Viewing 36 posts - 1 through 36 (of 36 total)
  • Dadsnet! – Gas BBQ purchase advice
  • hatter
    Full Member

    Well, seeing as Spring is trying to make an appearance and at this rate we’ll be spending most of it knocking around our garden, I’ve decided to look at finally replacing our 15 year old, leaky Gas Grill BBQ.

    Budget is £400ish.

    We have plenty of space for it and will be hoping to entertain once this Covid situation is over so something largish and durable is the hope. Not too fussed about bell and whistles, just something big that will last.

    Current front runner is the Char-Broil Performance 340S

    Anyone have any exerience with these, anyone have any better suggestions? Is there a BBQ version of CRC that I don’t know about.

    Manly men of STW, enlighten me!

    samuelr
    Free Member

    Only advice I have is get a charcoal bbq. Gas just isn’t the same.
    Webber bbq are good.

    burko73
    Full Member

    Get a weber kettle and a chimney starter. Easy and quick to light, really controllable, last years, nothing to go wrong, great tasting food, plus you’ll look more of a hero tending real fire!

    I got rid of a gasser 10 yrs ago for a weber. Much better and the chimney starter makes it easy to light or add more coal to. I wouldn’t go back.

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    julians
    Free Member

    I bought a gas bbq about 3 years ago, went for a landmann rexon 3.1 bbq, its been decent so far, it’s kept outside, and is still looking in good condition.

    Same as this one here

    Landmann Rexon Gas BBQ https://g.co/kgs/SSzGMX

    Before this I was one of those people that thought that gas bbqs were not as good as charcoal bbqs, but now I’m converted the food tastes the same, but there’s much less faffing around, I won’t bother with a charcoal bbq again

    ElShalimo
    Full Member
    LeeW
    Full Member

    I got rid of my Weber kettle and bought an Outback 6 burner gas jobbie from Homebase for half price. Loved it but really miised the BBQ flavour from a charcoal grill. So I bought a Kamado Joe ceramic one which is easily the best thing since sliced bread for BBQ cooking, once you nail getting the temperatures right and stable it really is brilliant.

    Anyway, BBQworld.com is good, lots of choice and some discounts but youre really buying the wrong side of summer. Could you waut until Septemberish? You will get a right bargain from garden ctrs, B&Q etc.

    brads
    Free Member

    Webber kettle and chimney starter as stated.

    Gas just isn’t the same at all.
    Charcoal BBQ is the way forward.

    Only thing I’m bothered about is that I went veggie last year . Dreading summer cause I think that will be the only tine I’ll miss meat.

    masterdabber
    Free Member

    I’ve got a couple of Broil King Gem 340

    One here in the UK, the other in France. Very pleased and I like the cast iron cooking plates rather than the ceramic coated ones where the ceramic can chip off.

    hatter
    Full Member

    With nippers running about I’d rather not have something that takes an age to warm up ad then stays hot for hours afterwards. Especially if we’re entertaining.

    I enjoy cooking over charcoal when camping but for at home the safety, faff and and time factors mean we’ll just end up using a gas grill so much more often.

    Fully aware that it’s bad timing, if I’d known back in September that eveyone would be efectively be housebound in April and the weather would be glorious I’d have….. made a fortune on the financial markets… and then bought a BBQ.

    hatter
    Full Member

    Had Broil King recommened a few times, how does it cope with living out doors?

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    I have 3 Weber Q of varying sizes – I think they’re great. Lights first time, doesn’t rot and is controllable.
    I do also have a [John Lewis branded Weber Master-Touch] charcoal BBQ that my wife bought me a couple of years ago. It’s kinda nice to use and I made a chimney thing to start it a bit quicker but it still takes time to get going and is wasteful if you only want to cook a few bits.
    I’m not sure about the whole ‘flavour’ thing. If there is a flavour difference it must be from the charcoal giving off some elements as it burns that then adhere to the food – and if you think about it, that can’t be a good thing.

    Overall for speed, lack of hassle and control I prefer the Weber Q – but get the permanent cart as it’s more stable that the other stand.
    (Ours spends the winter in a stable where it still gets used to save smelling the house out – not sure I would do that with the charcoal BBQ)

    masterdabber
    Free Member

    Actually, I made mistake earlier. The Broil Kings I have are the Monarch 340’s. BroilKing Monarch 340

    I see they’ve got a bit pricier now, the Monarch 320 is the same but without the side burner.

    As to how well they stand up to be left outside… the one in France stays outside for usually around 14 weeks while we are there, left inside the rest of the year and during November usually. Had it around 10 years I think. Still in good condition. The only thing packed up recently is the auto light thingy.

    The UK one is left out all year (with cover on) and wearing well after 4 years.

    b33k34
    Full Member

    We’ve had a Weber Q for years. Yes, you don’t get the full flavour you get from a charcoal barbecue but it’s also no effort to fire it up to cook a couple of steaks on a Sunday night with no mess or smell in the house (and cook them better than you’d manage on the hob or grill).

