The Off-Season Barbie - Your Cold Weather Guide to Perfect Indoor Grilling

The Barbie. It’s as Aussie as Shower Beers, fairy bread at a kid’s birthday party, or chucking a sickie the day before a public holiday.

With summer gearing up for its final tilt, the calendar might say the Australian BBQ season is winding down, but true grilling enthusiasts know it’s more than just a summer fling—barbecuing is a year-round love affair. While your neighbours are covering their barbies to hibernate for the winter, you can keep those smoky flavours alive and well - in your kitchen.

If you’re worried about safety, here's something the summer-only grillers don't know: those distinctive char marks and that mouth-watering caramelisation aren't exclusive to outdoor barbecues. With the right gear and techniques, you can achieve authentic Aussie BBQ results without having to brave the elements or fight off determined flies.

From the best indoor smokeless grills to our favourite indoor electric grill recipes, this guide will help you deck out your kitchen with everything you need to keep those sunny arvo BBQ vibes alive, even when it’s gloomy outside. By the time you're done reading, you'll be handling indoor grilling with the kind of confidence that would make even the most weathered BBQ veteran nod in appreciation.

We've also packed this guide with recipes that bring those authentic smoky flavours and perfect sear lines inside—where there are no swooping magpies, sudden downpours, or hungry mozzies to crash your grilling session.

The Best Indoor Grilling Pans and Smokeless Grills

First up, meet your new best friends for indoor grilling:

The Grill Pan: Barbecuing on the Stove

These beauties are your secret weapon against BBQ withdrawal, and they're a far cry from those heavy old cast iron monsters your Gran used to wrestle with.

GreenPan’s Greenlife and Blue Diamond ceramic non-stick grill pans are tough as a tradie's ute. Those raised ridges do more than just look flash—they're your ticket to perfect char marks while letting all the excess fat sneak away underneath. Unlike your outdoor barbie, this one won't have you drawing straws to see who lights it up, so everyone’s eyebrows will live to see another day.

The Blue Diamond Grill Pan brings some serious tech to the table, packing a diamond-infused coating that makes it extra rugged and beautifully heat-conductive. With the Greenlife Soft Grip Grill Pan, you get a similarly smooth, non-stick cooking surface plus a clever steam lid that'll cook your tucker up to 30% faster—perfect for when hunger strikes and patience is running thin.

Both grill pans are light enough to store without doing your back in, and cleanup's quick and easy thanks to the PFAS-free non-stick surface.

Pro grilling tip: Before you slap your meat on any of these pans, you want to make sure it's properly hot. While your bogun mate Davo who repeated Grade 3 four times, might like to stick his palm on the pan and decide it’s hot enough when he has 2nd-degree burns, there’s an easier - and safer - way to do it. Chuck a drop of water on the pan. If it glides along like a surfer catching a wave down at Bells, you're good to go. If it sits there like a lost tourist, give it more time to heat up.

The Contact Grill: Your Smokeless Indoor Barbecue Grill

If your regular barbie and a Swiss Army knife had a love child, it'd be this clever bit of kit. The Contact Grill is like seven appliances wearing one very fancy suit—grilling steaks one minute, pressing paninis the next, and even moonlighting as a waffle maker when sweet cravings strike.

This beauty opens up flat, giving you all the cooking space you need. With dual-zone heating, you can have different temps running on each plate—perfect for when you're cooking for that one mate who likes their steak cremated while you prefer yours still mooing.

The non-stick coating means your food basically moonwalks onto your plate. When clean-up time rolls around, you can pretty much knock off for a smoko. Everything important pops straight into the dishwasher, while the removable drip tray catches all the messy stuff.

The whole thing locks up tight, making storage between grilling sessions compact and easy.

The Airfryer: When You’re Craving Something Crispy

There are a few ingenious tricks you can learn to achieve the quintessential barbeque flavour and texture right there on your countertop:

• Pre-heat your airfryer to 200°C. This recreates the kind of heat your food will encounter on the barbie and helps achieve the sought-after crispy surface. Once the food is in the grill, ease it down just a smidge to 180oC~190oC so you don’t overcook.
• Rub the basket with a raw onion. As weird as this sounds, this one is pure genius. The onion will not only season the meat, but make the grill easier to clean afterwards. The sulfur in the onion reacts with the metal in the grate to prevent food from sticking. You can thank us later!
• The season to season: No matter how well you can mimic the cooking action of a BBQ, achieving that signature smoky flavour is a harder issue. Fortunately, Mother Nature has come to the rescue with a potpourri of delicious flavours and aromas that combine to deliver a “meaty” vibe. Smoked paprika and cumin are the winning combination that make things taste “meaty”. If you’re feeling lazy, get yourself some liquid smoke and/or barbeque sauce and slater generously.
• Prep foods so they are uniform in size: Few things are more frustrating than when half your food is underdone, and the rest is overcooked. The danger of this is particularly high in the airfryer, where cooking times are quicker, leaving less margin for error., Making sure that all your items are cut to the same size is a simple yet effective way of avoid the issue.

The Bistro Dual Zone Airfryer might seem like an odd mate for your indoor BBQ setup, but this versatile workhorse has a few tricks up its sleeve that'll make you reconsider. While it won't stamp those coveted grill marks on your meat, it's the master at creating that golden, crispy outer layer while keeping everything inside juicy and lush.

The dual-zone technology means you can cook your snags at 180°C in one basket while your chips crisp up at 200°C in the other—no more juggling hot plates or figuring out timing disasters.

Plus, the air circulation system gives you that satisfying crunch without drowning your tucker in oil, making it perfect for those nights when you want the BBQ experience, but your doctor's been giving you side-eye about your cholesterol.

