BBQ on a Budget

Since we’re all doubling up on jumpers this year, there’s no better excuse to clutch mulled drinks and hug a Kamado Joe.

Watching the pennies doesn’t mean you should have to sacrifice flavour in your food. 

Traditionally, comfort food is the stuff we all crave when we need a pick me up - the generous bowl food that warms us with a hearty hug. Slow heat, simple ingredients, cheaper cuts and soily veg, plus a little extra cooking time can transform ingredients into something new and infinitely more delicious. 

BBQ is the best way to transform humble food into something magical. Well-insulated Kamado Joe ceramic grills are kings of low’n’slow cooking - perfect for those tougher cuts of meat that have the fat and fibres to melt down over a long period of time.  

Ben Forte’s top tips for BBQ on a budget

Go for thighs over breast - when it comes to chicken, that is. A whole chicken goes further still - you can always freeze the epic smokey stock in ice-cube trays and use them later to whack flavour into sauces and soups.

Fillets are out, hanger is in. Look for chuck, flank, brisket and leg - all beef cuts that need a little extra love but worth it for the deeper flavour.

Buy bone in cuts, remove them yourself if you wish. 

Cheap charcoal is a false economy. Buy the good stuff and you’ll never look back. Kamado Joe Big Block Charcoal is exactly that - large chunks that will take a long time to break down. A handful will cook for at least 10 hours - and see you through a second cook.

When using all-natural lumpwood charcoal you don’t have to wait until your charcoal turns white before cooking on it - that’s an old wives tale. If there’s heat coming off the charcoal, you can use it. 

When you’re deciding what to cook, also make a plan for the residual heat of the BBQ. Perhaps a tray of brownies, a quick stew or simply throw in a couple of spuds for the best baked potatoes you’ve ever tasted. 

Make epic left-overs. Finely chop up any red meat / sausages for an incredible ragu or chilli that can blip away in the residual heat for hours. If you’ve made pizza, the remaining dough can be turned into focaccia or a loaf of bread.

Good slow food takes a while to reveal itself, so make enough so you can eat today, tomorrow and later on in the week. 

BBQ doesn’t just have to be about the Desperate Dan sized cuts. Good quality mince has never gone out of fashion. It's ideal for burgers, koftes and cottage pies. It stores neatly in the freezer and makes food go further round for all!

What are Kamado Joe's?

Kamado Joe's red ceramic grills is an ever-expanding range of the world's best grills, tools and accessories. Building on the success of their classic kamado, they have developed new sizes and advances that have inspired both grillers and competition within the ceramic grill market.

Kamado Joe sparked a revolution with the kamado category's first-ever slide-out ash drawer, the game changing 'divide and conquer' flexible cooking system, they pioneered a truly airtight grilling chamber with a fiberglass gasket and stainless steel latch, complete with a breakthrough piston-assisted articulating dome hinge.

Kamado Joes start at RRP £499 for Kamado Joe Junior. 

You can learn about them and purchase them here:- https://uk.kamadojoe.com.

Incidentally, we feel that a Kamado Joe would make an excellent purchase for Christmas. Just imagine using your Kamado Joe at Christmas, BBQing some turkey meat? Yum!