BBQ Heaven - charcoal or gas, proper food, recipe ideas

[t6blo]

Talk to me about all things BBQ…..

Clearly got too much time on my hands and have already exhausted more hobbies, interests and general money wasting activities than I dare mention.

I’ve seen a couple of those reel things on instagram of people doing food on bbqs and I really fancy buying/building a proper BBQ for use in the garden and to cook up all kinds of culinary delights instead of the usual Birdseye frozen burgers on the disposable BBQ from your local garage forecourt.

1. What is best - gas or charcoal?
2. Show me your BBQs
3. What do you cook on it? *caveat - don’t like spicy stuff and I’m allergic to anything vaguely vegetarian/vegan/plant food

Thanks in advance

 

[david173]

1. Charcoal, and wood for authentic flavour.
However I would love a gas one as its much better for quickly grilling some steaks or sausages for lunches etc when you definitely wouldnt bother with the faff and warm up time of charcoal.
2. pics attached. brick bbq with black knight bbq kit, great bit of kit. the chimney helps with draw and smoke, bit excessive but i got carried away.
pizza oven which I also use for cooking meats, bread and as a smoker, hugely versatile and I would class as a bbq in its own right. smoked meats are now my preference finished off with a sear on the bbq!

 

[Ayjay]

We use a charcoal burning Weber GoAnywhere for UK trips in the van but have found that most of the european campsites that we go to (particularly as you go south) don't permit charcoal so nowadays we take a gas powered Cadac Safari. I think I prefer charcoal for cooking but gas is so, so, so much easier. At home we always use charcoal on either the Go Anywhere or a 57cm Weber kettle depending on how much there is to cook. As to the age old charcoal-v-gas question, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer but just can't get over the feeling that blokes (IME, it's usually a bloke monopolising a barbie!) who exclusively use gas are a bunch of pink apron wearing sissies. No offence meant to pink aprons or sissies

 

[Linoleum Bonypart]

I have an Aldi kamado at home for pizza paella bbq and slow roasting very solid built and a small Weber kettle for in the van

 

[Salty Spuds]

We use gas in the van & gas at home. So much quicker & easier. Just chuck a couple of steaks on whenever, no planning or forethought req’d. Even in winter we use the home BBQ, we have a cast iron griddle that we do a mixed grill on, bring it into the house & plonk it on the dining table. I think the taste of the food is more to do with the quality of the ingredients & marinading rather than the heat source tbh.

 

[Insert Coin]

Charcoal on the bbq, gas on the outdoor oven

Charcoal then I cook, if on gas then she cooks.

 

[t6blo]

Thanks for the replies and thoughts
Going to look at all the rubs, marinades and condiments I can smother over all that meat

 

[Mixersmate]

I'm a weber guy!


I've got a master touch, along with a smokey joe and an electric weber Q, which has never been used but it was too cheap not to buy!




Rotisserie chicken, skewers, smash burgers


Pizzas



Chicken, pork and lamb gyros





Festive pigs in blankets toad in the hole



Christmas turkey on the rotisserie




I also built an ugly drum smoker a few years ago but sold it was I was never going to use it

 

[Sackmycook]

Weber Q2200 gas, never let me down.
Bought a hotplate from Germany for one side as they weren't available in the UK at time of purchase 6 years ago.
Sorry about pic but cant be arsed to go outside.....

Cadac for camping of course

 

[VanDamMan]

We use one of these…..must be 7 years old ..but cooks beautifully ( but we have gone Veg/vegan )….still but any good quality BBQ will give years of service and being mobile can be moved around the garden…

this is the latest model ( Wow..how much )

 

[Cooper]

My Name is Cooper and when it comes to Bbq’s, I think I’ve got something wrong with me.

I started off with a Webber kettle charcoal affair which is nice. Then I saw a a Weber Performer Duluxe at a bargain price in cold December (it’s just a Weber kettle with a table built onto it and gas lighting system which is well good).


Only problem with the charcoal set up is it takes about 40 minutes to get ready to cook and about 30 seconds to cook the burgers! Tastes amazing though. Almost worth the ag.

So I got a Weber pulse electric bbq. Game. Changer. Takes about 15 minutes a to get up to nearly 300 degrees then back it down to cook. So easy. So fast. I do the roast beef low n slow on the spit every Sunday now. Sweet baby Jesus, it’s so nice!



Then I started thinking, it’s a real pain dragging various bbqs out of the shed all the time. And, what if it rains! So I built this…..

Which has got this inside it…..


Which is a gas grill and side burner so it should (I haven’t used it yet as it had a dent in the lid when delivered that’s being…..resolved) taste a bit more like a bbq but without the faff of charcoal.

You can not beat a bbq! Fact.

 

[Mixersmate]

Then I started thinking, it’s a real pain dragging various bbqs out of the shed all the time. And, what if it rains! So I built this…..View attachment 168454

That is amazing, is it like a garage roller door to simply lift up and there is your kitchen?

 

[t6blo]

My Name is Cooper and when it comes to Bbq’s, I think I’ve got something wrong with me.

I started off with a Webber kettle charcoal affair which is nice. Then I saw a a Weber Performer Duluxe at a bargain price in cold December (it’s just a Weber kettle with a table built onto it and gas lighting system which is well good).

View attachment 168452
Only problem with the charcoal set up is it takes about 40 minutes to get ready to cook and about 30 seconds to cook the burgers! Tastes amazing though. Almost worth the ag.

So I got a Weber pulse electric bbq. Game. Changer. Takes about 15 minutes a to get up to nearly 300 degrees then back it down to cook. So easy. So fast. I do the roast beef low n slow on the spit every Sunday now. Sweet baby Jesus, it’s so nice!

