The sun is set to shine again this weekend, and those lucky enough to have access to a garden are turning their minds to al-fresco dining. So we’ve gathered together our top five tips to help you pull off your weekend barbecue – everything from how to get the best out of your meat, to barbecue-friendly puddings.
1. Marinating

Marinating meat (and veg!) is a no-brainer when it comes to injecting flavour quickly and easily: using punchy spices, herbs, sugars and salts and letting them get to know the raw meat is minimal work for maximum reward. Ideally, you marinate quite far in advance, 12-24 hours depending on the marinade (that, for me, is part of its appeal; less frantic work just before I cook), but even if you forget and end up doing it half an hour before you grill while your barbecue is pre-heating, it’s still going to give bags more flavour than you would get without it.

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