Taste test judges hail Asda's new summer BBQ range for innovation and the best burger of summer 2026

Asda is selling the UK’s best burger for summer 2026 – that's the verdict of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s annual BBQ Taste Test.

A panel of barbecue taste testers tried 23 burgers from UK supermarkets and independent retailers – and awarded the “Best Burger 2026” prize to Asda’s Exceptional Buttered Miso Beef Steak Burger.

At £4.46 for a pack of two burgers, it was also the lowest cost option in the Top 10, which included burgers from meat specialists Hawksmoor, Field & Flower and Daylesford Organic.

The judges said: "Asda’s seasonal burger stands out for its originality, taking inspiration from the US 'mop' style of cooking – where meat is basted with sauce during grilling to lock in moisture and flavour. The result is a delightfully juicy burger with a delicate sweet and savoury umami note. Top marks for innovation."

For Harriet Hughes, the product development manager at Asda who's responsible for the supermarket chain's new fresh meat and fish BBQ products with glazes or sauces, the award comes after a year of working on the big new range, taking each product from concept through to development and launch.

"We start small, at bench scale in the kitchen, refine it and scale it up for full production. We work to a 24-week lead time. We're already thinking about the 2027 barbecue season, reviewing our products, testing other retailers' ranges and reviewing how we compare with them. Sometimes you're like 'ours is head and shoulders above that' or 'wish I had done that'."

Harriet's route into supermarket food development was a happy accident. She had just finished the first year of a marketing degree when she got a summer job working in the kitchen of a food company. She says: "I realised I didn't really like my degree but loved this, and they put me through a food science degree. It was heavily work-based and I haven't looked back since."

Harriet explains what went into developing Asda’s Exceptional Buttered Miso Beef Steak Burger and how it won the "Best Burger 2026" accolade in Good Housekeeping's annual BBQ Taste Test, with the judges praising its originality and innovation.

She says: "It's brilliant to see Good Housekeeping rating our products so well. I really love the Butter Miso Steak Burgers. Our target is to be first to market with something new.

"We have taken on the umami flavour which we know is ticking boxes for customers, giving a rich yumminess. It's got a BBQ Bourbon mopping glaze which has a nice stickiness and really rich tasty flavour. It's also got that newness that's nice – sometimes you just don't want the same old vintage Cheddar and caramelised onions on your burger."

Harriet and the other Asda innovation and product development teams are constantly on the lookout for emerging food trends. "We go to food shows, restaurants and out on food trails for inspiration and work with suppliers to see how they can transition a trend or idea into a flavour profile. Also the internet is really important – you can't beat a good TikTok trend for inspiration! I follow lots of accounts, like Eating With Tod who travels the country looking at different restaurants. He's really in line with our customers as well."

It's not just the Good Housekeeping judges that are impressed by Asda's 2026 barbecue range. Asda shoppers have been taking to social media to talk about their own favourite burgers in the range including the Exceptional by Asda Smoky Beef Brisket Burgers, which one customer said "are absolutely to die for" in a post on Facebook.

Scott Martin, from Newcastle under Lyme, tried the burgers over the sunny Spring Bank Holiday weekend. He wrote: "Packed with flavour, super juicy, and honestly one of the tastiest burgers we've had in ages! Safe to say these will definitely be making their way onto the shopping list again 🛒🍔 If you haven't tried them yet, you seriously need to!".

The new Mega Burgers in the frozen section are a hit with customers too. These extra-large burgers come in two flavours – Beef & Smoky Onion and Beef, Cheese & Jalapeño – and can be cooked from frozen on the BBQ, under the grill or in the oven or air fryer.

Popular YouTube food reviewers Bald Foodie Guy (140,000 subscribers) and Bit Of Munch (7,000 subscribers) have both praised the flavour of the Beef & Smoky Onion Mega Burgers.

Bald Foodie Guy cooked the burgers in the air fryer, serving them in a seeded bun with mature cheddar cheese, mustard and ketchup. He said: "I'm definitely picking up the smokiness from the onion. I quite like it ... Reminds me of a flame-grilled burger ... The meat's nice and meaty as well. That is lovely. That is really, really tasty."

Bit Of Munch grilled his burger and served it in a toasted bun with mayonnaise, lettuce, cheese, tomato and ketchup. He thought the burger was "absolutely superb" and liked how it tasted like it had been barbecued: "They're very meaty, very smoky. You can definitely taste the onion. Well seasoned overall. A good burger. A good burger that tastes and smells like it's been cooked on the BBQ."

The Beef, Cheese & Jalapeño Mega Burgers got a 5/5 review from another YouTuber, RoadToAnywhere Travels, who said: "They have a lovely, lovely flavour. You can really taste the cheese. The beef is cooked perfectly. And you've got that little kick of jalapeño. Not too overpowering either. Just perfect."

