5 Amazingly Delicious Winter BBQ Ideas For Christmas 2021

Looking to revamp this year’s Christmas dinner? Why not make this year’s festivities a little more unique with a winter BBQ? There are so many delicious winter BBQ ideas that are simple to prepare, but big on festive flavour. Make this Christmas the most memorable yet by trying out these tasty winter BBQ ideas:

Apple Wood-Smoked Turkey

Taking pride of place on our list of the best winter BBQ ideas for Christmas has to be grilled turkey. The secret to making this turkey so tasty is using apple wood chips to infuse the flavour. Lekto’s easy to use Apple Wood Chips add a subtly sweet and delicate flavour to your food, which is particularly good for complimenting poultry. 

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey
• 130g kosher salt
• 130g brown sugar
• 65ml maple syrup
• 1l apple juice or apple cider
• 1-1.5l water (enough so that the turkey is fully submerged)

Method:

1. In a large container, mix together salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, and apple juice or apple cider until the sugar is dissolved
2. Add the turkey to soak in the brine and leave covered in the fridge for 16-24 hours. This is what gives this winter BBQ idea so much flavour!
3. Soak apple wood chips in water for 30 minutes and get the charcoal hot. Once the apple wood chips have finished smoking, place them directly onto the hot charcoal. Our Restaurant Grade Lumpwood Charcoal is perfect for this recipe, as it’s free from chemicals, easy to light, and has a long burn time.
4. Remove the turkey from the fridge and rinse it off
5. Pat the turkey dry and place on top of the cooking rack
6. BBQ the turkey until cooked, turning halfway through. On average, it takes around 20 minutes to cook each pound of turkey, meaning an average sized 8 pound turkey will take approximately 2.5-3 hours to cook
7. Once removed from the grill, leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving

Bacon Wrapped Peppers & Carrots (A.K.A Veg In Blankets!)

This winter BBQ idea is super easy to prepare, however it never fails to deliver on flavour. This is the perfect side dish to accompany your delicious main dishes, and is always a real crowd pleaser. The key to making this winter BBQ idea so delicious is adding a generous portion of maple syrup to enhance the delicious sweetness of the carrots.

Ingredients:

• 1kg peppers & carrots (depending on how many guests you are serving)
• 500g bacon
• 4 tbsp maple syrup

Method:

1. Cut your peppers and carrots into strips
2. Wrap the carrots & pepper strips in bacon
3. Grill until the vegetables are tender and the bacon is crispy (about 20-30 minutes), glazing the veg with maple syrup halfway through

Brussel Sprouts With Bacon And Maple Syrup

Love them or hate them, the festive period simply isn’t complete without brussel sprouts. The following winter BBQ idea will have even the worst enemies of brussel sprouts changing their tune. This tasty winter BBQ idea combines all the goodness of brussel sprouts with the saltiness of bacon and the sweetness of maple syrup.

Ingredients:

• 450g brussel sprouts
• 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3tbsp ground dijon mustard
• Sprinkling of bacon flavour
• 2-3tsp maple syrup
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:

1. Chop brussel sprouts in half and mix with olive oil, dijon mustard and bacon seasoning until evenly coated
2. Using a non-stick BBQ frying pan, grill the sprouts for 2-4 minutes, making sure to stir them so that they don’t stick
3. Drizzle over the maple syrup and grill for a further 3-5 minutes until they start to caramelise
4. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste

Cinnamon Baked Apples

Our list of the best winter BBQ ideas wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some delicious sweet treats. One of our favourite sweet winter BBQ ideas has to be baked apples, finished with plenty of cinnamon and sugar. You cook the apples in foil packets, meaning they're easy to cook on the firepit or chimenea, if you’re not using a grill.

Ingredients:

• 4 baking apples (add more or less depending on how many people you’re serving)
• 2tbsp cinnamon
• 2tbsp sugar
• 2tsp butter
• Handful of chopped nuts & dried fruit

Method:

1. Remove the core from the apples, making sure the bottom is left intact
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar
3. Fill each apple with a tablespoon of the cinnamon and sugar mixture and top with ½ teaspoon of butter
4. Wrap each apple in aluminium foil and place on the grill
5. Grill for approximately 20 minutes, turning them a couple of times. You can pierce the apples with a fork to check if they are cooked
6. Once cooked, leave to cool for a few minutes (the steam will be very hot when you open up the foil packets) and then top with the chopped nuts and dried fruit to serve. 

Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken And Sweet Potato Kebabs

Providing the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, this is the ultimate winter BBQ idea for keeping you warm on a cold winter’s day. The sweetness of the potato is contrasted deliciously by the freshness of the chilli, and the best part about this winter BBQ idea is that it’s completely hassle free to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• 500g chicken thighs (cut into 2 inch pieces)
• 1 onion
• 3tbsp olive oil
• 2tsp garlic powder
• 2tsp chilli powder
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp paprika
• 6tbsp honey
• 2tsp apple cider vinegar
• Skewers

Method:

1. Parboil the sweet potatoes (approximately 5 minutes). Once softened, drain immediately and set aside to cool
2. Meanwhile, mix together the olive oil with garlic, chilli, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika
3. In a separate bowl combine the honey and vinegar
4. Split the spice mixture into two separate bowls. Toss the chicken pieces in one half of the spices and toss the potatoes and onion in the other bowl
5. Thread the chicken, potatoes and onions onto the skewers
6. Brush the skewers with half of the honey glaze
7. Grill the skewers until the chicken is cooked through, turning regularly (approximately 10-15 minutes)
8. Remove from the grill and brush on the rest of the honey glaze to finish this delicious winter BBQ idea