When the summer months come around, I love having a few simple meal ideas ready for when it’s time to start up the BBQ. If you’re in Australia I couldn’t recommend Barbecues Galore more. I’ve been buying from them since I first moved to Australia and I use my Turbo Elite BBQ every single week of the year. The service we’ve received has been second to none whether it was arranging delivery or helping us to change from propane to natural gas.
One call or a visit to the store and the problem was sorted. (If you don’t yet have a BBQ, you can explore a range of them here: http://www.barbequesgalore.com.au. Ours is getting on in years so maybe I should join you.) We even invited the folks from Barbecues Galore to our wedding, that’s how much we thought of them. (and yes, I’ll admit, we did buy a lot of stuff from them.)
Barbequing is fun and relaxing, and it’s a great way to bring the family together for a meal. If you’re looking for a little inspiration on just what to cook at your next BBQ, here are three simple meals you can make for (and with!) the family. Okay, pickles might not be a ‘whole’ meal but try them.
Grilled Pickles.
These pickles ARE something a little different. I love moving away from the same thing every day and it’s great when you can get creative with side dishes. Grilled pickles are likely something you haven’t yet tried, but are easy to make on the BBQ.
- 1 large Lebanese cucumber sliced into medium sized wedges
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped (1 teaspoon dried)
- 4 tablespoons cider vinegar (or any vinegar that you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the bbq.
- While the bbq is heating, mix the dill, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Place the cucumber wedges on the bbq and grill until you have good grill marks on both sides. They take 5-10 minutes to cook and don't worry about burning.
- When the cucumber wedges are grilled add them to the vinegar mixture and marinate for 15 minutes. Before serving, strain away excess liquid.
1. Beef Skewers – Kebabs
Skewers are great for families who have kids, as it allows them to participate in the cooking process and create their own killer skewer combinations. More importantly, kids will ALWAYS eat food on a stick. Kids of all ages.
- ½ kilogram of beef cut into 2½ cm cubes (1-inch)
- 1 capsicum (green pepper)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tin pineapple chunks
- ½ cup cooking oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground ginger
- Soak skewers in water.
- Combine the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a bowl and mix well. Add beef and mix to coat.
- Marinate for an hour.
- Preheat bbq to medium high heat
- While bbq is preheating, thread the beef, capsicum, pineapple and onions on the skewers.
- Grill until the meat is done to your liking, 6-8 minutes
2. Lamb with Asparagus
Do you cook much lamb on the BBQ these days? You should as lamb makes a delicious meal. For something a little different, try a Middle Eastern spin on your grilled lamb with cumin, garlic and coriander.
- 1 kilogram of lamb - I used backstrap but any lamb will be good
- 1 cup yogurt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1½ tablespoons ground cardamom
- 12 spears of asparagus
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- In a non-reactive bowl, mix the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and cardamom.
- Add the lamb and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat the bbq on medium-high temperature.
- Place lamb on the bbq and cook until medium-rare to medium.
- Brush asparagus with melted coconut oil and bbq for about 3-4 minutes but don't allow it to burn. You just want nice grill marks.
3. Honey Mustard Chicken and Cheesy Macaroni
Honey mustard chicken and cheesy macaroni is always a crowd pleaser. When I first moved to Australia I would ask for honey mustard dressing or sauce and folks looked at me like I was from Mars. Now everyone seems to love it. I don’t know many families that don’t love macaroni and cheese. This is an easy dish for a weeknight meal and I’m pretty sure you’ll get big smiles from even your pickiest eater.
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- salt and pepper (or use any chicken rub you like)
- 4 boneless chicken breast halves
- ½ cup dijon mustard (or use your favourite mustard)
- ½ cup raw unfiltered honey (or use what you have)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- juice of ½ lemon
- Macaroni Cheese
- 400 grams elbow macaroni
- 1½ cups cream
- ¾ cup milk
- 1¼ cup grated cheddar / tasty cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup extra grated cheese
- Preheat bbq to high / medium-high
- Remove tenderloin and place chicken breasts in a plastic bag and pound with a rolling pin to make a more uniform thickness - about 13mm or ½ inch (you can cook the tenderloin separately or save it for chicken fingers)
- Coat with oil and season chicken with salt and pepper and place on the bbq.