    Those big American style barbecues are all absolutely huge – how many people are you actually going to entertain for? The mid size Weber Q will cook a lot of food and if you’ve got the space why not add a charcoal grill for the times you do have a really big group and it’s worth lighting wood.

    oikeith
    Full Member

    I would have thought some sort of hybrid exists which is gas but you add something like those flvoured wood chips bits too for some fake flavour?

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    it does , its exactly what i use

    gas for convienance (after living in nz and oz for a while you get used to the ability to turn on and go)

    But i have a smoker box that sits on top of the burner bars- if you cant get enough smoke with that i suggest you just eat the charcoals raw.

    Equally – the heat is much more controlable and you dont get that lovely old english everythings burnt bbq flavouring that many mistake for smoke.

    Weber q2200 here. Id buy something bigger. ITs just big enough for 2 if you cook a whole meal on it …. -i do the potatos , the veg and the meat on it so its often over whelmed….. if i was just doing burgers sure its big enough for 6 or what ever it is they say

    masterdabber
    Free Member

    I would have thought some sort of hybrid exists which is gas but you add something like those flvoured wood chips bits too for some fake flavour?

    That’s all you need to do. One of those small ltin foil trays. soak some of those woodchips and pop into a corner of the bbq.

    cloudnine
    Free Member

    Get a Weber and spend the rest on an ooni pizza oven. There’s your outdoor cooking sorted for the next 5 months.

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    Get a Weber and spend the rest on an ooni pizza oven.

    Oh yes…. we have an Ooni 3 also. That lives in the big barn and is also used year round. I’ve bought the gas burner kit for it (as I have a massive tank of gas left over from when we converted our kitchen stove from gas to induction) and it’s a delight to use.
    You can also get a couple of cast iron skillets from Amazon and cook steaks in it – just amazing.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    looking at oonis just now as a birthday treat – and we will be sans kitchen for a couple of month later this year due to an extension going on , Seems to invoke the same fuel snobbery

    the purists who use their ooni once in a bluemoon are shouting i need to get a woodchip one…..

    the one guy on here i know who uses his alot – and who had a woodchip one and converted it to gas- says buy the sodding gas on its much more convienant to use…..then on the one occasion you have 2 hours to make a pizza or are entertaining you can still woodchip…..but go gas.

    cb
    Full Member

    The ooni things – the 12 inch gas pizza oven is 249 and the 16 inch 399, is there any functionlaity difference as 150 notes seems like a lot for an extra 4 inches…keep it pizza focussed please!

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    the one guy on here i know who uses his alot – and who had a woodchip one and converted it to gas- says buy the sodding gas on its much more convienant to use…

    Exactly – I used 1 bag of wood chips before binning it off for gas. But we pretty much use ours weekly throughout the year.
    With gas you just light it and walk away… 10 mins later it’s 500c, while with pellets you need to feed the hopper and if you get it wrong (i.e. load too much in) it will smoke for a minute or two.
    Pellet firing is fun but it’s pretty involved especially if you’re cooking multiple pizzas ( we generally do 4 or 5 at a go) as the temperature can drop unlike with gas. You can easily swap the pellet burner for the gas burner.

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    The ooni things – the 12 inch gas pizza oven is 249 and the 16 inch 399, is there any functionlaity difference as 150 notes seems like a lot for an extra 4 inches…keep it pizza focussed please!

    I wouldn’t bother with the larger one… a 12″ pizza is big enough for one person and I can imagine a 16″ base could be tricky to produce.

    DrP
    Full Member

    Get a Weber and spend the rest on an ooni pizza oven.

    Correct answer!!! (well, kinda!)

    I agree that though charcoal IS lovely, I no longer use my charcoal BBQ and only use the weber q1200 – a little portable gas grill with cast iron grill plates.. I swapped one grill plate (i.e half the cooking area) for a flat cast iron plate (it fits it perfectly. Great for doing veg/fish/flat breads.

    I love the fact you can control the heat perfectly, AND, the big one (especially if camping etc) is that once you’re done, you turn it off… I’ve spent hours before waiting at a picnic site for a charcoal BBQ to cool down.

    The other bit of kit I love is my Ooni Kuda gas pizza oven.
    Yesterday I had both babies out, and we had gas fired pizza for lunch, and a BBQ for tea…. mmm

    When I get my own place again, I@m going to build a lovely outdoor kitchen area for tehm both 🙂

    DrP

    Merak
    Full Member

    Only advice I have is get a charcoal bbq. Gas just isn’t the same.

    Very much this. A gas BBQ (I own one) is nothing more than an outdoor grill. A charcoal BBQ makes things taste so much better.

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    Love our Weber Q.

