Best Weber barbecue accessories, tried and tested

This one I can be quite unequivocal about - if you have a Weber barbecue and you haven't bought a rotisserie yet, don't waste any more time reading these words and get yourself one. It is without doubt the most useful and transformational bit of kit I have ever bought for my barbecue.

Why? It opens up so many new ways of cooking and types of cuisine that were previously not available. A barbecue by its very nature cooks things using direct contact with a metal grate (and either direct or indirect heat). While adding a rotisserie attachment means you can bake and roast things from all angles at once.

This is important because it encourages more even cooking and better self-basting, where juices from fattier parts of the meat (once rendered out by heat) can find their way into the drier bits.

It's increadibly easy to set up - just screw the elements of the spit together, attach a bracket to your barbecue, and then slide the motor and the spit into place. The rotisserie is turned on and off using a switch on the motor, and whatever you're cooking is held in place by four-pronged forks that lock into the spit with thumbscrews.

I will point out that the motor power cable is quite short. It doesn't actually reach the ground from my barbecue, so you either have a dangling extention lead or have to stick this on one of the barbecue shelves, which then takes up space. It is at least quite easy to clean, just leave it spinning over the hot grill for 10-20 mins and then scrub off anything stubborn with a bristle brush.

What I’ve used the Weber Rotisserie for

The immediate use-case for this is a rotisserie chicken, which has white and dark meat that cooks at different rates, and also contains different levels of fat. Even if that doesn't all migrate from the leg to the breast, it will find its way into a tray of roast potatoes stashed under the rotisserie, and those will be the best roast potatoes you've ever tasted.

I've cooked several of these already and the chicken is the moistest, most flavourful roast chicken I've ever made. I've also tried making shawarma by layering up marinaded chicken thighs and letting them rotate before slicing off the gnarliest bits every ten minutes or so. Again, this was pretty sensational.

Next I'd like to slow roast a larger joint and try a Brazilian Churrasco recipe, but a pineapple rotisserie desert idea I've seen has also caught my eye.

In terms of innovation, this isn’t the most complicated piece of kit – it’s a 40cm square of porcelain-enamelled cast iron - but the rim around the edge and lack of holes mean you can cook things on it that either require high heat or would normally fall through barbecue’s grill grates. Like batter.

There’s a small amount of preparation needed before you use it, in the form of ‘seasoning’ the cooking surface. This requires getting the griddle hot before spreading a thin layer of oil across it, which is then allowed to burn off.

Cleaning requires getting it blisteringly hot and then scraping anything off with a big spatula. Washing up liquid will strip the non-stick “seasoning” off so Weber recommends using baking powder on any really tough spots. I find squirting a bit of plain water helps or you can pick from the best bbq cleaners for more options.

What I’ve used the Weber Griddle for

Initially, I used this mainly for breakfast items like pancakes (I used to have to use two frying pans on the hob to make enough for my family) and fried eggs with hashbrowns, and even huevos rancheros and shakshuka.

More recently though I’ve been experimenting with birria (style) tacos, using leftover brisket as the filling and then frying tortilla wraps that have been dipped in a mixture of the roasting juices and stock. Actually getting quite hungry thinking about it now.

I’ve also got Philly Cheesesteak on my to-do list, having seen this famous sandwich made properly in Philadelphia a few years back, I'm keen to recreate it at home now I've got the appropriate kit.

The flat-top is a supremely versatile addition and I feel like I’m only just scratching the surface. Make sure you get a couple of big metal spatulas for the authentic noise and combination of scooping and chopping this griddle is characterised by. And a laser thermometer if you’re a real pro.

Useful for cooking things like chopped veg that you wouldn’t normally be able to balance on the grill, or delicate cuts of fish that need a flatter, more even surface to cook on.

You may be thinking that sounds like a similar proposition to the griddle and you’d be right, but the small gaps in this basket allow a bit of flame grillage flavour to find its way into your food, as opposed to frying in oil on the flat-top. It’s a subtle but noticeable difference.

What I’ve used the Weber Grilling Basket for

Primarily vegetables but also for chicken fajita wraps where I wanted a bit of charring but also the ability to mix the chopped peppers, meat, and onions around and add spicy seasoning without it all falling through the grill grates.

Also, it’s really good for adding colour and smokiness to a load of par-boiled potato wedges, which I used to put straight onto the bars of the barbecue, but find it much easier to turn them in the Grilling Basket.

This is probably the most interesting addition to a barbecue because it means you can make everyone pudding once they’ve had their main meal, without retreating to the kitchen for an hour.
But it’s not just for sweet things as I’ll get onto, as baking obviously covers bread and things made of bread. Like pizza.

What I’ve used the Weber Baking Stone for

If you’re a pizza purist you might want to skip this paragraph – but I’ve perfected a method of making big fluffy Neapolitan-style pizzas using a frying pan and the grill in my oven. Get both really hot, drop the stretched dough into the pan, cover with toppings and finish off under the grill.

It works so well I’ve not bothered trying a wood or gas-fired pizza oven, I reckon my pan and grill method is even faster and requires less tidying up.

However, that has all changed with this barbecue baking stone. You get it and the barbecue roaring hot, then turn down the burners directly under, and cook pizza with the lid shut using indirect heat (plus the residual heat of the stone). It works amazingly well – crisp base, soft but crunchy crust, and perfectly cooked toppings.

I’ve also made batches of biscuits, pouring the mixture straight onto the hot stone - this requires a bit of finessing in terms of heat because you don’t want to burn the bottom and leave the top raw, so I turned the burners under the stone right down and left the one to the side on full heat, and it worked well.

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