Sun's out, grills out. Wherever you are in the world, chances are that if it's not pouring with rain, you'll be manning the barbecue at some point this summer.
But these days this is more than just a sunny-day tradition. With more nations' grilling and smoking knowhow permeating London's restaurant kitchens, we're exposed to more eclectic and far-ranging barbecue styles than ever before.
Take US barbecue, for example: what started as a small-scale trend is now ubiquitous, and with that comes chefs researching, travelling and messing with regional variations. Or what about Indian food? If you like tandoori meat, you've been eating Indian barbecue for pretty much ever.
Whether you're grilling yourself and on the hunt for inspiration, or you prefer to leave it to professionals, barbecue is a truly global way of cooking and eating. We've collated coal and wood cooking styles from all over the world. Pick your favourite, or get stuck in to them all. Happy grilling...
USA
US barbecue has its roots in the slave trade. The sub-standard pieces of meat slaves were given benefited from both slow-cooking over coals to tenderise them, and from masking the flavour with the tang of heavily spiced rubs and sauces.
Modern-day barbecue tradition varies by location: for example, Kansas uses dry rubs with sauces served at the table; the Carolinas have the monopoly on pulled pork; and in Memphis it's all about loading sandwiches with smoked meat. But tradition changes not only from state to state, but from city to city, too – no more so than in Texas. In the east of the Lone Star State, meat tends to be slow-cooked over hickory wood; in central Texas, it's dry-rubbed; and in the south, it's marinated and slathered with sticky-sweet sauce. Confused? We've got a solution: eat more barbecue.
Blues Kitchen
Blues Kitchen's three restaurants are purveyors of damn fine Texas-style BBQ, with their meat joints slow-cooked for hours, if not days, over a blend of hickory, mesquite, oak and fruit woods.
Key dish: Burnt ends
Various; theblueskitchen.com
Pitt Cue
One of the early trailblazers of the US barbecue trend, Pitt Cue started life as a food truck, continued as a tiny Soho restaurant, and now resides in a room to match its hefty demand in Devonshire Square. It cooks its meats over a custom-built wood grill and smoker.
Key dish: Mangalitsa chop
1 The Avenue, Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YP; pittcue.co.uk
Shotgun
Chef Brad McDonald has garnered acclaim for the way he reinvents aspects of the US barbecue tradition. At Shotgun – founded by McDonald along with bartender James Stevenson – you'll find great drinks and delicious food served in a beautiful room, all inspired by old-time Charleston and New Orleans.
Key dish: Pig's ear with sour pancakes
26 Kingly Street, W1B 5QD; shotgunbbq.com
The enormous wood grill at Pitt Cue
Europe
If we're being totally honest, we do love a barbecue in the summer, but we're not quite sure grilling a few tasty burgers really counts as a tradition. Luckily, our continental neighbours have more than enough to spare.
Across the Mediterranean, al fresco dining and cooking over coals is lapped up emphatically, with possibly the finest exponents hailing from the Basque Country, where chefs are always eager to cook over flame, and Greece, where souvlaki – a cousin of the Levant's kebab – is hawked on streets and in restaurants.
Scandinavia carries a strong 'cuing tradition, too: open flame is revered as a way to cook, and smoking goes hand-in-hand with pickling and fermentation to form a hugely important part of traditional Nordic cooking.
Lurra
Possibly London's best exponent of the kind of wood cooking Basque chef Bittor Arguinzoniz made world famous at his restaurant Asador Etxebarri is Lurra, where you'll find gorgeous grilled meat and seafood in a beautiful room in the Marylebone borderlands.
Key dish: 14-year Rubia Gallega 'Galician Blond' prime rib
9 Seymour Place, London W1H 5BA; lurra.co.uk
Ember Yard
Ben Tish has been a trailblazer in the European-inspired barbecue scene, having heralded the virtues of matching woods to meats since Ember Yard launched. At the restaurant, you'll find something a mish-mash of Spanish, Basque and Italian grilling traditions.
Key dish: Whole lamb gigot cooked over oak, served with charred red onion and capers
60 Berwick Street, W1F 8SU; emberyard.co.uk
Rok Smokehouse
This ode to Nordic food in Shoreditch has it all: fermented veg, inventive cold dishes, charcuterie and, of course, smoked meats. You'll find them named simply on the menu according to what the kitchen's got in, with classic Scandi pickled vegetables served alongside.
