9 of the best BBQ boxes to try this summer – taste tested

Best BBQ boxes at a glance

• Best classic BBQ box: DukesHill classic BBQ meat box, £44
• Best ready-to-go BBQ box: Daylesford Organic Home-Grilling butcher box, £70
• Best BBQ box to impress guests: Tom Hixson Ribs and Burgers box, £65
• Best BBQ box for families: Pipers Farm Medium BBQ Meat Box, £43
• Best variety BBQ box: Swaledale Butchers The BBQ Meat Box, £93.85
• Best BBQ box for steak lovers: Farmison Steak Tasting Meat Box, £60
• Best BBQ box for fish and seafood: Rockfish BBQ Box, £59.95
• Best BBQ box for bangers: Farmison The Gourmet Sausage Bundle, £16
• Best surf and turf BBQ box: Pipers Farm Surf and Turf BBQ box, £56.80

9 of the best BBQ boxes to try

DukesHill classic BBQ meat box

Available from DukesHill (£44)

Best classic BBQ box

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For a classic barbecue box with a little bit of everything, you can’t go wrong with this DukesHill delivery. The classic box serves four to six, with the showstopper being two barbecue pork rib racks cured in DukesHill’s own sticky marinade. Traditional pork sausages and steak burgers are also included, and we like that the delivery includes four large burger buns, so you don’t need to pick these up separately. The compact (but weighty) box arrives with plenty of ice packs to keep the meat cool on arrival.

Available from:
DukesHill (£44)

Daylesford Organic home grilling butcher box

Available from Daylesford Organic (£70)

Best ready-to-go BBQ box

After a completely faff-free feast? This large box from Daylesford Organic is a great option if you’re short on prep time. Not only does it include two pre-marinated meats (subtly smoky, Spanish-style paprika chicken breasts; and piri-piri chicken wings), it also comes with six meaty, nutmeg-heavy Cumberland sausages; two beef rump steaks; a pack of chicken drumsticks; and all the elements to make a classic beef burger, including a fruity tomato ketchup and brioche buns. As is the case with all Daylesford’s produce, everything is organic. The meat and buns arrive fresh in an insulated box, but can be frozen if needed.

Available from:

Daylesford Organic (£70)

Tom Hixson ribs & burgers box

Available from Tom Hixson (£65)

Best BBQ box to impress guests

Want to really up the steaks at your next barbecue? For something a little more premium than the usual burgers, bangers and buns, Tom Hixson of Smithfields is an online butcher, founded in London’s iconic Smithfield market, that specialises in exclusive, restaurant-quality cuts of meat from the UK and beyond. Think: wagyu beef, Iberico pork, Hereford brisket and Argentine Chateaubriand. Its ribs & burgers box includes eight 28-day dry-aged marrow butter-infused steak burgers, two wagyu flat-iron steaks and two large racks of Iberico pork loin ribs, which all arrive carefully packed and frozen, ready to defrost and serve the next day, or keep in your freezer until needed. While the burgers and steaks are great for cooking directly on the barbie, we recommended marinating and slow-cooking the ribs in the oven, then finishing them on the barbecue (we followed this Jennifer Joyce’s baby back ribs with Carolina baste recipe).

Available from:

Tom Hixson (£65)

Pipers Farm medium BBQ meat box

Available from Pipers Farm (£43)

Best BBQ box for families

For an accessible box to suit the whole family, this one from Devon-based Pipers Farm covers all the classics. As well as four traditional grass-fed beef burgers, there are four flavoursome chicken patties, two kinds of sausages (six plain and six Cumberland) and a generous bag of meaty chicken wings. All the meat is free-range and comes from small-scale family farms that work sustainably. It’s clearly labelled, vacuum-packed and frozen, so you can order the box ahead of time and put it straight in the freezer until needed. We also love the fact that this box comes with eight light and fluffy seeded burger buns and two excellent sauces (ketchup and BBQ), meaning the amount of extra shopping needed is minimal. With both the quality and quantity in mind, this is a brilliant-value offering. Plus, the box, its insulation and packaging are all either recyclable or compostable.

