Barbecue Season With Lakings

We’re calling it. We declare barbecue season open.

With the summer stretching ahead of us, we don’t need much of an excuse to fire up the coals.

The next long weekend is coming up fast, with May Day falling this coming Monday, and a glorious four-day bank holiday from June 4-6 awaits to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee too. Throw in garden parties, half-term, camping trips, birthdays, football finals, Wimbledon, or just because the sun is shining, and we know you’ll find plenty of excuses to get grilling – any time is the perfect time to dust off the barbie.

Choosing meat to barbecue

Our extensive and delicious barbecue range includes all the family favourites – from sausages to burgers, kebabs, steaks to spare ribs.

Handmade burgers for the barbecue

Handmade by our butchers and available as a pack of 12 which includes two Steak Burgers, two Pepper Steak Burgers, two Pork and Apple Burgers and two Lamb and Mint Burgers, each weighing in at a juicy 170g.

Traditional Lincolnshire Sausages

Our Lincolnshire Sausages are made to a traditional recipe using the finest Lincolnshire Pork and our special blend of herbs and spices. They are a real people-pleaser!

If you’re looking for something a little different to lay out over the coals, we offer a delicious selection of ready-made kebabs and grillsticks.  Choose from lamb mince, seasoned with mint and rosemary, hand-rolled onto a grill stick, finished with our Italian herb and tomato glaze. Or try the beef version made with minced steak, seasoned with South American flavours and finished with our medium-heat Argentinian fire glaze.

Then there is our chicken kebab selection, available in five different flavours – Indian Mystery, Argentinian Fire, Jamaican Jerk, Mexican Madness, Greek Passion and Cielo Rosso. Finally, our award-winning Beef Kebabs are created using pieces of marinated rump steak, with halloumi cheese.

Want all of your barbecue food in one click? Our barbecue packs come in both small and family-size and include a range of our best-sellers like pork loin, steak burgers, Rib Eye steaks, sausages and pork spare ribs.

Finally, if you fancy something to serve alongside classics like burgers and sausages, our ambassador chef Rosie Dicker has created an easy Slow Cooked Beef Ribs recipe using just three key ingredients – red wine, soy sauce and garlic to make a deliciously sweet and sticky marinade. Rosie says: “To take this dish to the next level, place the ribs on your BBQ to add an extra smoky flavour.”

So, you’ve chosen your Lakings produce, now you have to cook it to perfection. Follow our guide to the perfect barbecue:

1. Your barbecue and the fuel you choose are your starting point. Lumpwood charcoal may be more expensive than charcoals made with chemical accelerators, but it will produce a natural smoke which will impart a classic flavour to the meat. And if you’re buying a new barbecue – make sure it has a lid.
2. Heat – if you can’t stand close enough to the barbecue to turn your Lincolnshire sausages over, then it is too fierce. Allow the flames to die down before attempting to cook on it – ideally, you should see white ash on the charcoal. As a heat guide – if you can hold your hand 12cms (5”) above the coals for six seconds, that’s a low heat, four seconds is medium heat and two seconds is really hot.
3. Know your meat – that’s our job but we can help you to choose the right meat for the desired end result. A cut like brisket needs to be cooked low and slow by indirect heat (wrapped in foil and inside a heat-conducting dish). Whereas lean steak or chicken kebabs can be cooked faster with more heat.
4. Give meat space on the grill – overcrowding prevents the heat of the coals from circulating around the food you are cooking. Don’t feel any pressure to get everything served at the same time. Guests understand they may have to wait for their favourites to be ready.
5. Safety first – always have a water spray to hand to dampen any flames that get a little fierce, or even better, a fire blanket!
6. Make sure burgers, sausages, chicken, turkey and pork are thoroughly cooked – use a meat thermometer if you’re not 100 per cent confident. Lamb joints and cutlets and beef joints and steaks can be eaten ‘pink’ or rare so long as they are cooked on the outside – unless you’re pregnant. The NHS website advises not to eat undercooked or raw meat during pregnancy.