The surprising food tips that'll take your summer BBQ to the next level.

The great Aussie BBQ: it’s a practice so ingrained in our culture you’d think we invented it. (We didn’t.)

The roots of the culinary tradition may not lie with us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know our way around a burner.

A group of Australians have kindly (too right, mate) shared their top barbecue tips on the anonymous forum of Reddit — and they’re as surprising as they are helpful.

What do ya mean, watermelon?

“Give watermelon a try on the BBQ and you’ll never look back. Cut it on 2cm cubes and caramelise it on each side. It doesn’t melt / disintegrate, and the taste is intensified. In a salad with feta cheese and baby spinach it’s gold.”

Onya, onion

"Cut an onion in half and use it to season your grill before cooking steak. Rub the surface of your cooked steak with the cut side of a garlic clove."

"Common knowledge is to pour a little beer on the onions as they cook, for the bonus of keeping them moist and to help with the colour... The end result were tasty onions and a feeling that would have been similar to discovering penicillin. Obviously with any marinades, overnight tends to work best."

A corny affair

"Cut corn cobs in two segments and cook them standing vertical on the grill (cut face to the grill). Turn to other side after a few minutes. Heat rising cooks the kernels without burning them."

"Corn cobs - cut them small and cook them quickly, grill or plate."

via GIPHY

A meaty decision

"Marinate ribs with a dry rub (paprika, oregano, salt, pepper and brown sugar). Cook ribs in a covered roasting tin on a hooded BBQ for an hour. Remove and finish on the hot grill using the fat/rub mixture as a baste."

"Cover the meat in a few drops of lemon/lime juice before cooking. Obviously you'll add a zing to the meal but it actually works to break down the tougher parts of tissue. This has the double benefit of tenderizing and allowing your marinade to penetrate further inside the meat."

via GIPHY

Saucy chicks

"Use some baking paper to line the hot plate when cooking saucy chicken kebabs. It will save a cleanup of messy caramelised sauce."

"Chicken breast marinated in teriyaki and garlic overnight. Makes a bloody mess of the BBQ plate, but it's bloody delicious. Don't cook it too fast/hot, and cover with a tray while cooking to keep it juicy."

Garlic bread

"My hot tip is to do garlic bread on the barbie. Just get a French stick, melted butter with minced garlic and grill 'em up on the grill section. Bloody beautiful."

Not so dim simmies.

"Dim Sims - yep, cut them in half and give them a go. I'm not a huge dimmy fan, but it's a different flavor."