIY BBQ smoker in just a few steps. All you need is water, wood chips, a tin pan and tin foil. 

Start by putting pre-soaked wood chips in your tin pan, covering them with tin foil and poking a few holes to allow for ventilation. Then, light up your grill right under the wood chips and cook your food on the opposite side. The final product will be so authentically smoky your guests won’t believe you didn’t use a BBQ smoker!