Barbie world

Top TV chef Tom Kerridge shares barbecue tips with Lauren Taylor

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SUMMER is on its way and that means most of us will be dusting off the barbecue soon.

"There's nothing wrong with just getting it done and buying some burgers and some sausages - that’s great," says TV chef Tom Kerridge, 51, who holds three Michelin stars, but if you're just scraping the surface of your barbecue ability, you might be missing out. "It’s just one of the nicest, loveliest ways of cooking and it brings a flavour that you can’t get from a kitchen - that charcoal cookery, smoke."

With the release of his latest cookbook ‘The BBQ Book, here are Tom's top tips...

Buy good-quality charcoal

“It is better to have bigger because they hold the temperature longer,” says Tom. “Smaller pieces will burn out quicker.

“Investing in charcoal actually goes a long, long way. It'll last twice as long as the cheaper stuff.

“It cooks [food] more evenly, and really good charcoal goes a long way to improving your barbecue.”

Understand how the fire works

Using metal coal tongs to move the coals around will create pockets of less and more intense heat.

You'll want to have a range of temperatures on your barbecue at the same time, if you're cooking different things on it.

Higher, direct heat for meat and fish, explains Tom in the book, and lower for vegetables.