UK BBQ Week 2018.

UK BBQ week is a great initiative started by a group of UK barbecue enthusiasts, championing outdoor cooking all year around and determined to show how easy and rewarding it is.
It was set up to encourage everyone from young to old to pick up some tongs and cook up some fantastic food for their friends and family.

In 2018 UK BBQ week will run from Friday the 6th of July to Sunday the 15th of July with a few days before for recipe planning and shopping.

Here at Riverside, we're super excited to be involved in UK BBQ week this year, so much so, that we will be hosting daily competitions on our social media channels with great prices each day matching the theme of that day. So make sure you like us onFacebook,follow us onTwitteror see what we are up to onInstagram.

Schedule for the week.

Now to the part, you are here for, our recipe ideas, rub and accessory suggestion for all the great cooking ahead of you.

Monday the 2nd of July - "Clean BBQ."

First things first, to get UK BBQ 2018 off to a flying start you need to ensure that your barbecue is cooking ready!
We're sure that many of you are using your barbecue already, and as such, have already given your barbecue a thorough spring clean.
If you haven't then head over to our blog on"How to Clean your Barbecue".

Tuesday the 3rd of July - "Plan Cooks."

Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram. The world wide web offers lots of different places in which you can research recipes to find just the things you'd like to cook this week. Below we have gathered some of our ideas for recipes to try out each day of the coming weeks.

Wednesday the 4th of July - "Buy Fuel."

Fuel for your barbecue is essential, without it, nothing happens!
Buying quality fuel is even more critical, to ensure you get the very best results.
Regardless of whether you cook on charcoal, gas, wood, wood pellets or something else, today is the day to fuel up for the coming week!
Unsure of what type of fuel to use?
Then why not read our blog on thedifferences between briquettes and lumpwood.

Thursday the 5th of July - "Buy Ingredients."

The barbecue is clean, the cooks have been planned, now most importantly you need to buy everything you need to cook up those delicious dishes. If you are in need of quality meat then we suggest talking to our good friends atSherwood Foods, specialising in quality Irish meat, they can provide you with anything from your steaks to more specialised barbecue cuts like Jacobs Ladder and St. Louis' ribs. One thing is for sure. They offer excellent quality at great prices.

Friday the 6th of July - "Big Juicy Steak Night."

It's on!The first night of cooking in the 2018 UK BBQ is here and to ease you into it tonight is steak night! No matter what cut is your favourite or how you like it cooked, nothing quite beats a grilled steak! It looks even better if you can get those great sear marks on it which something like thesear grateprovides.

For inspiration, we suggest looking atthisWeber recipe for Garlic crusted Rib Eye steaks. Or look atthisvideo from our YouTube channel where Russell cooks up some delicious steak for Andrew.

To spice things up why not try a rub?'Eat - The most powerful stuff'or'Country Wood Smoke's House Rub'are both firm favourites here.

Saturday the 7th of July - "Best of American BBQ."

Boy oh boy are we spoiled for choice on what to cook today! You could go with ribs, wings, pulled pork or like we would do - Brisket. Nothing fancy required as Dr Evil BBQ and Russell will show you inthisvideo where they prepare and cook brisket on both a Traeger and Weber gas barbecue. Now for something to go with it, we suggest trying out our very own Sara's cornbread, the recipe to which you canfind here.

If you wanted to add some extra flavour to your cooking today, then take a look at ourwide selectionof American rubs and sauces.

Sunday the 8th of July - "Best of British."

Here's a day we've been looking forward to,
We're big fans of roast dinners with all of the trimmings, and can't wait to be cooking one up tonight!
We know that everyone has their recipes and ways of doing things when it comes to roasts, but for inspiration why not try outthisWeber recipe for roast dinner and Yorkshire puddings?

As today is all about the best of British, we suggest getting your meat from a great local butcher or our good friends atSherwood Foods.

For that little extra touch look at the rubs and sauces fromThe Smokey Cartermade in Manchester they produce some quality stuff.

Monday the 9th of July - "Meat Free Monday."