- Cook for 6 minutes, then flip and close the cover on the bbq and cook another 4 minutes.
- Rest for at least 8 minutes before serving.
- Mix all ingredients well and serve over the chicken.
- In a saucepan add cream and milk and bring to the boil. Add 1¼ cup cheese and stir til melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook macaroni according to package directions but to al dente
- Drain and mix with the cheese sauce and pour it in a pan suitable for the BBQ.
- Top with the extra grated cheese and cover with foil and place on the BBQ
- It's done when cheese topping is melted and bubbling.
Creating tasty meals on a BBQ isn’t complicated at all. I couldn’t imagine not having a BBQ outside, especially when friends and family come by for dinner.
Not only is it easy but also I’m always outside where the fun is. Creating simple dishes like the ones mentioned above means you won’t be stuck inside working. I hope you’ll have an enjoyable barbequing season with the whole family. I made all four of these dishes in less than an hour and a half.
This post was kindly sponsored by Barbecues Galore. My opinions are my own – obviously.
You’re cooking some great stuff! Lamb is always wonderful on the BBQ. But I’m most impressed with the grilled pickles — I gotta try those! Love the idea. This post has gotten me itchy for the start of our BBQ season. 😉
Ah It’s snowing here and you’re making me miss summer so much! Grilled pickles sound amazing! I’ll be making that macaroni and cheese until it’s warm enough to grill here. 🙂
I’m loving the grilled pickles and the honey mustard chicken with cheesy macaroni on the side. It’s definitely not in our regular barbecue.
BBQ’d asparagus is the bomb … no going back once you’ve tried it. Add a squeeze of lemon. Lipsmacking summer grub! Thanks for your lovely recipes Mauzza.
All the meals shown above look simple to make and quite delicious, but I have my eyes on the honey mustard chicken with macaroni… 🙂 A real fave!!!! By the way, Happy B-day, Maureen! Wishing you a marvelous day…
Thanks, Denise!
Fantastic ideas all around… we use our grill the whole year, brushing the snow from the top if needed… We do lamb, we do chicken, salmon, pork, but I’ve never grilled pickles before… very interesting! gotta give it a try
Oh My!!!!! All of those look and sound so delicious that I want all 3 at the same time.
However, I love lamb and it looks so delicious, but then the Kabobs look so good too.
I hate having to make food decisions!
The grilled pickles are divinely inspired!!!
It’s been raining here since before Christmas! I love the look of the BBQd cucumbers, very original. GG
I don’t know which meal I like better, barring the grilled pickles with any of them. 🙂 I don’t have lamb very often so I’d pick that first because of its novelty. I rarely make beef kebabs (pork and chicken are more common at my bbqs) and yours look so juicy, and of course, who can resist chicken. I’m making mac and cheese with leftover Christmas ham today. OK, that settles it, I’m starving and that lemon meringue pie is calling my name.
I’m loathe to admit this, but we don’t own a barbeque any more! Ours died years ago, and we hardly used it anyway. I do love your recipes though! 🙂
Oh my, you had me licking my lips with these photos, they look sooooo delicious! I particularly am intrigued by the BBQ’d pickles, I think my brother’s family would love them because they love ordering the deep fried pickles at a restaurant close to their cottage in the Muskokas. I’ll have to remember to make these for them when we go up at Thanksgiving.
All totally delicious Maureen and promising summer when it is f-f-f-freezing outside. I’d happily tuck into every single dish but for me, the star turn is the bbq’d pickles. Wow!
Maureen, I’ve never heard of grilled pickles before but they sure sound good. Is the BarBQue Galore company from Australia? We’ve got them in Arizona too.
Gorgeous recipes, there Maureen. And snap, we had kebabs with beef this week… so yummy! The BBQ’d pickles is really interesting, thank you for sharing… and happy birthday to you xox
I love how you make bbq-ing so simple! Great steps to an incredible meal 😀
Cheers
CCU
Though it’s freezing, and it’s not going to be bbq season for at least another million years – OK, that’s exaggerating, but it does feel like it here – I am making the pickles tonight.
