These few fun things we’ve found!

For snag lovers:
Love putting a sizzle in your sausage, but worried about the fat content and quality of the meat?

Then this video on DIY sausage-making is for you!

If that’s got you feeling inspired, there are many more sausage recipes for you to try here.

For bacon lovers:
Two guys with a dream to make everything taste like bacon have created… Bacon Salt. It’s even zero calorie, vegetarian and kosher certified.

The makers recommend adding it to burgers, steaks, chops, fish, vegetables, corn on the cob, fries, potatoes, eggs, sandwiches and… popcorn!

To try it for yourself, you can buy it online - and the good news is that they do ship to Australia!

Visit the Bacon Salt website.

For camping enthusiasts:
If you love sleeping under the stars and have given your kids the camping bug, this ingenious Trampoline Tent is for you.

Clip it on to the trampoline and voila! - an instant hideaway for the kids.

And next time you’re planning on pitching your tent further than your backyard, don’t forget to check out our guide to camp oven cooking with Heat Beads® briquettes first. You can also find delicious camp oven cooking recipes by searching the Sizzle blog with the keywords ‘camp oven’.

Enjoy!

We stumbled upon this BBQ quiz on The BBQ Guy’s blog. Test your knowledge of American regional BBQ traditions. (They take their BBQ-ing very seriously in America, as you can see from this previous post.)

So, where is brisket king? How do they like their ribs in Austin, Texas? In which region is ‘white’ BBQ sauce a staple?

You might just learn something new, and pick up some interesting ideas while you’re at it!

Happy 2008 BBQ fans!

Sometimes in cooking (as in life), things don’t turn out exactly as planned. Now you can find the answers as to why (well, in relation to cooking, not life!) right away at the Heat Beads® FAQs page.

We’ve added fresh troubleshooting content to address problems you might have while BBQ-ing, to help salvage your food or avoid the mistake next time around! Check it out.

We thought we’d share one of the hot tips with you here:

Often, a recipe calls for a ‘hot fire’… but what does this actually mean?

Q. ‘How many Heat Beads® briquettes do I need to achieve the fire temperature I want?’
A. The BBQ temperature is determined by the number of Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes burning inside. Here are the quantities to follow to reach your desired heat:

Indirect cooking method
- For a hot fire, use 64 briquettes (32 each side)
- For a normal fire, use 50 briquettes (25 each side)
- For a low fire, use 36 briquettes (18 each side)
- For a low smoke fire, use 12 briquettes (6 each side)

Direct cooking method
- For a direct fire, use 40 briquettes
- For a low direct fire, use 25 briquettes

It’s peak BBQ season, and you know what that means - even more reasons than usual to fire up the barbie!

1. Australia Day
Saturday 26 January (and then a public holiday in lieu on Monday 28 January)

BBQ-ing is ingrained in our culture, so what better day is there for a BBQ than the holiday that celebrates all things Aussie?

The Australia Day BBQ has become a tradition. For those who like it complemented by the Triple J Hottest 100 Countdown, that kicks off at 10am on the radio.

Heat Beads® BBQ recipe suggestion: BBQ Chicken Parma – an Aussie classic!

2. Australian Open Tennis
14-27 January (finals Saturday 26 January and Sunday 27 January)

Our Grand Slam delivers two weeks of sizzling tennis action… so enjoy the women’s and men’s finals with some ‘sizzling’ of your own, courtesy of a hot BBQ!

3. Australia vs. Qatar: Asian qualifier for World Cup 2010
Wednesday 6 February, 7.30pm (live on Fox Sports)

The Socceroos’ draw for the first round of South Africa 2010 qualifying landed them in the ‘Group of Death’ with China, Iraq and Qatar.

Every game is crucial, with the top-two placed teams progressing to the final qualifying round.

Gather friends and family together and lend your support! The game will be shown live on Fox Sports.

Click here to find out where you can buy your Heat Beads® briquettes.