Inspired as always, by the man at the forefront of the barbecue revolution – Steven Raichlen – here are his winter grilling tips as published on barbecuebible.com…

- Dress appropriately. Dashing through the snow in jeans and your team sweatshirt during commercial breaks from the game suggest you’re not taking your grilling seriously. Avoid dangling nylon cords, puffy sleeves, etc. that could come into contact with the fire. Wear good BBQ gloves instead of mittens or ski wear.

- If snow is a factor, clear the space around your grill and sprinkle it with sidewalk salt to give yourself better traction. Likewise, if there’s snow on branches directly over the grill, knock it off, or move the grill.

- Preheat your grill with about 25% more charcoal than normal to compensate for cold temperatures.

- For maximum efficiency, position your grill out of the wind but at least five feet from flammable surfaces. Do not be tempted to move your grill into the garage or under a covered patio. Carbon monoxide poisoning is nothing to fool around with.

- Resist the temptation to check on your food often as heat will quickly escape each time you lift the lid.

- Add 20-30% to your cooking times in cold temperatures.

- In the wintertime, if you’re in a hurry, plan menus built around foods that can be direct grilled in 30 minutes or less, such as burgers, brats, chicken breasts, shrimp, fish fillets, etc. (Try our super simple Garlic BBQ Prawns recipe (only 3 ingredients!) and Janella’s BBQ Fish Skewers recipe.)

- Don’t overcrowd your grill grate. Allow the heat to circulate freely around the food.

- Invest in a cover to protect your grill from the elements when not in use.

- Replace your grill grates with cast iron grates, which retain heat much better than stainless steel or porcelain-coated grates.

Happy winter grilling!

- didn’t have too many elements;
- allowed the cook to add their own touch;
- challenging and yet inspiring enough for the novice/pro to attempt at home.

We then gave the honours to the meat man himself, Adrian Richardson to pick the winning entry.

*Drum roll please…*

We are pleased to announce the winner as: Alexandra Vasilieff from Palm Beach, Queensland who would like to see Adrian prepare Grilled Seafood Paella over the BBQ.

And the 10 runner-ups…
Helen Slade, SA – Three Cheese Soufflé
Michael Magiera, SA – Stuffed Crab
Emma Gannan, VIC – BBQ Pork Dumplings
Gloria Chahoud, NSW – Baclava
Jasmin Pierucci, WA – The Perfect Aussie Shepherds Pie
Paul Phillips, NSW – Bread and Butter Pudding
Merrill Crook, QLD – Vegemite Scrolls
Nora Khatab, VIC – Beef and Ricotta Cannelloni
Natalie Foster, WA – Potato Pancakes with Béarnaise Sauce
Katrina Burley, QLD – White Chocolate Pretzels

A congratulatory email should be in your inbox shortly. You will need to respond for us to arrange delivery of your prize.

A big congratulations to the winners and an even bigger thanks to all across Australia who participated. The special BBQ episode is set to air towards the end of the season – we will keep you updated on Facebook.

Visit BBQ recipes for all of Adrian and Janella’s char grilled dishes from Good Chef Bad Chef.

Stay tuned for our next competition!

P.S. Some of the popular entries among participants were Pavlova and Lamingtons – two of our favourite treats on the BBQ. See the Pavlovas we made at last year’s Heat Beads^® Cook Off.

According to Lambassador Sam Kekovich, it is unAustralian to not have lamb on Australia Day…

As such, this year’s BBQ menu will feature lamb… 3 ways.

Terry’s Aussie Lamb Roast BBQ recipe – Terry embodies a true Aussie who works hard and doesn’t take himself too seriously. Try his roast lamb recipe and let us know what you think.

Ben O’Donoghue’s Buffalo Feta and Lamb Pizza – This one’s great for the kids as you can make mini sizes, and if you like, you can use some of the carved lamb from Terry’s roast to use as the topping.

Lip Smacking Lime and Chilli Lamb Cutlets BBQ recipe – This is for lovers of fine, succulent lamb cutlets. Don’t be afraid to add more chilli for more heat.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

P.S. HURRY, FINAL DAYS in our 2012 Australia Day Competition where we’re giving away a great package to Melbourne, plus $4,000 in runner-up prizes! ENTER NOW and always read the full Terms & Conditions (below the entry form) prior to participating.

