Host a BBQ for Christmas Dinner – Christmas Around the World

It’s December! The time for tinsel, mistletoe, gifts, lights, Santa, carols, snow and most importantly – good food.

A Christmas dinner has to be the most iconic dish of the year, I can’t remember the last time I ate a Christmas dinner and didn’t feel like I was going to explode. Stuffing ourselves with turkey, pigs in blankets, sprouts, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower cheese, broccoli, parsnips, carrots and Yorkshire puddings, the list goes on! Then after all that, trying to squeeze in a dessert of a yule log, Christmas pudding or mince pie very nearly tips us all over the edge. Truly the most joyous time of the year.

Hosting a Barbecue for a Non-Traditional Christmas Dinner

But wait, what if you’re simply not keen on a roast dinner? Or you’d like a bit of a change this year? Listen, here at Cinders, we love the traditional Christmas dinner, but there’s something we love even more – a barbecue (you’d have never guessed!).

If you’re fancying something new and different for this year, we recommend hosting a Christmas BBQ. However, if you just can’t bring yourself to miss out on the orthodox turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce then you can always host a barbecue sometime in December rather than on Christmas day and get the best of both worlds.

Best Ideas for an Xmas BBQ

Like the idea of an Xmas barbecue? You’re probably now thinking of the possible food choices you can use on your grill, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together a list of the best Christmas BBQ ideas for a smoky time of the year:

• Honey-glazed smoked ham – no Christmas food list is complete without a beautiful smoked ham, truly delicious when barbecued.
• Rotisserie turkey – we’re not going to deny you the main meat of Christmas, turkey is the embodiment of this time of the year and it’s absolutely mouth-watering when slow-roasted on a rotisserie.
• Barbecue pulled pork – whether you place it on sandwiches or simply pair it with grilled veg, pulled pork is extremely tender, juicy and gorgeous when cooked right.
• Kebabs or satay – I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that doesn’t love meat or veg poked through sticks, sounds so simple but tastes so good!
• Pigs in blankets – now, I’m not talking about the tiny ones you find on a traditional Christmas dinner. I’m talking about buying the best sausages and hand wrapping them in glorious bacon and then barbecuing them! Next level pigs in blankets.
• Grilled asparagus – the tastiest way to cook asparagus is definitely on the barbecue grill.
• Prime rib – intense flavours to satisfy the meat lovers of your friends and family.

When cooking on a BBQ, the possibilities are endless and your guests are sure to enjoy the smoky flavours it creates.

What do Other Countries Have for Christmas Dinner?

Not having the traditional roast for Xmas isn’t as crazy as you might think, after all, you won’t find many people outside of the UK or US tucking into a turkey on the 25^th of December. That got us thinking – what do Christmas food traditions around the world look like?

• Japan – starting off with our favourite out of the list, Japanese families tuck into KFC on Christmas day! A tradition that started with some top marketing by the fast-food chain, Japan didn’t have many Christmas traditions back in the 1970s, KFC changed this by offering a holiday bucket filled with their signature chicken and a Christmas cake. This tradition is so popular that the Japanese have to place their KFC order up to two months in advance!
• Germany – Families in Germany have the Weihnachtsgans for their Christmas feast, translating to ‘Christmas goose’. Their goose is usually stuffed with apples, onions, chestnuts and prunes and served with red cabbage, dumplings and sauerkraut all topped with gravy.
• Costa Rica – It’s a tradition to make tamales on Christmas Day in Costa Rica, with every family having their own twist and recipe for the dish. The tamales are often stuffed with pork, beef or chicken alongside other ingredients.
• Argentina – The Argentineans also love a good barbecue, and their Christmas dinner is usually cooked barbecue-style with a roast suckling pig and veal.
• Czech Republic – the people of Czech Republic usually fast the day of Christmas Eve to prepare for their evening meal of mushroom kuba or fish soup to start then fried carp and potato salad to finish.
• France – The French Christmas dinner consists of oysters, foie grass, roast turkey and a range of cheeses, it’s called Le Réveillon and they eat it on Christmas Eve.
• Italy – Named the ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’ and eaten during Christmas in Southern Italy, this meal consists of seven seafood dishes that include cod, calamari, shrimp, linguini, octopus salad and shrimp cocktail.
• Poland – Christmas is a meat-free day for the Polish, their meal consists of red borscht with dumplings, pierogi, herring, carp, soup, sauerkraut, cabbage, kutia, gingerbread and dried fruit.
• Greenland – a very controversial one, the people of Greenland actually eat whale and reindeer meat on Christmas. A delicacy on Christmas is mattak, strips of whale blubber in whale skin.
• Australia – another country that loves the grill, it’s actually summer in Australia during December. This means that their meal consists of summer foods such as ham and grilled shrimp.
• Spain – Christmas begins with tapas in Spain, then moves on to seafood soup as a starter and fish or lamb as the main course. For dessert, Turrón, a nougat, is served up.
• Norway – another unique one, Norwegians typically serve up a whole, steamed sheep’s head called Smalahove. They also eat pork ribs, dried cod, trout and ribs of lamb.

There are a ton of unique Christmas foods that other countries have for their dinner, it doesn’t just revolve around turkey!

Barbecuing for Christmas

If you’re planning on hosting a Christmas BBQ, you have to do it right – after all, it’s the one time of the year where people are counting on amazing food. You can’t cook amazing food without a high-quality barbecue. We’ve told you ideas on what to cook for a Christmas BBQ, let us provide you with the best equipment to cook it on. Cinders’ barbecues are the perfect solution to cooking juicy meat and delicious veg. We’ve been developing our products for over 35 years, so don’t compromise on quality this Christmas:

Purchase a barbecue or use our local search for barbecue rental services.