In the Good Housekeeping Institute's annual BBQ Taste Test Asda's Exceptional Rump Steak King Kebab was named best kebab for summer 2026.

The tasting panel sampled 16 meaty and vegetarian kebabs "in a quest to find this summer’s best skewers" and said of the Asda one: "Our winning kebab features tender rump steak in a glossy, sweet and spicy glaze. The full-flavoured skewers have a smoky barbecue aroma, a gentle char and subtle heat on the finish. Serve on flatbread with labneh, rocket and pickles."

Harriet from the Asda product development team said: "The King Kebab is great value for money and great quality. It's four rump steaks on a kebab stick for less than a tenner. It's a sharing event where you can have something impressive on a display with layers of flavour from the churrasco and charred sweetflamed chilli marinade, with a barbecue bone marrow glaze."

Harriet says the product development team work hard to strike a balance between innovation, quality and value for money.

She said: "We think of the full value as product development managers, and work with the trading team as we do have to be aware of price points. But we want the products to be as good as possible. For instance with the King Kebabs we could have chosen a cheaper cut of meat than the rump steaks but we felt it needed to be a good quality of meat and would be better and more successful for it.

"We also ask ourselves 'does the product really need that?' So if adding a bay leaf adds 20p to price for the customer that just isn't needed. But where something adds to the quality of the product we will include it."

YouTube food reviewer Bit Of Munch (7,000 subscribers) is full of praise for Asda's new Exceptional Pork & Beef Texan Style Hot Dogs.

In this taste test on his YouTube channel, he praised their high meat content and flavour, saying "I absolutely love really good quality sausages. And these are top quality ... They're 89% meat so they're extremely meaty. Very smoky. There's more than a hint of chilli there as well."

His final verdict: "They're perfect. I wouldn't improve these sausages in any way whatsoever. And I would definitely buy them again."

Food bloggers including Gluten Free Alice and Footloose and Gluten Free have been posting on Facebook about the Crispy Tempura Chicken Burgers in the Summer Grill chilled range.

People who've tried them are commenting on their posts to say they're "really nice" and that they've used them to make their own versions of the McChicken Sandwich from McDonald's:

• "They are really nice, I bought some for bbq last week and have been back and bought 3 packs and frozen them"

• "I do these with the warburtons sliced square baps, salad, onion, mayo and a slice of cheese, bbq sauce - they are lush"

• "They are really good. With cheese and lettuce it really is like having a mcchicken sandwich 🙌"

• "I've tried them & they make the best mcchicken sandwich, just like I remember! Such a good price too 👏🏽"

Smash burgers are another big talking point on social media – and Harriet from the Asda product development team says their growing popularity means the Asda innovation team have developed new versions beyond the traditional beef – including Summer Grill by Asda Red Thai Salmon Smash Burgers.

She said: "Asda was first supermarket to launch smash burgers four years ago and because they've been a consistently good seller year on year we decided to expand it with protein and flavour variants in poultry, lamb and fish."

"There's a rising trend for fish burgers in restaurants and salmon is our number one selling fish, so we took it on as an idea because we know customers love it. We took pieces of salmon, formed into a burger shape, with the addition of a Red Thai sauce, which we know is a big flavour trend at the moment."

"We often come up with a 'safe, safe, twist' calculation where we know we can push boundaries and try something new by combining two popular elements with something a bit different. With the salmon smash burgers we know salmon is safe, we know Asian flavours are safe, but the twist is mixing it together in a smash burger.

"I think people want to try something new and have the confidence to do it because they know they already like two of the elements."

Customers are also posting rave reviews and comments about the range of slaws at Asda – including the new Pickled Burger Slaw and the new Pickled Kebab Slaw which one Facebook post said "turns an average salad into a 10/10 salad!":

Influencer Claire Abebrese has posted about Asda's slaws several times on her Facebook page, telling her 250,000 followers here that they're "absolutely delicious" and "must haves" for BBQs, picnics and lunches.

Customers who've tried the slaws are commenting on her posts to say how much they also like them:

• "Absolutely brilliant, love them all"

• "I love the slaws on a salad .. saves me from adding dressing 🥰"

• "They're great in poke bowls"

• "Love love love the ginger and chilli slaw"

• "The pink slaw is amazing and only tried as I saw it on your videos"

• "Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU! for this post, found the "pink" yesterday, and finished it off today! 😋🫣🙃......AND the ginger one, (OMG) smells, and is, just divine....😋😋😋😋"

Harriet from the Asda product development team says she works with different product teams who specialise in slaws and sauces to complement the BBQ meat products she's responsible for. "We'll tell them that we're going to focus on a certain area or flavour and they will come back with sauces that fit the same trend."