Watch the video to learn Adrian’s quick tip for BBQ skewers and use it for his Greek Lamb Souvlaki BBQ recipe…

Watch the video for tips on BBQ hygiene…

Watch the video to find out Adrian’s tips for fish on the BBQ and use it for Janella’s Whole Barramundi BBQ recipe…

For other handy tips, visit our BBQ tips page and use them with our great BBQ recipes.

Good Chef Bad Chef airs on Channel TEN weekdays at 4pm AEST with BBQ episodes airing on Fridays – our favourite day of the week!

P.S. Our 2012 Australia Day Competition is on the go and we’re giving away a great package to Melbourne, plus $4,000 in runner-up prizes! ENTER NOW and please remember to read the full Terms & Conditions (below the entry form).

*Image & videos copyright Good Chef Bad Chef & Channel TEN.

A lasagna? Char grilled M&Ms with ice cream? Pavlova?

The most creative (and realistic!) response will see Adrian put their winning idea to the test on an episode of Good Chef Bad Chef, plus go home with an unbelievable package to Melbourne in February including:

- Return flights for you and one guest to Melbourne from any Australian capital city.
- 1 night’s stay at Urban St Kilda
- Dinner for two at Adrian’s La Luna Bistro
- 1 x signed copy of Adrian’s new book, The Good Life
- 1 x BBQ prize pack valued at $400

We’re feeling so generous, we’re also giving away a $400 BBQ prize pack to each of the 10 runners up.

ENTER NOW

What’s in all the BBQ prize packs?
1 x Heat Beads^® Entertainer BBQ
1 x Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter
1 x Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter Platform
1 x Heat Beads^® Spatula and Grill Brush
1 x Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes 4kg bag

The competition starts now and ends on Thursday 26 January 2012.

We highly recommend you read the full terms and conditions prior to participating. Good luck!

*Video copyright Good Chef Bad Chef & Channel TEN.

Since we’ve already done a fair share of slow roasting over Christmas, we’ve decided on a light and easy, finger food theme this year. Here are the BBQ recipes that made the cut…

BBQ Prawns recipe and BBQ Asparagus recipe. These were two barbecue recipes we used for Christmas Day lunch. They are incredibly versatile and you can choose to serve them as is, or with your own homemade dipping sauce. See our tips on how to peel and devein prawns should you decide to grill them shell off.

BBQ Dips recipe. It will be the colours that first draw your guests to this dish, but it will be the taste that will ultimately win them over!

Tofu Skewers with Asian dressing recipe. Tofu works great on the barbecue and we love the fact that you can cut it into any shape you like.

Uncle Barry’s Magic Mushrooms recipe. This chicken and mushroom skewer recipe is double yum! We recommend making two batches – one with less/no chillis – for those that prefer a milder taste.

Thanks for a flame-tastic year and see you in 2012!

1) Read the BBQ recipe* and watch the video (top right of the recipe page).
2) Use the handy Turkey Cook Time Calculator to work out when your bird needs to be ready for the BBQ.
3) Read our Turkey cooking tips for some basic pointers.

*We’ve used a lemon, onion and pancetta stuffing, but are always on the lookout for some other options. If you’ve got a stuffing mix you’d like to share, you can use the Submit Your Recipe form here or just get in touch on Facebook.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Chefs Adrian Richardson and Janella Purcell return with shiny new tongs ready to share BBQ recipes that are tasty, convenient and good for you. There’ll also be some great BBQ tips to give your chargrilling skills that extra special touch.

And of course, keep checking Good Chef Bad Chef recipes as the season progresses for all the BBQ recipes from the show.

Check out some behind-the-scenes photos from our recent set visit…

Our favourite tong masters are back!

Adrian using our new Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter

Janella's BBQ creation - coming soon in Season 4!

