 "We love BBQs and have one at least once a week all year round. We have built a BBQ on our patio with a roof over it so that we can cook in all weathers, we especially like to cook in the winter evenings. It is much more romantic than in the summer, we have our fairy lights on around the patio and a spotlight on the grill so we can see what we are doing! We don't cook anything fancy mainly steaks, chops, fish, sausages and sweetcorn with jacket potatoes from the microwave!
"Now we have bought a gas heater we have been able to continue eating outside as well. We put our table between the grill and the heater and it is great fun, even the cat will sit by it!
"In order to get our steaks just right I like to time them. I note how long it takes for the blood to appear on the top of the steak and then cook it for the same time on the other side. This give a 'just right' medium done steak!
" To do the timing I have made a garden clock which I have on the
wall by the BBQ. To make this I bought from the local garden centre a large terra cotta dish which is used for sitting a plant pot on. I drilled a hole in the centre of this with a masonry drill to take a quartz clock unit. You can buy these separate but the best way is to buy a cheap clock for a few pounds from a market stall and take the clock unit out. Fit the clock unit into the hole in the dish with the fingers on the bottom side. This means the unit is sheltered from the weather by the rim of the dish.
"I then glued bit of plastic onto the edge of the dish at the hour positions. I cut up the plastic backing from an old car windscreen wiper for this although they are only about 50p on a market for a new one!
 "Drill a hole in the rim at the top of the dish and hang it on a hook on the wall. Ours goes in all weathers, we get perfectly timed steaks and we always know the time when we are in the garden. Just have to remember to change it when the hour changes for summer or winter!"
Regards
Ray & Barb Morris
Ray and Barb's web site
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