With #MeatFreeMonday becoming a bigger and bigger topic it is only natural the UK BBQ week should challenge people to cook other things than meat on their barbecues. For a whole host of great recipes, we suggest looking atthisblog post, where we have gathered some of our Vegetable videos, or head over to ourYouTube Channelfor even more inspiration.

Tuesday the 10th of July - "Tasty Taco Tuesday."

It's taco time! Mexican is on the menu tonight, offering lots of tasty choices. We suggest going for a classic Chili Con Carne, usingthisrecipe from Weber, or for something a little different why not take a look atthisTraeger recipe for Fajita Steak Sandwiches. Some people do like it hot, so the add extra kick to your chilli night why no take a look at the"Chili Rocks"pack which contains a multitude of chilis from sweet ancho all the way up to the Carolina Reaper.

Wednesday the 11th of July - "Wacky Wednesday."

Forget being down on "hump day", we suggest going crazy and doing something extra special on this "Wacky Wednesday", whatever you decide to cook with it, we think these barbecue drinks recipes from Traeger sound absolutely fantastic.

The first one is afig slider cocktail, and the second one is aburnt orange julep.

For more barbecued drinks recipes check out the"Crafted: Traegered Cocktails Recipe Book."

Thursday the 12th of July - "Seafood Day."

Today is going to be all about the "surf", as the theme is seafood.
On a hot summers day, there is nothing better than a light evening meal, and seafood often provides the perfect quick and easy solution. It also means that today holds such possibilities in terms of what to cook, from shellfish to fish there are many different cuisines to be explored.
Our suggestions would be eitherthis Thai Shrimp with Watermelon salsa from Weber orthisgorgeous recipe from Traeger for White Fish Steaks with basil orange pesto.

Friday the 13th of July - "Curry Night."

There is nothing scary about the dinner on this Friday the 13th... In fact, we're going over to something comforting, curries. Curries are as varied and recipes as many as the people cooking them, everyone has their own small twist to an original recipe. We're thinkingthis Vegetable Thai Green Curry from Weber might be top of our list today. If you're in need of a perfect side dish,these grilled naan bread might be a great addition; we think the recipe from Weber looks delicious.

Saturday the 14th of July - "Pizza and Flatbread Night."

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie"... Then it's Saturday of UK BBQ Week. Fire up those barbecues (or pizza ovens if you should be so lucky) because today is all about delicious pizzas. Whether you decide to cook up the classic margaritaor use leftover brisket from earlier in the week (if there was any left) forthisdelicious BBQ brisket pizza, the key to a great pizza is having a great base. Haven't got time to make your own dough? Want something quick and easy, but still delicious? Then check out this idea for flatbread pizza's from Traegerhere. But pizzas don't have to be all about savoury toppings. Online blog "Delish" has compiled 18 of the best sweet pizza recipeshere.

Sunday the 15th of July - "Breakfast & Football Tailgate Party."

It's the final day of the 2018 UK BBQ week, so make the most of it and barbecue all day! Start out with your breakfast; now you could go classic full English with sausages, bacon, black pudding, beans and the works. Or you could stray from the ordinary withthisWeber recipe for grilled tomato and sausage strata, for more inspiration you can check outthiscompilation of breakfast recipes from Traeger. The evening sees the finish of the World cup too, so why not get your friends and family together and host a barbecue football party? As you'd want to be in on the action yourself, we have collected some recipes from Weber and Traeger which can be made ahead and be ready as part of a great buffet of finger food; Sweet and Spicy grilled nuts,Italian Sausage and glazed nectarines on honey-Mustard Crostini,Vietnamese Beef Jerky, and finally someBBQ burnt end sandwicheswhich would be perfect in 'slider' size, to pick up and enjoy!

Although that marks the end of UK BBQ week 2018, it's important to remember that a barbecue can be so much more than just something you use when the sun is shining in the summer. It's something that brings people together, it's something which makes the food taste amazing, and it's something which opens up endless possibilities in terms of what you can cook.

Don't forget to be in on the action and follow us on social media for our daily competition, and use the hashtag#AbsolutelyFantastic & #UKBBQWEEK.