How to Grillo like Ainsley
You’ve probably seen the latest ITV series, Ainsley’s National Trust Cook Off, and you may be wondering, where do I get one of those grills like Ainsley had? Read on to see how we did it!
Grillo's Gas BBQ: Ainsley's choice
Ainsley chose to cook on a Gas BBQ, which was the most convenient for the show. So when we were working with ITV to plan the show, we had a real challenge on our hands. Everyone wanted Ainsley to be facing the cameras and cooking in front of him like this. But when all barbecues have a lid or a hood like this one, that created a real visual challenge for the camera guys. So we made a very simple adaption to our Gas BBQ here. We simply unscrewed these screws along the side and took this whole lid off. That way, when the camera guys were filming from that side, they could still see what Ainsley was cooking on the barbecue.
The lid-off approach...
So if you want a grill just like Ainsley’s, you need our standard Gas BBQ station, and then you can simply take the lid off if you want to. However, if you’re not gonna be on national TV, you’ll probably find it simpler to just leave the barbecue lid on. It gives you a lot more control, and you can also retain all of those smoky flavours when the lid is down.
Side burner - great for pans
It’s also worth noting that from June 2024, we’re launching a side burner. This just sits at the edge of the Gas BBQ, and it means you can use pans and cook vegetables and anything that you want to cook in a pan on a hob ring. This is an ideal alterative to using the grill with the hood off.
Gusto Charcoal BBQ - the authentic approach
If you want to use pans and really embrace barbecues, check out the Gusto Charcoal BBQ. This comes with a pan ring option, meaning you can use a pan on the Gusto cooking over real charcoal. This gives you those incredibly smoky, authentic flavours, and it’s a lot of fun and theatre. Ainsley and all the chefs from the show loved using the Gusto. It’s probably one of the most versatile barbecues out there.
We hope you are as excited and inspired by this show as we are. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can catch up on ITVX, and here’s to many happy hours of al fresco entertaining ahead of you.
Ainsley’s Outdoor Kitchen!
Ainsley Harriott is cooking up a sizzling summer feast in the Grillo outdoor kitchen, starting Saturday 18th May 2024 on ITV1. Each week will feature a new pair of celebrity chefs to go head-to-head using fresh produce from the National Trust gardens.
“Summery outdoor cooking vibes are on their way ☀️” – Ainsley Harriott on Instagram
