The Best Cuts to Cook on the BBQ This Summer

Thomas Joseph Butchery  •  Cut fresh, delivered next day

Thomas Joseph Butchery — Summer BBQ Guide 2026

The Best Cuts to Cook on the BBQ This Summer


Summer 2026  •  By the TJB Team

The coals are lit, the sun is out, and the only question that matters is: what goes on the grill? We've done the hard work so you don't have to. Here are our definitive picks for the best BBQ cuts this summer — every one of them available, fresh and expertly prepared, from Thomas Joseph Butchery.

A great BBQ starts long before the coals are lit. It starts with the cut. The finest fuel, the most seasoned pitmaster, and the most dialled-in temperature control cannot rescue a mediocre piece of meat — but a truly exceptional cut will sing even with minimal intervention. At Thomas Joseph Butchery, we've spent years sourcing, ageing, and butchering some of the finest beef, pork, and lamb in the UK, and this summer we're sharing our inner circle of BBQ-perfect cuts. Bookmark this. It's a game-changer.

"A great BBQ starts with the cut. Give us the right meat and the fire does the rest."

Cut 01 The Dry-Aged Tomahawk: The Ultimate BBQ Showstopper

Crowd Favourite

If there's one cut that was quite literally born for the BBQ, it's the Grass-Fed Dry-Aged Tomahawk. Our version combines a thick-cut ribeye with a full long rib bone, dry-aged for 32 days in our bespoke ageing facilities for a depth of flavour that is simply unmatched. The bone is more than theatre — it insulates the meat as it cooks, drawing out moisture and richness that transforms every bite.

Sourced from native British cattle raised on small, independent UK farms, this is a cut that comfortably serves two or more and demands to be cooked over charcoal. Sear it hard on both sides to build that crust, then move it to indirect heat and let it come to temperature slowly. Rest it for a good ten minutes before carving against the grain. For the adventurous, our 45 and 60-day dry-aged options deliver an even bolder, more complex flavour profile.

Golden Herd Heritage Wagyu - Tomahawk - Thomas Joseph Butchery - Ethical Dry - Aged Meat The Best Steak UK

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Cut 02 Ribeye Steak: Fat, Flavour & Fire

BBQ Essential

For many, the ribeye steak is simply the greatest steak there is — and for good reason. The generous fat marbling that runs through the muscle renders magnificently over an open flame, basting the meat from the inside as it cooks. The result is a juicy, flavour-intensive steak that needs nothing more than flaky salt, cracked pepper, and a ripping hot grill.

At TJB, our grass-fed ribeyes are sourced from pasture-raised British cattle and dry-aged in-house for maximum tenderness. Cook them on a screaming hot grill for 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare, baste with our Sublime Garlic & Herb Butter as they rest, and prepare to rethink everything you thought you knew about a backyard BBQ.

Golden Herd Heritage Wagyu - Ribeye - Thomas Joseph Butchery - Ethical Dry - Aged Meat The Best Steak UK

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Cut 03 Bavette Steak: The Chefs' Secret, Unlocked

Underrated Gem

If you haven't tried bavette steak on the BBQ, this is your summer. Packed with bold, beefy flavour and possessing a beautifully loose grain that soaks up marinades like chimichurri with ease, bavette is what professional cooks have been reaching for quietly while everyone else queued for fillet. It's one of the most flavour-packed steaks you'll find at any price point.

The key to bavette is simple: cook it hot and fast, and rest it generously. Slice against the grain and serve slightly pink. Our Grass-Fed Bavette is aged on the carcass for maximum depth and expertly trimmed — it's the kind of cut that makes guests assume you've been secretly training as a chef.

Dry-Aged Spanish Angus Bavette - Thomas Joseph Butchery - Ethical Dry-Aged Meat The Best Steak UK

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🔥 TJB Pitmaster Tip

For any steak on the BBQ, take it out of the fridge at least 45 minutes before cooking. Cold meat hitting a hot grill leads to uneven cooking and a grey band beneath the crust. Room temperature meat cooks more evenly and develops a far better sear.

Cut 04 T-Bone Steak: Two Steaks, One Spectacular Cut

Classic BBQ

The T-bone is the BBQ icon for a reason. Separated by that signature T-shaped bone, you get the best of both worlds: a generous sirloin on one side delivering clean, intense beef flavour, and a tender fillet medallion on the other. It's a steak that requires little adornment and delivers maximum satisfaction.

