I like the Aussie approach. They have public barbeques in parks and public spaces that are typically free to use.

Controversially (for this thread) many of them are electric!

But which direction would we queue???? 🙂

“We’ve got a gas one now and it’s OK but not the same. The problem is that I’m not happy leaving the gas cylinder outside in indirect sunlight as it’s stored in a real sun trap”

you live in death valley ?

Odd isnt it … if i could achieve the same flavor with my gas hob inside – would i bother BBQing ?

everything tastes better cooked on the open flame

Had one of these fitted to our camper once it turns up.

Like that ^

But I’d want it to make a suitable “Psshhhhhhh-tiku” noise as it slides out 😀

isnt that just a george foreman ?

I don’t think the punchin’ preacher would fit in that hole.

My BBQ had a cast iron plate over the gas,

the gas cooker in my kitchen’s got a removeable one of those as well, it’s called a frying pan.

What’s the shizznit with this half drum malarky? Is there any practical reason it’s better than (or even different to) a big rectangular tray?

Like that ^

But I’d want it to make a suitable “Psshhhhhhh-tiku” noise as it slides out
pfft, I’d rather it played Ride of The Valkyrie and was actually a machine gun

“My own personal preference is to use coals as I can’t be arsed to mess around with gas equipment.”

yep messing around with something thats – less messy , easier to handle , more energy stored per unit volume thus easier to store , something thats waterproof , something thats up to temperature quicker……

while i agree with the sentiment your justifications shite 😉

fwiw – i was anti gas till i had some bbq food done by a friend of a friend on his BBQ and it tasted soo good – nice smoked flavour , not charred/burnt and no grease.

went over to the guy to ask what his secret was – two things he said, he had a quality gas BBQ he said this gave him more reliable control and 2 – he had a meat thermometer allowing him to prove things were up to temp without the normal telltail that the uk use for bbq….black on the outside cold on the inside :d

the fact he was a chef to trade and owned/ran his own hotel probably helped :d

Ah! You can tell the weather is nice again as the definitive Gas or Coals thread has appeared.

toby1 – Member
I prefer charcoal and would say that gas is just outdoor grilling, however, I can see the ease of use argument as my neighbour behind often just kicks his grill off for Sunday breakfast which I could never be arsed to do with the coals.

OK, I’m beginning to see an argument in favour of getting a gas BBQ here…

I have a Weber Q120 (gas), for weekdays and a Weber Kettle for weekends. They are both brilliant.

I have a Weber Q120 (gas), for weekdays and a Weber Kettle for weekends. They are both brilliant.

I was looking at those. How long do those 500g cannisters last?

Hang your heads in shame gas boys. If it’s not charcoal it’s not BBQ and if you think it is you’re simply wrong.

My friend showed me a trick on his Gas BBQ of using a small plank of wood on top of the grill, which is ultimately sacrificed, but gives off the required smoke to add flavour, he get 3-4 uses of each piece about 6″x 2″ before it’s gone. You can also cook fish on top of the plank.

Gas BBQ for Sunday morning fry up is ace – Sunday afternoon however and it’s coals all the way.

I like the steel tube thingy for lighting the coals where do you get those from then?

EDIT – just seen this btw..
[video]https://youtu.be/zHWKOThK2_o[/video]

OK, I’m beginning to see an argument in favour of getting a gas BBQ here…

A similar effect can be achieved by cooking your breakfast indoors, and taking it outside to eat.

Gas for grilling ..Coals for BBQ-ing.. they’re two different things.

both cooking outdoors

If it’s not charcoal it’s not BBQ and if you think it is you’re simply wrong.

Seeing as charcoal seems to be so good to you ‘real men’ I presume you use it for cooking indoors as well?

Also weber q120 and coal weber kettle; great combo. Breakfast or two small bits of fish for diiner is much easier on the gas but I prefer the coals.

Kryton – In answer to your question re the canister, not a huge amount of time. Perfect for what it was designed for but not ideal for relatively frequent home use. I bought the adapter tubing and run mine off a normal gas bottle now. The hose kit was about 30 quid from memory.

I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than buy a gas bbq. You don’t need to spend big on a webber as a lot of copies do the job well. You just need a good air flow, variable height on the rack and a lid. Always use charcoal, never use brickettes and control the temp by using the air control and lid.

The key to barbequing well, is temp control, getting to the right temp and keeping it there. Ideally keep the lid down most of the time.

(that was for the non bbq expert btw) 8)

Coals = Barbecue
Gas = Hob

A gas burner is not a BBQ. + millions…

Had a weber kettle for 3 years and a decent outback gas bbq, didn’t touch the outback in three years and just got rid of it…

The ONLY time I’d consider gas is when you’ve got small children and not a lot of time between getting home from work and having to have dinner ready. Kids are now big enough to wait the extra 15mins or so now, so the gas is gone…

My way of looking at it:

Cheap gas BBQ = crap, you end up with hot spots, cold spots, flames burning food etc

Cheap coal BBQ = a coal BBQ, just may not last as long or be as easy to use but with care you can still get the same results as any coal BBQ.

Expensive gas BBQ £>>£ “expensive” coal BBQ

I also like to be able to stand around the coal BBQ and enjoy the heat as the evening draws in. Doing that with gas is a waste of gas.

If you want to splash out on a decent gas bbq then go for it. Just don’t get a cheap one. I find coal is much more cost effective and nothing to go wrong.