Mastering Indoor Grilling Techniques

There are a few subtle differences in technique that separate a good meal from a great one. These core skills will transform your indoor cooking space into a proper grilling station that delivers consistent results every time.

Pre-Game Warm-up

Bringing your meat to room temperature before cooking is a crucial step that many home cooks skip. Pull your protein out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking (less for thinner cuts).

This simple step ensures even cooking and better browning. While you're waiting, prep your sides and get your marinades sorted.

Pro grilling tip: Use this time to properly pre-heat your grill pan as per the instructions above.

Temperature Control: Your New Superpower

Indoor grilling gives you precise temperature control—something that can be about as reliable as Melbourne weather when you're cooking outside. Use this to your advantage. Start with high heat to get those beautiful char marks, then dial it back to your target temperature for the perfect doneness. Keep a meat thermometer handy to nail it every time.

Marinade Magic

Since you won't have smoke adding flavour, marinades become your secret weapon. Our favourite is this simple but effective mix:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Give your meat a good two-hour soak in this mixture—longer if you've got time. The honey helps create that gorgeous caramelisation that makes everything look professionally grilled.

Indoor Electric Grill Recipes That Bring The Outside In

Classic Steak with a Twist (Using the Blue Diamond Grill Pan)

• 2 rib-eye steaks, room temperature
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Indoor Grilling Method:

1. Heat your grill pan until properly hot (use the water drop trick to check)
2. Season steaks generously
3. Place rosemary and garlic in the pan first
4. Add steaks and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare
5. Rest for 5 minutes before serving

The aromatic combo of rosemary and garlic infuses the pan with flavour reminiscent of a summer arvo BBQ. All you need to do now is spray some Aeroguard around the place and crack a couple of ice-cold VBs, and you’re living the perfect Aussie dream!

Mediterranean Chicken Skewers (Using the GreenPan Contact Grill)

• 500g chicken thigh, cubed
• 2 capsicums, chunked
• 1 red onion, quartered
• Olive oil
• Oregano, thyme, lemon zest
• Greek yoghurt for serving

Indoor Grilling Method:

1. Thread ingredients onto skewers
2. Brush with olive oil and season
3. Grill 6-8 minutes each side
4. Serve with yoghurt and lemon wedges

Pro Tip: Airfryers get really hot, so soak your skewers in water before cooking so they don’t burn.

Gourmet Grilled Portobello Mushrooms on Toast (Using the Greenlife Soft Grip Grill Pan)

• 8 Large Portobello Mushrooms
• 1 Avocado
• 2 cups of rocket for garnish
• Extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of soy sauce or tamari
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon of dried chilli powder or flakes (optional)

Indoor “Grilling” Method:

1. Wipe and destem the mushrooms, then lay top down in a baking dish
2. Add garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and all spices and mix well
3. Pour the marinade over the mushrooms so they are well-coated. Leave to marinate for 10-20 minutes or longer
4. Heat olive oil in a Greenlife Soft Grip Grill Pan on Medium-Low heat
5. Add the mushrooms and any residual marinate to the pan and grill on both sides until soft and well browned. For best results, flip multiple times so as not to burn the mushrooms
6. Slice the mushrooms into 1cm thick slices and serve on toasted sourdough bread with sliced avocado
7. Garnish with a generous amount of rocket
8. Serve!

Bonus Indoor Grilling Pro Tips

The Ventilation Situation

Unless you want your smoke alarm to provide backing vocals while you cook, proper ventilation is crucial. Open windows, run your range hood, and consider cooking particularly smoky items on a Contact Grill or Gourmet Grill, which both have built-in grease management.

The Rest is Not History

Just like with outdoor grilling, resting your meat is non-negotiable. Give it at least 5 minutes for steaks and up to 20 for larger cuts. This is a step everyone rolls their eyes at until they’ve actually tried it and discovered the juicy, tender, mouthwateringly delicious results.

Clean as You Go

Whether you use a grill pan, contact grill, or airfryer, the beauty of GreenPan’s indoor grilling equipment is that it comes with an easy-clean non-stick surface. A quick wipe down while it's still warm will prevent build-up and keep your kit ready for next time. No more scrubbing ancient marinade off the BBQ grates.

A Bit On The Side

Your air fryer isn't just for backup grilling duty—it can help you whip up perfect sides any time of year. Whether you’re using it indoors in winter or as a way to save precious BBQ space in summer, here are a few quick and easy recipes we love:

Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges (Using the Bistro Dual Zone Airfryer)

• Cut sweet potato into wedges
• Toss with olive oil and your favourite BBQ rub or wedge spices
• Air fry at 200°C for 15-20 minutes

Charred Corn Salad (Using Your Grill Pan of Choice)

• Grill corn until charred
• Cut kernels off the cob
• Mix with diced red onion, coriander, lime juice
• Add crumbled feta and chilli flakes

Bringing the Sizzle Inside All Year Round

Now, when winter starts throwing its worst at your outdoor barbie sessions, you've got options that'll keep the true blue tucker flowing. The Blue Diamond and Greenlife Grill Pans turn out steaks that'll make your mates forget all about that rusty beast on the back deck. Meanwhile, GreenPan’s Contact Grills bring the entertainment factor to your kitchen bench, while the Bistro Dual Zone Airfryer handles everything from crispy chips to a perfectly cooked chook.

So next time the weather chucks a wobbly, or you just can't be bothered with the outdoor setup, remember: some of the best BBQ moments can happen right in your kitchen. No sunscreen or mozzie spray needed!