BBQ like a pro with our expert tips

If your summers consist of long road trips to caravan parks, family outings to the beach or travelling from tourist destination to tourist destination, then this style of BBQ is a great option.

The Weber Baby Q will easily cook for two adults and can be stretched (depending on what you are preparing) to feed a family of four. Bacon and eggs for brekkie or a sizzling steak for dinner are just some of the scrumptious dishes you can create with a Weber Baby Q.

Designed as a take-anywhere gas grill, the Baby Q weighs in at 10.8kg, making it easy to carry to your favourite picnic spot or pack it away in the car with minimal effort. With the ability to connect to even the smallest of gas bottles, such as camping propane tanks, no extra connection or bayonet change is required.

With an entire range of extra accessories available, from pizza stones and roasting holders to breakfast plates and chicken thrones, mealtime variety is just an optional accessory away. Plus, with the legendary Weber after-sales and customer service you can rest assured that BBQing can't get any easier.

With the continued popularity of TV cooking shows like Masterchef and MKR, there is no better time to step into the world of live fire cooking than this summer.

The Weber Kettle series of charcoal grills are one of the most reliable, well-built BBQs in outdoor cooking. With the ability to cook Low n’ Slow – a favourite style of grilling in the U.S, or direct fire cooking South American-style, the Weber Kettle will hold its own in an overcrowded market.

Long lauded as one of the most straightforward and most versatile grills to use, the Weber kettle hasn’t changed its design all that much since its inception in the 1960s. With a built-in hood thermometer, having complete control over your cook is much more manageable, and thanks to the bottom air vent, the kettle has greater oxygen transfer through the chamber allowing for steadier temperatures and a more even cook.

One important thing to remember with this grill is because you are cooking with live fire, flying embers is a risk, so be mindful of all current total fire ban warnings.

Lightweight and with a relatively small footprint the ability to take this grill with you on camping trips or holidays to your favourite caravan park is simplistic, accessible and exciting.

As a larger unit, having a freestanding BBQ becomes more than an appliance, it becomes a lifestyle as well as a centrepiece for your alfresco area.

Freestanding BBQs are just that – they are installed atop a moveable cart that can be locked into place with the castors on the wheels or left unlocked to be able to move around your backyard area. Plenty of optional extras for different cooking styles are available, as well as heavy-duty covers to protect your investment.

These are the three main types of BBQs and the ones you will commonly see in your search for the perfect outdoor cooking companion. Now, once you have found the ideal BBQ to suit you and your lifestyle, the next thing to do is get the maximum value from it.

Our BBQ expert has included what he thinks are some of the best tips and hacks to up your grill game and BBQ like a pro. Remember, cooking is a culinary adventure so don’t be afraid to experiment, try something different and have fun!

There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through your cook, then bam – the gas goes out. Besides having a gas safety gauge or measuring dial attached to your gas lines, there is still a surefire way of checking the level. Pour hot water down the side of your gas bottle (WARNING: not boiling water and not on the top of the bottle!!).

Let the bottle sit for a few seconds and if you see a condensation line that’s your gas level! If you can’t see a condensation line, run your hand down the side of the bottle you poured water over, and feel for a temperature difference between the top and base- where the temperature changes will indicate how much gas you have left.

Waiting for charcoal to heat up can feel like a lifetime, so make sure you light it early to avoid disappointment later on. Allow up to 30 minutes for the charcoal to ash over and turn white – once this happens you are good to start cooking!

Compared to our more primitive ancestor’s fire-starting just isn’t human nature anymore, so lighting charcoal and keeping it lit can be quite a tricky task, especially for first-timers. To help you spend less time stressing and more time grilling, we’ve put together easy step-by-step guides on how to fire up your charcoal BBQ.

Don’t have a charcoal or offset smoker? No worries! With this simple hack, you can add delicious smoky flavour to your food. Simply wrap smoking wood chips into a foil envelope, pierce holes into it, so the smoke can escape, and then place it directly on top of the burner.

Just remember to soak your chips in water for a few minutes (so they don’t burn off as quick) and keep your food indirect to your heat source to ensure a Low n’ Slow style of cooking, which is what works best.

Have you ever purchased an expensive piece of seafood only for it to stick to your BBQ when grilling?

Take some slices of your favourite citrus (Lemons, lime, oranges etc.), put them directly on your grills, and then place your seafood directly on top. Not only will the citrus stop seafood from sticking to the BBQ, but it will also infuse your food with plenty of flavours.

Having mouthwatering grilled whole-chicken for dinner is impressive and delicious, but can also be intimidating for those who have yet to cook one. If you are one of these people, or you simply just want a new method of preparing chicken, the easiest and most straightforward way is called spatchcocking. This technique will cook the chicken evenly and will help impress every one of your guests.

Ever wondered how top-end steakhouses create those criss-cross marks on their steaks? Well, it’s easier than you think.

The easiest way to do it is to follow the '10 & 2 rule' – face the steak towards ten on the clock and cook halfway through. Now without flipping, rotate the steak to 2 on the clock and grill further. Flip & repeat on the other side to your desired doneness.

Protecting your BBQ is paramount to ensuring a string grill game for years to come, so here is a simple way to make your BBQ look showroom-ready.

Scrunch up some regular foil (about the size of a cricket ball), pick it up with tongs and scrub your grills vigorously while still warm – this will remove any of that caked-on food residue.