View attachment 168453

Then I started thinking, it’s a real pain dragging various bbqs out of the shed all the time. And, what if it rains! So I built this…..View attachment 168454

Which has got this inside it…..
View attachment 168455

Which is a gas grill and side burner so it should (I haven’t used it yet as it had a dent in the lid when delivered that’s being…..resolved) taste a bit more like a bbq but without the faff of charcoal.

You can not beat a bbq! Fact.

You win hands down

 

[Cooper]

That is amazing, is it like a garage roller door to simply lift up and there is your kitchen?

Yep. Insulated electric roller door.

It was originally just going to be a cover/canopy with a concrete floor but it evolved, as these things sometimes do.

 

[Broadside]

There are amazing setups on this thread!

I’m a die hard charcoal man, we have a Weber 57cm kettle for home use and a Weber Smokey Joe travel bbq for taking away.

@Ayjay makes a good point about European campsites now banning charcoal bbqs which is a bit of a bummer as we use our Weber travel bbq as an outdoor oven a lot usually, but that new rule has put paid to that as we have found to our cost this week.

Two tips from me about bbq, if you want to cook anything more than sausages or burgers then you must get one with a lid so the heat can build fully to allow things like chicken on the bone to cook properly with no hassle or burning, the lid also helps to keep flares up down a bit. The other tip is to look up direct and indirect cooking, I was sent on a bbq course by my wife (yeah I know what on earth can you teach a man about bbs!), but learning about use of both types of cooking meant that we now cook full joints of meat on the bbq not just the usual stuff. It’s not complicated but just look it up.

 

[BuzzardBoy]

Not got any pics of my setup currently but I take my "braai" far too seriously. My advice is that wood and charcoal make all the difference - after extensive research.
Wood = Braai Wood Archives - Braaiwood UK
Charcoal = Marabu Blend Lumpwood Charcoal 5kg - its back - but shhhh! - Oxford Charcoal
And when smoking dont be a hero - get one of these

MEATER Plus

Up to 50m Wireless Range The same awesome smart meat thermometer PLUS extended wireless range! Get more freedom from your bbq, smoker, or kitchen. Features Built-in Bluetooth repeater in the charger extends the wireless range up to 50m. 100% Wire-Free: No wires. No fuss. The first truly...

store-uk.meater.com

Will get some pics of mine up shortly

 

[Cooper]

Not got any pics of my setup currently but I take my "braai" far too seriously. My advice is that wood and charcoal make all the difference - after extensive research.
Wood = Braai Wood Archives - Braaiwood UK
Charcoal = Marabu Blend Lumpwood Charcoal 5kg - its back - but shhhh! - Oxford Charcoal
And when smoking dont be a hero - get one of these

MEATER Plus

Up to 50m Wireless Range The same awesome smart meat thermometer PLUS extended wireless range! Get more freedom from your bbq, smoker, or kitchen. Features Built-in Bluetooth repeater in the charger extends the wireless range up to 50m. 100% Wire-Free: No wires. No fuss. The first truly...

store-uk.meater.com

Will get some pics of mine up shortly

That meater probe looks good! I’ve got a similar thing I use to check the internal temp of the meat. Well worth buying as before I had it, I used to just cremate the mothers out of everything through fear of killing someone with an under done chicken wing!

Trust the probs.

 

[Indigrey]

Best thing you can probably do is get yourself onto one of the Weber bbq courses. Alot of the big Weber retailers will do them. You get 2-3 hours of demonstrations from a bbq chef using different types of bbqs and cooking a variety of different foods.

I think it's around 45 quid per person. You'll get involved with the cooking, learn how to use different bbqs and how to get the best out of each one. If anything it's a good day out and a good feed as you get to eat the things you cook too!

I've ended up with afew Weber bbqs now, I have two 57cm kettles, a rotisserie attachment, a small and large smokey mountain, a Weber Q 2200 and an uuni wood pellet pizza oven. From my experience, I would say the 57cm kettle is the most versatile. Don't go for the cheapest one though, I did this for my second kettle and it's a pain to clean the ash out, so I'd go for the mastertouch or similar that has the ash catcher and one touch cleaning system at the bottom.

Cooking wise, I use mine for all sorts. I like to make ribs, brisket and pulled pork on the smokers and use the kettle for things like steaks, wings lamb rib racks, and the rotisserie for chicken, porchetta, leg of lamb and Christmas turkey!

 

[Cooper]

Best thing you can probably do is get yourself onto one of the Weber bbq courses. Alot of the big Weber retailers will do them. You get 2-3 hours of demonstrations from a bbq chef using different types of bbqs and cooking a variety of different foods.

I think it's around 45 quid per person. You'll get involved with the cooking, learn how to use different bbqs and how to get the best out of each one. If anything it's a good day out and a good feed as you get to eat the things you cook too!

I've ended up with afew Weber bbqs now, I have two 57cm kettles, a rotisserie attachment, a small and large smokey mountain, a Weber Q 2200 and an uuni wood pellet pizza oven. From my experience, I would say the 57cm kettle is the most versatile. Don't go for the cheapest one though, I did this for my second kettle and it's a pain to clean the ash out, so I'd go for the mastertouch or similar that has the ash catcher and one touch cleaning system at the bottom.

Cooking wise, I use mine for all sorts. I like to make ribs, brisket and pulled pork on the smokers and use the kettle for things like steaks, wings lamb rib racks, and the rotisserie for chicken, porchetta, leg of lamb and Christmas turkey!

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Oh that all looks so nice! I could eat that joint of lamb straight off the bone like Henry the 8th right now and I don’t even care it’s 9:30am on a Thursday!!!

 

[t6blo]

Wow - thanks everyone, this has given me even more of an itch to scratch