Aussie Christmas, Summer & Weber BBQ – The Perfect Combination

The Great Aussie Christmas Lunch

Food on Christmas day in the past had Australians sitting down to a meal that consisted of hot food. Ham, turkey, pork, lamb plus the cooked veggies, potatoes, pumpkin, peas, beans, etc. Dessert would be a hot plum pudding with cream. All of this occurred in the height of the Australian summer. Eventually, some smart Aussie said enough! Mum is slaving over a hot stove, heating up the house and serving up food no one really wants to eat in this heat, let’s try something different. So we did. Aussie Christmas day celebrations now range from a BBQ down on the Yarra river to a BBQ on the beach, to a BBQ in the backyard or better still, a BBQ at someone else’s place.

You would be hard pressed not to eat something on Christmas day that hadn’t been cooked on the BBQ. The beauty of barbequing on Christmas day is you can still do the traditional fare, hot meats and vegetables, but it can be done outside. Or better still maybe some seafood and salad? The Weber is still the hero of the day.

Making Christmas Day Easy for any Dietary Requirements

We also need to cater to our guests with allergies or dietary requirements. There are gluten-free, the vegetarians, the vegans and those of us that just have intolerances to a variety of foods. The beauty of the Weber is that everyone can be catered for. The Weber recipe source has all your variations covered. You could even email those with special requirements and give them a list of choices from the Weber recipe site.

3 Course Christmas Lunch on the Weber

Impress your guests by having a 3-course lunch, all prepared on the Weber. Here are some choices we’ve put together from the recipe source on the Heat & Grill site.

Fuel

• Depending on what Weber you are using to cook, make sure you have enough fuel.
• If its gas you are using, make sure your gas bottle is full and have a backup.
• If it is charcoal you are using make sure you have enough and if you want specific smoking chips to be sure to order early.
• Also, check to make sure there are no gas leaks with any appliances.

Hygiene

• Check you restocked all the outdoor and BBQ cleaning equipment from last summer.
• Make sure your cooker is clean. Use a Weber brush and scraper to make sure all food remains are cleaned off.
• Change any drip pans. These are the leading cause of fat fires.
• Thoroughly wipe down any surfaces around the BBQ.
• Make sure all uncooked meats are placed on clean trays before cooking.
• Have separate plates to serve the meat on after cooking. Cross-contamination can cause serious illness.
• Once the food is served, cover the remains to keep out insects and other nasties floating around in the air.
• Once everyone has finished eating immediately refrigerate anything you want to keep.
• Be extra careful with seafood. The rule is “if in doubt, throw it out”.

Delegate

If you have hosted these type of sit-downs before, you soon realise there is no medal for doing everything. People like to bring something as well as make the day easier for you. Also, it can become quite expensive to play host. Items you can delegate include:

• Nibbles platter
• Salads
• Bonbons
• Paper plates
• Ice
• Esky
• Wine
• Dessert
• Pre-cut veggies
• An early arrival can set the table, lay things out and rearrange furniture for you
• Assign someone as drinks monitor
• Assign someone to carve
• Assign a cleanup crew – always a good one for the kids

Accessories and Outdoors

• Check the Weber site to see if there are any new recipes or accessories you may want.
• Make sure you are stocked with the marinades and sauces you need.
• If you do not have one, a meat thermometer will take all the guesswork out of trying to calculate when the meat is ready. It should be one of the first accessories any meat lover buys when cooking on a BBQ
• Wash down outdoor setting
• Clean umbrella
• Replace any blown light bulbs
• Oil the deck

Preparation will be your best friend on this busy day. You will get to enjoy it, with a little help from your nearest and dearest.

The Gift of Weber

Weber’s are one of the all-time go-to presents at Christmas. If you are going to be the giver, maybe a Weber gift voucher would be best. This will allow the recipient to discuss with you what type of BBQ would work for the home, gas, charcoal or thanks to the new Weber Pulse – electric. Working out who is doing the cooking will help make this decision. Maybe one person wants to cook on the weekends and the other during the week but doesn’t feel comfortable with charcoal so base your decision on how you cook, what you cook and who would cook. Weber has an impressive range of sizes, fuel types and mobility. These include:

Weber accessories are definitely recommended to go with a Weber BBQ. They are quality products that are designed specifically for each individual cooker. They will not damage the plates or grill, nor will they bend or rust. Certain products are sized to specific BBQs. For example, there are several sized pizza stones applicable the different sized internal spaces with individual cookers. Weber has thought of everything when it comes to their accessories, right down to heatproof gloves. They will certainly go to enhance your cooking experience. Why not wrap up a Weber accessories pack as the gift to put under the tree with the voucher for the BBQ attached?