Key dish: Kid goat with celery relish, burnt leek and capers
26 Curtain Rd, EC2A 3NY; roklondon.co.uk
Galician old beef from Marylebone's Basque grill Lurra
The Levant
Given how much the countries in this region share with each other, the Levant is usually treated as one food region. It comprises North African, Middle-Eastern, Turkish, Israeli and loads more cuisines, its common dishes being hummus, falafel, flatbreads and all that good stuff.
In terms of cooking over coals, the kebab is the standout, with different spiced whole or ground meats cooked on skewers all around the region and served in low-key joints known as mangals, as well as lamb and beef slow-cooked in spice mixes and served on huge platters to share.
Arabica Bar & Kitchen
Arabica aims to take its patrons all over the Levant with its contemporary dishes, the hot ones cooked in a ferocious clay oven or over coals. The latter includes some old faithfuls (lamb kofte, anyone?) with newer-school creations.
Key dish: Charred lamb liver with Urfa chilli salt and lamb-dripping flatbread
Borough Market, 3 Rochester Walk, SE1 9A; arabicabarandkitchen.com.
Black Axe Mangal
Lee Tiernan's homage to the mangal is definitely in the 'new-school' category, with rock and metal providing the backdrop to kebabs and meat, cooked over wood in a huge oven.
Key dish: Bakken Special (grilled and slow-cooked lamb with lentils)
156 Canonbury Road, N1 2UP; blackaxemangal.com.
Josh Katz at Berber & Q, the Moroccan-inspired barbecue restaurant in Haggerston
South America
For a place blessed with so many diverse cuisines, South America seems happy to share a reasonably singular barbecue culture across the countries that make it up. You'll find some form of asado in most South American countries – that's choice cuts of meat cooked on an enormous parrilla, or on a wood-fired grill, with vegetables around the sides.
In Argentina in particular, beef is a sacred tradition, which is why you'll find Argentinian steakhouses using this method all over London. In Brazil, and other countries including Bolivia, Uruguay and a few more, the tradition is similar – but it's more commonly referred to as churrasco, with restaurants that serve it named churrascarias, which serve meat grilled on skewers called rodízio. And in Peru, barbecued food makes a great counterpoint to the sharp, tangy ceviche for which it's arguably better known. It's cooked over charcoal, open flame, or by using stones heated up over fire and then buried, known as pachamanca.
Preto
Form an orderly queue – Preto's brand of churrasco is served quick and easy at the table, just like in Brazil. Rodizio skewers and roasted meats are dished up on a big scale, but they're tasty and great value. Preto's got five restaurants in west and south-west London, so you're never too far away from your Brazilian barbecue fix.
Key dish: The full rodizio grill
Various locations; rodiziopreto.co.uk.
Santa Maria del Sur
This cult steakhouse in Battersea might look unassuming from the outside, but it's regularly cited as one of the best steak restaurants in London. It serves classic Argentinian cuts, sourced from the plains of the country itself, alongside an all-Argentinian wine list.
Key dish: Bife de lomo (tenderloin)
129 Queenstown Road, SW8 3RH; santamariadelsur.com.
Señor Ceviche
Señor Ceviche, a Peruvian-inspired restaurant in Kingly Court, might name itself after its national dish, but it backs up its citrus-cured fish with a flaming charcoal grill, where the chefs cook up tasty-as-hell Peruvian barbecue.
Key dish: Pachamanca pork ribs
Kingly Court, Kingly Street, W1B 5PW; senor-ceviche.com.
Anticucho de res from Peruvian restaurant Señor Ceviche. Photograph by Lateef Okunnu
Pacific Rim
Something something shrimp, something barbie. OK, Australia didn't earn its barbecue-loving reputation for nothing, but there's more subtlety to its barbecued cuisine than the tired stereotype would suggest. In technical terms, Aussie barbecue is arguably the closest relative to our own – sauces and rubs aren't really commonplace, nor is slow-cooking or smoking; it's more about great meat that's simply grilled over hot coals.
