While there are many reasons to be excited about summer (warmer weather, seaside days, picnics and garden parties among them), firing up the barbecue is always high on the list.
It’s quick, low-effort and a brilliant way to cook some of the season’s most delicious meals.
Great barbecuing starts with knowing when to turn and take food off the heat – and how to avoid overcooking it in the first place. To take the guesswork out of outdoor cooking, we’ve rounded up recommended barbecue cooking times and temperatures for all your favourites, from sausages and burgers to pork chops, prawns and salmon. Consider this your go-to grilling cheatsheet for summer. Now, get fired up!
How to grill burgers and sausages
Burgers
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 4-5 minutes per side for medium
Test Kitchen tip: After shaping the patties, use your thumb to make a shallow indentation in the centre of each one. This helps the burgers stay flat and evenly shaped as they cook. Place them on the barbecue indentation-side up first.
Sausages
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally
Test Kitchen tip: To stop sausages slipping between the barbecue bars, place them across the grates rather than parallel to them. If you’re cooking a big batch, use tongs to turn several at once instead of rotating each sausage individually.
Chicken burgers
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 5-7 minutes per side
Test Kitchen tip: Resist the temptation to press down on the burgers as they cook. Doing so forces out their natural juices, leaving you with a drier, less flavourful result.
How to grill steak
Let all steaks rest for at least five to 10 minutes before serving or slicing.
Bavette steak (1–2cm thick)
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 3-5 minutes per side for medium-rare
Test Kitchen tip: Larger, sharing-style pieces of bavette steaks can be quite long, so cut them crossways into manageable pieces before cooking to make turning it easier. After resting, always slice against the grain to maximise tenderness. This means cutting across the width of the steak rather than slicing from one short end to the other.
Sirloin steak (2.5cm thick)
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare
Rump steak (2-2.5cm thick)
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 4-6 minutes per side for medium-rare
Ribe-eye steak (2.5cm thick)
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare
Test Kitchen tip: Thanks to its generous marbling, rib-eye stays juicy on the barbecue. Avoid moving it around too much while cooking and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
How to grill pork
Like steak, let all pork rest at least five to 10 minutes before serving or slicing.
Pork fillet (about 570g)
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 15-18 minutes, turning occasionally (until the internal temperature reaches 63°C)
Test Kitchen tip: If you’re glazing the pork with a sauce or marinade, wait until the final few minutes of cooking before brushing it on. Cook the fillet with the lid closed for around 12 minutes, turning occasionally, then finish uncovered while brushing with your glaze. Leave to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Bone-In pork chops (2.5–4cm thick)
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 5-7 minutes per side
Boneless pork chops (2.5cm thick)
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 3-4 minutes
Pork ribs
Heat: Indirect, medium-high, with the lid closed; then direct
Time: Indirect for 30-35 minutes (you can use the upper rack of the grill if you have one), followed by direct (uncovered) for 4 to 6 minutes per side
Test Kitchen tip: While these taste great cooked low and slow in the oven, baby back ribs can also be cooked entirely on the barbecue without the need to pre-cook. If you’re looking for something to slather on, try a gochujang glaze and turn every two to three minutes during the last few minutes of grilling.
How to grill chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Heat: Direct, medium
Time: 5-8 minutes per side (until the internal temperature reaches 75°C)
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Heat: Direct, medium
Time: 4-6 minutes per side (until the internal temperature reaches 75°C)
Chicken wings
Heat: Direct, medium-low, turning occasionally
Time: 15-20 minutes
Test Kitchen tip: Baste during the last five to six minutes of grilling.
Chicken drumsticks
Heat: Direct, medium-low, turning occasionally
Time: 25-30 minutes
Test Kitchen tip: For drumsticks, start basting during the last five to six minutes of grilling.
How to grill seafood
Mussels
Prep: Scrub under cold water, discarding any with cracked shells. Remove any beards if present.
Heat: Direct, medium-high, with lid closed
Time: About 5 minutes, or until the shells open
Lobster
Prep: Remove the claws and split the lobster in half lengthways.
Heat: Direct, medium-high, with the lid closed; then direct
Time: Grill the claws with the lid closed for six minutes. Turn the claws, add the lobster halves cut-side down and cook for two to three minutes each side, until the meat is opaque and the shell turns bright red.
Squid
Prep: Separate the tentacles from the body, then score the squid in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through.
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: Grill both until opaque throughout, 1-2 minutes per side.
Prawns
Prep: Choose large, peeled and deveined prawns so they're less likely to slip through the barbecue grates.
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: Grill for two to three minutes each side, until pink and opaque.
Salmon fillet
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 3-5 minutes per side
Cod or seabass fillets
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 2-4 minutes per side
How to grill kebabs
If you’re using metal skewers, leave a little space between each piece of food so the metal can heat up and help cook everything more evenly. With wooden skewers, it’s best to keep the pieces closer together to help protect the exposed wood from the heat.
Before cooking, soak wooden skewers in water for at least 20 minutes to help prevent them from burning. You can also wrap the exposed ends in foil.
Pork loin, sirloin steak, boneless chicken breast
Prep: Cut the meat into 4cm pieces and toss with 1tbsp oil, plus a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Thread onto skewers.
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally
Prawn and scallops
Heat: Direct, medium-high
Time: 2-4 minutes, turning occasionally
Kate Merker (she/her) is the Chief Food Director of the Hearst Lifestyle Group, overseeing the team that produces food content for several Hearst titles, including Good Housekeeping, Women’s Health, Prevention, Woman’s Day and Country Living. She has clocked nearly 20 years of experience in food media and before that, worked at some of New York City’s finest restaurants.
Trish (she/her) is the deputy food editor at Good Housekeeping, where she covers all things food, from cooking trends and delicious recipes to top-tested kitchen products and grocery finds. She has more than a decade of experience writing about food for GH, Women’s Health, Prevention, Redbook, Woman’s Day, The Daily Meal and Food Network. When she’s not at the supermarket or trying out a new recipe, you can find her at the beach, in her backyard or on the couch — typically with a glass of wine in hand.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
