BBQ on a budget...

[SD1992]

It is my mate's 19th on Friday, and we were planning on having a BBQ for him with a few beers.

Trouble is we are all in student accommodation so food / space / equipment to prepare is very limited.

We were thinking of using a couple of instant BBQ's from Asda, and I have been put in charge of cooking something as good as I can with the resources we have.

All we have in our kitchens is a kettle, microwave, rice boiler, and toaster. I can get hold of a George Forman but I am not sure how much use that will be. I also have a fridge where things can be left.

So in essence, what is the best I could do given the time I have, tight student budget, and poor equipment?

Thanks for any help, I am interested to see what you can come up with

[hornetrider]

Student BBQ? Instant barbies fine.

Chicken kebabs. Cut some chicken fillets into chunks and cook on skewers mixed with peppers and onions. Marinade in some sauce of your choice beforehand for extra flavour.

Hotdogs - can't go wrong with hotdogs! Get some chunky Richmond Irish sausages (cheap and reasonably flavoursome), garnish with some onions which you can fry in the kitchen.

Burgers. Get some decent-ish burgers, some good relish and plenty of salad garnish. Cheese slices also good.

Cold beer.

Done.

[ChairsWithHairs]

Make your own burgers -I cooked for 6 the other day, we were stuffed on £5 of mince. Mince, an egg, breadcrumbs, salt / pepper and seasoning and you will have better burgers than you can buy pre made!

[hornetrider]

ChairsWithHairs said:

Make your own burgers -I cooked for 6 the other day, we were stuffed on £5 of mince. Mince, an egg, breadcrumbs, salt / pepper and seasoning and you will have better burgers than you can buy pre made!

I was going to do this at the weekend, but having priced up the 8 pack of Waitrose burgers against the equivalent weight steak mince - the mince was more expensive! ...I bought the burgers

[SD1992]

hornetrider said:

Student BBQ? Instant barbies fine.

Chicken kebabs. Cut some chicken fillets into chunks and cook on skewers mixed with peppers and onions. Marinade in some sauce of your choice beforehand for extra flavour.

Hotdogs - can't go wrong with hotdogs! Get some chunky Richmond Irish sausages (cheap and reasonably flavoursome), garnish with some onions which you can fry in the kitchen.

Burgers. Get some decent-ish burgers, some good relish and plenty of salad garnish. Cheese slices also good.

Cold beer.

Done.

What sort of sauce should I do? I haven't really done anything like this before on my own (normally my dad makes the sauce, I just cook em!).

What would I fry an onion on? We don't have a cooker... I suppose I could go to other halls and borrow their cooker, I assume warming them back up on the BBQ is just a cast of wrapping in tin foil and blasting?

ChairsWithHairs said:

Make your own burgers -I cooked for 6 the other day, we were stuffed on £5 of mince. Mince, an egg, breadcrumbs, salt / pepper and seasoning and you will have better burgers than you can buy pre made!

Is it possible to make burgers, given my access to crap kitchen appliances?

[hornetrider]

You don't have a cooker? Christ! OK, well the onions will do on the Forman but keep an eye on them and lube up the grill a bit. Any old sauce will do you don't have to make it - sweet chilli? Just pick one off the shelf.

[VeeFour]

I'm sure there's also a variant using a combination of trolley and basket, too...

[SD1992]

hornetrider said:

You don't have a cooker? Christ! OK, well the onions will do on the Forman but keep an eye on them and lube up the grill a bit. Any old sauce will do you don't have to make it - sweet chilli? Just pick one off the shelf.

Welcome to crappy catered accommodation! (Note I can actually cook for myself, I am here because it is closer to where my lectures are).

That sounds a plan, I like that a lot! I assume I would just make the skewers, dip them in sauce, cover in cling film, put in fridge, then blast on BBQ when required?

[hornetrider]

Got it in one. I'm liking those shopping trolleys above though

[VeeFour]

hornetrider said:

Hotdogs - can't go wrong with hotdogs! Get some chunky Richmond Irish sausages (cheap and reasonably flavoursome), garnish with some onions which you can fry in the kitchen.

[SD1992]

Haha I love the trolleys! There is an Asda nearby that we can use, should it all go wrong

How does this recipe look for making burgers? http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth...

I was thinking chuck a couple of chillies in for good measure too. I also saw jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon in the pinned BBQ thread, does anyone have a good recipe for these things?

Thanks for your help to far guys!

[gib786]

Having used an asda disposable bbq a few days ago I reccomend you stay clear. Probably the worst disposable I have ever used (then again all of em seem to be tripe). Probably better off buying a basic one like this - http://direct.asda.com/39cm-Round-Trolley-BBQ/0016... and a bag of self light charcoal. That way you can have bbq's throughout the year

[escargot]

SD1992 said:

Haha I love the trolleys! There is an Asda nearby that we can use, should it all go wrong

How does this recipe look for making burgers? http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth...

I was thinking chuck a couple of chillies in for good measure too. I also saw jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon in the pinned BBQ thread, does anyone have a good recipe for these things?

Thanks for your help to far guys!

The recipe for stuffed jalepenos is exactly as you posted above. The method is simply to cut the top off the chili, take the seeds out if you don't want it too hot, fill with cream cheese and wrap with bacon then lob on the barbie for a few mins.

I reckon you're best off making your own burgers but I do buy from the butcher sometimes as his are fantastic.

I tend to stear clear of kebabs, especially chicken or pork as by the time the meat has cooked through, the peppers and onion are cremated. Especially on a disposable where there's no real ability to manage the heat.

Personally I'd go for good burgers, good sausages and some fatty bits of bone in marinaded chicken like wings or thighs.

Good luck

[Cotty]

SD1992 said:

What would I fry an onion on? We don't have a cooker... I suppose I could go to other halls and borrow their cooker, I assume warming them back up on the BBQ is just a cast of wrapping in tin foil and blasting?

Cheap frying pan on the BBQ.

Student you say

[SD1992]

Well we are going to attempt the home made burgers with this recipe tonight:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spicybeefburger_...

Will see what happens, if it is a disaster we will just buy them but I am confident! Also we will see how good the Asda BBQ is, I have heard the lighting paper is crap so I think I will chuck some lighter fluid on for good measure

[Puggit]

Chicken thighs, very cheap meat- marinade them in something cheap and spicy, leave the skins on. I'm not a big chicken fan, but that hits the spot.

[Lost soul]

Fecking students could not find their arse with both hands could they , you need help on organising a bbq !!!!

[SD1992]

Lost soul said:

Fecking students could not find their arse with both hands could they , you need help on organising a bbq !!!!

Have you seen the resources at my disposal??

[VeeFour]

SD1992 said:

Have you seen the resources at my disposal??

Well, the clue is in your question... it's a BBQ, which suggests charcoal, grilles and fire.

The appliances in your kitchen don't matter - as they're not outside, where I assume you're having the BBQ.

[GWC]

Mushrooms with olive oil and a bit of salt in the middle are delicious on the barbie.