I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than buy a gas bbq.

Agree with this

You don’t need to spend big on a webber as a lot of copies do the job well. You just need a good air flow, variable height on the rack.

Disagree with this, definitely get a weber, do not require variable height as you don’t cook over the coals for the majority of the time (unless steak)

Always use charcoal, never use brickettes and control the temp by using the air control and lid.

Agree with this, lid on, air control in the lid to control temp.

bar•be•cue or bar•be•que (?b?r b??kyu)

n., v. -cued or -qued, -cu•ing or -qu•ing. n.

. a grill, spit, or fireplace for cooking food over an open fire.

i guess i could achieve the same thing if i had a gas hob and i put a wire mesh grill over it at an appropriate height instead of my frying pan

Gas? May as well cook in the kitchen. Safer, cooks better, more convenient and cheaper.

I totally and utterly disagree with this – when I am entertaining guests and we want to eat outdoors in the sun, me being inside cooking in the kitchen is not more convenient. And I couldn’t care if it would cook better, be safer or cheaper – I don’t cook outdoors for any of those reasons, I cook outdoors because the sun is out.

(BTW, a gas man here, but I am buying myself a nice new charcoal one this year too).

My mate BBQ Ben says it’s got to be coals.
(He is a former UK BBQ Champion)
That’s good enough for me.BBQ Ben
He also wrote the book on it.
Haynes

Why would anyone think the gas vs coal thing is to do with manliness? It’s to do with what BBQ is and isn’t, that’s all. I’m not saying you can’t get nice food on a gas grill but it’s just not a BBQ.

I have a gas BBQ (Weber grill), Coal BBQ , Coal Smoker and an Electric smoker.

All of them are damn good. Personally for ‘grilling’ ie burgers, steaks, fish, octopus, prawns etc – I prefer a gas BBQ. For low and slow style cooking – ie butt, brisket, ribs, whole chicken, an electric smoker is by far the easiest and best for results.

But I do enjoy fire – so I do use the coal ones too….and the results are also good.

Gas plus coal plus portable means I can cover all bases. Gas useful for everyday cooking, we BBQ 5 nights a week some weeks ! Coal good if we have more time at weekends (small kids as well not always conducive to hot BBQs). Portable great in campervan for everything.

Woo hoo. She’s agreed to a Webber premium bundle with ash catcher, chimney and cover for £250. But she’s just seen the Weber outdoor fireplace.

This could be expensive.

I’ve had some cracking food at barbecues and of course, some shit food as well. It’s always been more to do with the person stood in front of the thing, and the quality of what he or she was cooking than the heat source.

Shamefully we have a Weber fire as well and its a bloody awesome wee thing. Although those VW logburners on Facebook look quite cool as well !

I got a Weber E-330 and a kettle BBQ. I used to live in Houston so outdoors cooking occurred several times a week. I’ve never actually unboxed the kettle BBQ (it was free) as the Weber is sooooo good!

With a bit of skill and some advice off my guru Meathead you can cook some amazing proper Texas smoked BBQ. It turns any sunny day into a cooking extravaganza. Even though I say so myself, my 12 hour applewood smoked pork butt is legendary on my street every year we do the annual street party.

It’s not the BBQ, it’s the ingredients and labour that go into it. So for me, gas wins for control of heat and convenience. Nursing a coal BBQ for 12 hours would be a ball ache.

Went to use my gas barbecue at the weekend and it’s died a death after a good few years service. Was thinking of going back to a charcoal one anyway which I’l be using as a smoker as well, anyone have any recommendations on what are good?

I did use to use the gas one which I’d convert into a smoker and that worked fairly well. I like to do proper pulled pork/brisket etc as well as having the option of doing more kid friendly stuff should it be needed.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjh28bWaTaA#t=505[/video]

These guys use charcoal. That means it must be the best.

The problem is that I’m not happy leaving the gas cylinder outside in indirect sunlight as it’s stored in a real sun trap.

You are joking aren’t you?

Just to clarify, I live in Switzerland (hence the petty residential restrictions on charcoal BBQs) and it can hit 40+ degrees in summer. The gas bottle we have is black, it’s in a south-facing location and I honestly wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to leave a gas bottle in the sun all day….
I’ve now googled it and it would appear that 52 degrees is unsafe (no worries there!) and it’s actually not advised to store bottles underground so I think I’ll be leaving it outside, attached to the BBQ in the future. 😀

I’ve had some cracking food at barbecues and of course, some shit food as well. It’s always been more to do with the person stood in front of the thing, and the quality of what he or she was cooking than the heat source.

This makes the most sense really (despite being from dd ;)), it is about the quality of the cook.

If you spend 12 hours marinating meat, cook it well at the correct temperature and serve it with nice sides you’ll get a better result than scorching crap sausages on either a gas or coal grill.

Personally I’d love to have both, both I’m actually more into finding a smoker before even looking at a gas grill. Anyone looking to sell a Weber Smokey mountain for not stupid money please let me know. At the moment struggling to justify the £300 it is for the size I want.

Might have a run to some local bbq shops this weekend though to see if there are any deals around.

Anyone looking to sell a Weber Smokey mountain for not stupid money please let me know. At the moment struggling to justify the £300 it is for the size I want.

I regret not getting the bigger one. The small one is good, but ribs standing in a rack can be a pinch and I’d like to be able to put more meat inside. I’ll get another larger kettle and use my compact for smoking I expect.