P.S. We launched the biggest Australia Day competition in Heat Beads^® history on the show last season, who knows what we’ll do this year? Stay tuned, grillers…

There were 268 Candy Canes in our Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter and these were the first 5 closest guesses:

- Richie Johnston, Cranbourne VIC. Guess: 265
- Amanda Crowther, New Beith QLD. Guess: 265
- Judy Rubino, Blackburn North VIC. Guess: 275
- Kate Parker, Rye VIC. Guess: 278
- Jade Gower, Bathurst NSW. Guess: 286

Congratulations to the winners! A confirmation email is on its way to you.

Thanks to all who participated! We’ve got another competition up our sleeves, so don’t go far.

In the meantime, here’s what’s cooking this Christmas…

Christmas Ham BBQ recipe – Our favourite and one that we do almost every year (other than the time we were late to order and the butcher ran out. Never again!).

Bob Hart’s BBQ Asparagus recipe – This dish is a reminder that if you keep things simple, you will be rewarded. Using the skewers to make rafts ensures the asparagus is easy to handle, and makes for more efficient grilling.

BBQ Prawns recipe – Seafood is a great alternative for a summer Christmas for those of us here on the Southern Hemisphere. We use this all year round because of how easy (and popular) it is. Use the leftover lemon and olive oil from the marinade to make a fresh green salad.

Chocolate Soufflés recipe – This one works like a charm everytime. But if you’re after a lighter dessert, try Janella’s Pineapple BBQ recipe (you can replace the pineapple with pears, apples or peaches).

We’re celebrating the arrival of our new BBQ Starters (available from Barbeques Galore in the coming week) by filling your Christmas stockings with this season’s must-have BBQ accessory!

Guess the number of Candy Canes in the BBQ Starter below.

The first 5 closest guesses will each take home:

1 x Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter
1 x Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter Platform
1 x 4kg Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes

How to enter

Send your answer to heatbeads.fb[at]gmail.com along with your name, contact number and full shipping details (this is where we’ll send your prize if you win!).

The competition starts now and ends at 23:59 AEST, Thursday 8 December 2011. You must be a subscriber of the Heat Beads^® database to enter. Sign up here if you haven’t already. Winners will be announced here, Facebook, Twitter, and via email on Friday December 9. Competition only open to Australian residents.

WAIT, before you start counting, be sure to read the full Terms and Conditions* below. Good luck!

*Terms and Conditions
The competition is being conducted by Australian Char Pty Ltd, 3 Cojo Place, Dandenong South, Victoria 3175, phone 03 9706 6330, ABN 26 006 398 072. Sending us an entry means you will automatically be subscribed to the Heat Beads^® database (if you are not already subscribed). Only entrants who are part of the Heat Beads^® database will be considered. You also agree to abiding to all terms and conditions of the competition. To enter the competition, send an email to heatbeads.fb[at]gmail.com with your answer, along with your name, contact number and shipping details. The competition begins on Friday 2 December 2011, 09:00 AEST. Entries close Thursday 8 December 2011, 23:59 AEST. Heat Beads^® will not accept any entries outside the entry period. Heat Beads^® assumes no responsibility for lost/late entries. You must be 18 years old and above to enter. You must be an Australian resident. Heat Beads^® employees and their family members are not eligible to participate in the competition. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Entries will be selected at OCTO Integrated Marketing, 107/175 Sturt St, Southbank VIC 3006. Winners will be notified via email on Friday, December 9 with further announcements on the Heat Beads^® blog, Facebook and Twitter. Each prize will consist of: 1 x Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter + Heat Beads^® BBQ Starter Platform + 4kg bag of Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes. A total of five prizes will be awarded to five winners. If contact is unable to be made with any winners by March 9, 2012, the prizes will be awarded to the 6th – 10th runner up. Incomplete entries will not be accepted. The prize is non-transferable and not redeemable for cash/credit/ other product. The prize will be delivered to one (1) nominated address within Australia as provided in your competition entry. The prize will not be delivered to a PO Box address. Heat Beads^® will not be held responsible for any loss/damage to items that occur during the shipment process. All entry details remain the property of Heat Beads^®. By entering the competition, you agree that your name may be used for promotional purposes. Heat Beads^® will not disclose, distribute, sell any personal information. All decisions made by Heat Beads^® Management are final.