Top Tips For a Stress-Free BBQ

We are loving the long summer days and beautiful sunshine. I lost count how many BBQs we had this summer, including family gatherings and last minute ones.

I am Brazilian and hubby is Greek, BBQ is part of our culture and we always find an excuse to put the charcoal on. It’s all about getting together and enjoying good food and drink.

We love BBQs and tend to have one whenever the sun is shining. Instead of cooking in the kitchen, we prefer to spend our time outdoors, having a BBQ.

According to a research commissioned by Regina, one of the UK’s leading kitchen roll brands, 84% of parents believe that barbecues are messy and over a third of parents prefer not to have one, due to the mess.

Life is far too short to be worried about being messy! After all, you can always clean up the mess afterwards with some good old kitchen towels.

We like using Regina Blitz because it is extra large, 70% bigger than standard paper towels. The triple layer sheets with super strong unique emboss are great for cleaning up mess indoors and outdoors.

As we love having barbecues so much, we thought we would put together our tips for a perfect BBQ, so you can enjoy family time and have it as stress-free as possible.

Marinate your meat overnight

Nothing like beautifully seasoned meat! It is best to allow enough time for the meat to marinate. We tend to add marinade to the meat the night before, cover and leave it in the fridge overnight, so it can lock in the flavours.

Our favourite marinade is made with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper, all mixed together in a blender. Set aside some marinade so you can use it as a basting sauce while cooking the meat.

Light the charcoal early

Although we all want to start cooking the meat as soon as possible, so we can enjoy the fruits of our labour, it is important to get the charcoal at the right temperature beforehand. Don’t rush, light the charcoal well in advance and leave it to settle for around an hour or so.

If you put the meat on too soon, it will burn on the outside and stay raw on the inside. The meat will taste nicer when it is cooked slowly on the barbecue.

While we are waiting for the charcoal, we start getting the table ready by wiping it, then setting the table. Regina Blitz is very strong and great for cleaning surfaces, blitzing windows and mirrors.

Have fun

Don’t be scared to try new things, sit at the time and have fun. Enjoy the delicious food and the time spent together, without worrying about the mess. Parents tend to avoid messy food at BBQs, such as ribs, chicken wings, burgers, hot dogs, ice cream cones, chocolate baked bananas and kebabs.

Whether the children want to add more sauce and sprinkles to their ice cream, or more ketchup and mustard to their hot dogs, let them be creative and have a good time.

BBQs can be quite messy, however they don’t need to be stressful. Simply grab a kitchen towel to clean up the mess afterwards. We use Regina Blitz and love how strong, absorbent and reliable the triple layer sheets are, perfect for sticky fingers.

Get everyone involved

Once all the food has been eaten, get everyone involved in the cleaning. The research also found that, after a BBQ, it takes around 40 minutes for parents to clean up.

However it can done much quicker if everyone is involved. Find out what each member of the family prefers helping with and share tasks accordingly.

Wiping the table is little man’s favourite part. When we eat in the garden, he is in charge of wiping the table before and after each meal. We tested how absorbent Regina Blitz is and were very surprised with how much juice one single sheet was able to absorb. Whether you need to wipe spills or drips, you can trust Regina Blitz to look after the mess.

Regina Blitz (RRP £2.50) can be purchased from all leading supermarkets as well as independent retailers.