In New Zealand, the culture's similar, but the Maori people have a tradition similar to Peru's pachamanca, where meat is cooked in an earth oven called a hangi. In Hawaii, fish cooked over flame on the beach is a common sight, and in Japan, marinated meat cooked over charcoal or live fire is usually referred to as yakiniku generally, and robatayaki refers to skewered meat in particular.
Granger & Co
Bill Granger made his name in Sydney's restaurant world before bringing his brand of easygoing and light Australian fare to three London restaurants. As you'd expect, a significant portion of the menu at his restaurants is devoted to grilled food.
Key dish: Grilled market fish
Various locations; grangerandco.com
Black Roe
Hawaiian fish salad poke might be the focus here, but the open kitchen at the new Hawaiian-inspired Black Roe will also feature a kiawe wood grill, over which meats will be cooked and served with Pacific island garnishes.
Key dish: Smoky lamb rack, coconut and piquillo reduction
4 Mill Street, W1S 2AX; blackroe.com
ROKA
Possibly the finest exponent of authentic robatayaki in London is ROKA, whose opening in Charlotte Street was swiftly followed by three more around the capital. An enormous wood grill forms the focal point of each location.
Key dish: Kankoku fu kohitsuji – lamb cutlets with Korean spices
Various locations; rokarestaurant.com
Barbecued lamb chops from poké bar Black Roe
East Asian
Most of us are familiar with satay, the bamboo skewers of juicy meat (usually chicken) cooked over charcoal and served with some sort of peanut sauce that are the one of the main street foods in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Elsewhere, there's the similar chuanr in China, traditionally made with lamb, but also occasionally with insects.
Barbecues are popular in Hong Kong, but unlike American and African barbecues, everyone cooks their own meat, while in the Philippines, lechon – similar to a hog roast – is a diet staple, particularly when it comes to celebrations
Som Saa
Andy Oliver's Som Saa garnered a following for its Thai-style charcoal grill when it was just a pop-up. Now that it's set up its first permanent site with more space, the menu has expanded to offer other items from across Thailand, but the grill remains extremely popular.
Key dish: Gai yaang – Thai-style grilled chicken leg with tamarind dipping sauce
43A Commercial Street, E1 6BD; somsaa.com
Bó Drake
This Greek Street restaurant labels itself as East Asian barbecue, which means you can expect to find 'cued meat with plenty of sweet and pickled flavours on its daily changing menu.
Key dish: Bo ssam – smoked pulled pork, ssamjang, kimchi, and spring onion oil
6 Greek Street, London , W1D 4DE; bodrake.co.uk
Yijo
Bring your chef's hat; each table is equipped with a built-in charcoal barbecue so you do all the cooking yourself – a concept that's been popular in Korea for years.
Key dish: Pork bulgogi – thinly-sliced pork marinated in a fruity sauce.
1 Station Road, N3 2SB; yijo.co.uk
Deep-fried whole sea bass from Thai restaurant Som Saa
Indian Subcontinent
Barbecue in India revolves around the tandoor – a cylindrical clay or metal oven. It contains a charcoal or a wood fire which reaches incredibly high temperatures, so meat develops extra flavour thanks to the smoke produced when the juice drips onto the charcoal.
Other than meat – chicken is particularly popular – tandoors are also used to bake flatbreads. The ovens are found all over the subcontinent – in Pakistan, there's a tandoor in almost every home, while in Afghanistan, it's made of bricks and sits above ground.
Gymkhana
With decor inspired by Indian Raj-era sports clubs – expect dark wood and cut glass – Gymkhana is known for its inspired use of both the tandoor and sigri charcoal grill.
Key dish: Guinea fowl pepper fry
43 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JH; gymkanalondon.com
Tayyabs
Tayyabs specialises in Punjabi cuisine and is renowned for its mixed grill and its chapattis – cooked in the tandoor with vegetables to infuse it with spices.
Key dish: Grilled lamb chops
83-89 Fieldgate Street, E1 1JU; tayyabs.co.uk
Amaya
Specialising in pan-Indian 'tapas', Amaya has a seasonal menu revolving around meat cooked on the tawa (a thick iron plate), sigri or tandoor, right in front of you for added theatre. Bravo!
Key dish: Grilled seafood platter
Halkin Arcade, SW1X 8JT; amaya.biz
A tandoor dish at Gymkhana, Mayfair's Michelin-starred Indian restaurant
