Firing up the BBQ this weekend? Experts reveal the surprising foods you should NEVER cook on there – including thin-cut bacon

With hot weather and glorious sunshine forecast this weekend, many Brits will be excited to fire up the barbecue. 

But before you light the coals, experts warn that there are some surprising foods you should never cook on there.

And if chucking some crispy bacon on your burger sounds delicious, this could come as a disappointment.

Thin–cut bacon tops the list of items that could ruin your cookout.

Which? food experts caution that this meaty treat causes excess fat to drip on the coals, leading to uncontrollable flare–ups.

These intensely hot flashes of fire can not only burn your food, but also run the risk of creating a dangerous grease fire.

‘Getting it wrong could mean a messy grill,’ warned Natalie Hitchins, Head of Which? Home Products and Services. 

So, do you need to rethink your shopping list?

Grated cheese

Alongside a nice piece of crisp bacon, some melted cheese might seem like a perfect accompaniment to a barbecued burger.

However, experts caution that using grated cheese is a surefire way to ruin your grill.

Which? says that grated cheese ‘melts into the coals rather than onto your food’.

This means sprinkling over some cheddar is likely to result in burned cheese stuck to your grill and burning fat flare–ups from below.

If you do want to add cheese to a burger or other dish, consider using sliced cheese or cheese with a very low melting temperature, like mozzarella or American cheese singles.

Puff pastry

If you’re getting really creative with your barbecue, you might have thought about cooking a tart or pastry over the hot coals.

Adding thin–cut bacon to the grill is a bad idea because it leads to dripping fat and uncontrollable flare–ups that will burn your food (stock image) 

While this sounds like a lovely idea in theory, Which? says that it is unlikely to work in practice.

Puff pastry requires a stable oven environment and diffuse heat in order to cook all the way through and for the layers to separate into a light, crispy shell.

However, cooking over the intense direct heat of a barbecue means that the outside burns before the pastry cooks all the way through.

If you are absolutely set on trying to cook pastry over the coals, you can try using a cast iron pan to help diffuse the heat and using a lid or cover to create an oven–like environment.

Leafy greens

Once you’ve got the barbecue going, the temptation to grill everything in sight sometimes sets in.

However, Which? says you shouldn’t give in to any wild ideas about adding a smoky flavour to your salad.

Leafy greens such as spinach, rocket, or kale will simply ‘wilt, burn and disappear’ once you expose them to the heat of the barbecue.

However, for a similar effect, Which? suggests charring a romaine lettuce over the flames.

Simply cut the lettuce in half lengthways, brush with oil and lay cut–side down over the grill for about one to two minutes.

Once lightly charged, Which? says this makes the perfect base for a smoky Caesar salad.

Fresh pasta

While it should be pretty clear that cooking dried pasta over the barbecue doesn’t make sense, fresh pasta might look like a more appealing prospect.

Soft, fresh pasta takes only a minute or two to cook through, and larger pasta styles, such as gnocchi, look like they could be rugged enough to survive the grill.

However, Which? cooking experts urge would–be culinary pioneers to avoid attempting this experiment.

Rather than becoming delicious and smoky, fresh pasta ‘sticks instantly and falls apart’ the second it is placed over coals.

Which? says you should avoid cooking leafy greens like spinach on the grill. However, hearty vegetables like Romaine lettuce can be charred over the coals for a smoky taste (pictured) 

Raw rice or grains

Rice or freshly cooked grains are a great, healthy accompaniment to barbequed meat.

However, no matter how creative you get, there’s no way of cooking raw rice or other grains over the barbecue.

These, of course, require water to cook and will not be edible no matter how long you roast them on the coals.

If you really want rice as a side dish, it’s much better to cook it inside on the hob or in a rice cooker ahead of time.