    Would also love an ooni so wood fired was an option…

    eruptron
    Free Member

    Hi I got the gas bbq bug last May. Sick of cr4p coal taking ages to light and stinking. So I bought a Weber gas BBQ I have a Weber Spirit 11 E210 I f-ing love it used it at least 3 times a week and that has gone on throughout the winter and have just run out of the 5th 13kg bottle yesterday.
    Weber use lid down cooking. My only regret is not getting a 3 burner BBQ as I think this would be far better for indirect cooking. The 2 burner we have is generally great as there is only 2 of us.
    Whatever you buy make sure it has some method of reading the grill’s temp. Weber are expensive but come with a 10 year warranty and usually weber themselves usually have offers on BBQ courses, covers or accessories.
    Watch out it’s addictive.
    online. Hayes,Riverside,BBQwow have some great offers on at times.
    Hayes and Riverside have Youtube videos with tips and things to cook. I live near Hayes in Ambleside they have some good stock and will generally price match if you ask in store and Ian is well clued up.
    Check out the Angus and Oink website they have some brilliant rubs and things to try. Try a Scottybab mmmmmm.
    A&O BBQ Rubs & Sauces

    Pizza on the BBQ is one of the nices things we do. Buy a pizza stone and cook it on the BBQ not sure you’d need to spend 100’s on an Ooni
    Whatever you buy if you haven’t already buy a thermometer for checking food temp one of the most important bits of kit you’ll need.

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    Buy a pizza stone and cook it on the BBQ not sure you’d need to spend 100’s on an Ooni

    If you’d actually done pizza in a proper pizza oven (at >500c) then you’d understand.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    There’s a lot of good YouTube videos on how to use your gas BBQ properly

    With a smoker box in place it’s nigh on indistinguishable from fired over coals.

    Re stones on a BBQ. Ends up with a burnt base and raw on top ime- unless heath robinsoning with a couple of fire bricks to lift it up into the hood . There just isn’t enough heat in the hood once you open it to put the pizza in. Bottoms cooked before the top.

    The ooni makes pizza like the pros. Different level.

    stevesss
    Free Member

    Just finished my first BBQ on the Char Broil Gas2Coal 3 burner. Worked really well, put the charcoal on, lit the gas 20mins later it was good to go. The coals got an even heat and I got a good flavour on the food. Bit of a pain to put together intialy but very pleased with it so far.

    eruptron
    Free Member

    Re stones on a BBQ. Ends up with a burnt base and raw on top ime- unless heath robinsoning with a couple of fire bricks to lift it up into the hood . There just isn’t enough heat in the hood once you open it to put the pizza in. Bottoms cooked before the top.

    The ooni makes pizza like the pros. Different level.

    Get the heat thing but personally couldn’t justify 200 quid for something I could do pretty well on a bbq. Never really had any issue and done some pretty good pizza and only takes 4-5 mins. Maybe cause I’ve got a weber and it’s designed to cook with the hood down. Get it on the peel and bosh it’s in, in seconds.
    I’m not slagging off the Ooni I’m sure it does what it does very well but the option is there to do good pizza with BBQ which has far more strings to it’s cooking bow.

    Like Trail-rat says there are loads of great videos especially cooking stuff. BBQ pit boys are quite good in a redneck sort of way.Some of the Hayes garden centres stuff is good. Some of the Weber ones are good especially cooking joints by the thickness rather than weight.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Haha I can hit Angus and oinks BBQ school with a tennis ball from my front door.

    They are good folk.

    eruptron
    Free Member

    @trail_rat
    Lucky sod. I really like their stuff. In fact I have a cupboard shelf dedicated to it. Korean and Shawrama are awesome yummy and you get Haribo with your order 🙂

    Painey
    Free Member

    I’ve owned a few barbecues over the years, gas and charcoal. By far the best is a Weber mastertouch, as long a you combine it with a chimney starter which is essential for fuss-free lighting of the coals. Fill that up with weber briquettes and it’s exactly the right amount you need for cooking on. Light it and within 30 minutes it’s good to go. When you don’t want to use it anymore, shut the vents and it’s cool within 30 minutes or so.

    A gas one is ever so slightly more convenient but cannot compare for flavour. My vegetarian wife says the same.

    Also, you can get a kit that converts it into a pretty decent pizza oven. Google kettle pizza for more info.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    A gas one is ever so slightly more convenient but cannot compare for flavour. My vegetarian wife says the same.

    So what makes the flavour different ? Assuming a gas BBQ with a smoker box other wise you might as well cook on the hob.

    eruptron
    Free Member

    @trail_rat
    The advantage is that if your doing your cooking on the gas BBQ and probably the charcoal one as well the air that it draws in through the BBQ is not the recirculated dry air that’s in your kitchen. The theory being that the air especially in the British climate helps to keep the meat moist. Coals taste different but that depends if the difference is because everything is cooked at a million degrees or Done properly/smoked using decent coals, starter and coal baskets etc. I’m not a big smoked food fan so the majority of the time the ease, of gas and the fact there’s only 2 of is means gas 99% of the time for me.
    The biggest change for me though was starting to use a temp probe. Never thought about it really until getting BBQ addiction but It’s a simple thing that makes a massive difference. Food cooked how you like. Moist and no chance of making yourself ill.

    paulneenan76
    Free Member

    Weber kettle with the GBS here, and whilst I’m still a bit of a beginner, I have progressed to bigger cuts of meat lately and it’s gone well. Having a digital probe left in the meat whilst cooking and using the Weber app to help manage the temperature, is a god-send.

    Got mine online from Riverside after speaking to a Weber Rep at a demo at my local garden centre. Thoroughly recommended.

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