Wow you guys are close! Even inviting them to your wedding (was there delicious barbecue that day? I like that idea!). Great ideas Maureen!
Great recipes. Thanks for sharing!
Grilled pickles? My mind is blown. Seriously. Every year we get so many pickles from our cucumber plants and sometimes I get slightly bored with them… this is such an amazing idea!
Great recipes Maureen. I use my grill all year round and I love it. I have never heard of grilled pickles.
Dear Maureen, BBQ sounds nice! It is so cold here right now. Looking forward to spring.
The food looks great! Blessings dear. Catherine xo
I didn’t know barbecues galore had a cookbook! Where have I been? We desperately need a BBQ. Because we’ve had so many moves recently we just haven’t bought one. And we know we’ll probably be moving sometime this year so we don’t want to buy one now because it will just be another thing to have to put on the truck! I’ve never roasted pickles so that’s something I’ll look forward to trying when we get settled xx
Oh, my. I would be happy with absolutely every one of these recipes on my plate. Bill might balk at the grilled pickles, but I’d eat his share. Now bring on the BBQ weather!!!
I wasn’t too sure about the pickles either but they were REALLY good!
Grilled pickles? Have never heard of those before. I’ve had fried pickles and love them so it would only make sense that I would love grilled pickles as well. Love all of these BBQ treats!!! That beef is cooked perfect!
I hope you try these!
Great looking food. When Adriano decides to barbecue, then everything goes on the BBQ so I don’t have to do a thing. I love these ideas.
So I am DEFINTIELY going to have to try grilled pickles this summer! Wow!
My husband actually stood outside in the 10 degree weather last night to BBQ chicken. These recipes all sound terrific – but the pickles are very interesting indeed!
When summer comes around, grilled pickles are on the top of my list of recipes to try!
I have never heard of them but I can only imagine what the smoky flavor can add to the salty pickles!
It’s really Great. All are yummy. But I love Beef Skewers – Kebabs.. Thanks for sharing all the recipe’s.
I’ve never had grilled pickles before – I bet I would like it!
All the meals look amazingly delicious – and so healthy too. 🙂 I’m a fledgling BBQ-er, but your recipes do not seem daunting. 🙂
We are snowed in – One foot of snow and I can’t wait for the BBQ season to start! Love the grilled pickles and Lamb is my favorite meat.
We’re in the middle of another heatwave here Maureen, so any extra bbq ideas you contribute are most welcome, ‘cos I’m damn sure there’s nothing coming out of my kitchen in this weather!
You have got to love the good old aussie BBQ, and I agree, BBQ’s Galore have the best range and great service… Loved your kebab recipe… you can never put too many kebabs on a BBQ, I am going to have to make some for our troops 🙂
I am going to have to try the grilled pickles. I love grilling. You can grill almost anything. I found you on Triberr.
You’re making me long for warm, sunny days Maureen. These all look mouthwatering but I’m really intrigued by those pickles, how fun!!
I always love asparagus on the grill, the smoky flavour and its natural sweetness comes out
I must confess… I don’t grill much. But all these delicious options make me want to start.
These look perfect! Going on the menu for this week!
Skewers are always a hit food with our kids… I will have to remember to make them more often.
I really liked the pic of the BBQ nectarine, I should do this more often too!
Lots of great ideas, thanks for sharing 🙂
Boy, you were certainly busy with this post- with so many recipes! I especially like the Lamb with Asparagus- looks like it would be ‘better than you know what’ (according to your Orgasmic Chef motto!)
I love these ideas Maureen , particularly the Lamb and asparagus. i love BBQed asparagus. I just bought a great outdoor table and chairs from BBQs galore. A great price and a solid product.
Grilling pickles? It’s new to me, and now I want to taste it. You have very nice recipes here. The lamb is cooked perfectly too! I miss grilling season. Well, California is pretty warm enough that we can bbq all year around, but it’s too cold (like 60F? lol) for our standard I guess. 😀
Gosh, Maureen. This post is a feast for the eyes! Everything looks delectable. I was especially intrigued by grilled pickles. We eat tons of cucumbers so I will certainly try that out! for sure!
I was shocked with the grilled pickles. I expected them to burn and be horrid but they were fantastic and took a lot more heat than I expected.