Cook a T-bone standing upright on the bone for the first few minutes — this renders the fat along the bone and keeps the meat from overcooking on the hot grill surface. Lay it flat to finish and let the bone act as a heat conductor from beneath. Paired with a glass of something good and a handful of sea salt, this is summer eating at its finest.

Grass Fed, Dry-Aged T-Bone - Beef - Thomas Joseph Butchery - Ethical Dry-Aged Meat The Best Steak UK

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Cut 05 Iberico Pork Tomahawk: The BBQ Cut You Didn't Know You Needed

Premium Pork

Move over beef — this summer, the Iberico Pork Tomahawk deserves a starring role on your grill. Cut from the prime region of the pig and expertly French-trimmed, this is premium pork in its most dramatic form. Iberico pigs are renowned for the extraordinary fat marbling that runs through the muscle — the result of their acorn-rich diet and free-ranging lifestyle — giving the meat a richness and depth that rivals the finest beef.

Unlike standard pork, Iberico can and should be served slightly blush in the centre, which keeps the meat succulently juicy. The fat chars beautifully over charcoal, creating an irresistible caramelised crust. If you want to genuinely surprise your guests this summer, this is the cut to reach for.

Iberico Pork Tomahawks - Thomas Joseph Butchery - Ethical Dry-Aged Meat The Best Steak UK

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Cut 06 Belly Strips: Low Effort, High Reward

Crowd Pleaser

Not every BBQ needs to be a high-drama affair. Sometimes the most crowd-pleasing thing on the grill is the simplest. Our free-range belly strips are proof of that. Strips of gloriously marbled pork belly, cooked low and slow over indirect heat until the fat renders and the edges crisp — they're the kind of thing people hover near the grill for, hoping to be first in line.

Marinate them overnight in soy, ginger, garlic and honey, or keep it simple with just salt and smoked paprika. Either way, they're the BBQ addition that runs out first, every time.

7 Day Dry-Aged, Free Range Pork Belly Strips - Pork - Thomas Joseph Butchery - Ethical Dry-Aged Meat The Best Steak UK

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Cut 07 The TJB Sausage: Because Every BBQ Deserves a Proper Banger

The Essential

We believe the BBQ sausage is one of the most unforgiving tests of a butcher's craft — there's nowhere to hide. That's why we put serious work into The Thomas Joseph Sausage. Made fresh daily from high-welfare, free-range pork with none of the preservatives or fillers that most sausage makers rely on, ours is a proper butcher's sausage — rich, meaty, and deeply satisfying. The casing snaps. The fat sizzles. The flavour delivers.

On the grill, cook them over medium-indirect heat, turning regularly to avoid splitting — patience is rewarded with an even, deep-golden colour. No ketchup required (though we won't judge you).

The Thomas Joseph Sausage - Pork - Thomas Joseph Butchery - Ethical Dry-Aged Meat The Best Steak UK

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The Easy Option Let Us Build Your BBQ Box

Not sure where to start? Our TJB BBQ Packs take the guesswork out entirely. We've curated the ideal combination of cuts for a brilliant BBQ, all cut fresh, vacuum-sealed, and delivered to your door in our sustainable cool boxes — staying chilled for up to 72 hours in transit. Add some of our Sublime Butters — the Béarnaise or the Chimichurri are both outstanding — and you have everything you need for the best BBQ of the summer.

Standard delivery is next day, and we cut fresh the day before your delivery date — so what arrives is exactly what our butchers would put on their own grills. That's the TJB guarantee.

Shop the BBQ Pack →

🔥 The TJB Rule of Summer BBQ

Quality in, quality out. Buy the best meat you can source, season it generously, let your fire do its job, and resist the urge to fiddle. The grill rewards patience and punishes impatience in equal measure.

Ready to Fire Up the Grill?

Shop our full range of premium BBQ cuts — grass-fed, dry-aged, and delivered fresh to your door anywhere in the UK.

Browse All Cuts →

© 2025 Thomas Joseph Butchery  •  Coxtie Green Farm, 28 Coxtie Green Road, Brentwood, Essex  •  01277 367656


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