Available from:

Pipers Farm (£43)

Swaledale Butchers the BBQ meat box

Available from Swaledale Butchers (£93.85)

Best variety BBQ box

Yorkshire-based Swaledale Butchers specialises in heritage breeds of slow-grown, free-roaming cattle, sheep and pigs sourced from sustainable farms in the Dales, then expertly butchered and delivered fresh in fully recyclable packaging. Its BBQ meat box seriously impresses in both quality and variety, featuring a huge array of different meats and interesting cuts. These include nicely marbled rib-eye steaks; chunky pork loin chops; large, free-range chicken breasts and drumsticks; steak burgers; Korean-style beef short ribs (‘Korean-style’ referring to the way they’re cut, not flavoured); Yorkshire chipolatas; and North African-style kofta kebabs. While all of it impressed, our top highlights were the spiced kofta kebabs, made with super-juicy lamb, warming North African spices, a perfect amount of seasoning and a punchy chilli kick; and the Yorkshire chipolatas with their brilliant pork flavour and convenient size (not only does a chipolata cook quicker, it’s also the ideal length and shape for a hot dog bun).

Available from:

Swaledale Butchers (£93.85)

Farmison steak tasting meat box

Available from Farmison (£60)

Best BBQ box for steak lovers

Farmison is an online butcher with a mission to provide better British meat to the UK. Though it has plenty of different meat boxes to choose from, we love this one featuring three of Farmison’s finest matured grass-fed beef steaks, all great for the barbecue. It includes two thick, 32-day dry-aged sirloin steaks; two bavette steaks (a quick-cook option that’s brilliant on the barbie, and particularly delicious in Tom Kerridge’s barbecued bavette steak & tomato salad or simply seasoned with salt and pepper and served with chimichurri sauce); and, for something a little more special, two beautifully tender fillet steaks, ideal for impressing on date night with an elevated barbecue steak and chips.

Available from:

Farmison (£60)

Rockfish BBQ box

Available from Rockfish (£59.95)

Best BBQ box for fish and seafood

If you love fish, are pescetarian or simply trying to cut down on meat, this is the box for you, from sustainable seafood experts Rockfish. Championing locally and sustainably caught fish and seafood, nearly all of this summer’s barbecue offering comes from waters hyper-local to Rockfish’s Brixham base, including two meaty monkfish tails (the perfect fish for grilling), two portions of sardine fillets and six hand-dived scallops. There are also six large, shell-on prawns, sourced from outside UK waters, but specifically chosen for their quality and sustainability (they’re MSC-certified). We love the attention to detail in this box – not only is the packaging compact and well-insulated, it also comes with several useful extras, including shells to cook the scallops in, a jar of Rockfish’s homemade garlic butter to pour over your freshly grilled fish (heaven), a handy booklet of grilling tips from chef and Rockfish founder Mitch Tonks, and a pack of natural fire lighters.

Available from:

Rockfish (£59.95)

Farmison the gourmet sausage bundle

Available from Farmison (£16)

Best BBQ box for bangers

A great British barbie needs a great British banger, and this bundle from ethically conscious Yorkshire-based butchers Farmison & Co features three different varieties of gourmet sausage to suit every taste. Made from locally sourced, free-range pork or grass-fed lamb, the bundle includes six English breakfast sausages (a crowd-pleasing chipolata-like banger that’s perfect in a hot dog, or as part of your morning fry-up), six award-winning Nidderdale sausages (fatter, meatier and coarser-textured than the English breakfast ones), and six lamb merguez sausages packed with chilli, garlic and North African-inspired spices.

Available from:

Farmison (£16)

Pipers Farm surf and turf BBQ box

Availablefrom Pipers Farm (£55.80)

Best surf and turf BBQ box

If you want more than sausages, try this chic surf and turf barbecue box from Piper’s Farm. Feeding four to six people, the box includes two sirloin steaks, six hand-dived scallops (complete with roe) and a monkfish tail – perfect for turning a barbecue into a dinner party. The scallops are plump and juicy, the whole monkfish tail is meaty and the steaks are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Everything arrives frozen (with a box of sea salt, all in 100% recyclable packaging), so you can keep it on standby for the ideal sunny weekend.

Available from:
Piper’s Farm (£55.80)

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