• This topic has 73 replies, 30 voices, and was last updated 5 years ago by bsims.
Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 74 total)
  • Gas Barbecue advice
  • root-n-5th
    Free Member

    Hello,

    The sun is out and it’s barbecue time, by our seven year old gas thing has cooked its last.

    Any recommendations for a gas barbecue? Ideally cheap, around £100, but might be worth paying more if it’s a goodun’.

    Cheers.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Not the cheapest but never failed with one of these

    https://www.bbqworld.co.uk/weber-barbecues/weberq/weber-q-bbq.asp

    The one I had for 4 years of heavy use has done 6 with my folks, cast iron grill and plate make a big difference and will just cook and cook.

    thehustler
    Free Member

    If its gas its not a BBQ its an outdoor cooker……

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    trail_rat
    Free Member

    What mike said.

    Weber q at home

    charcoal bbq at work. Both get heavy use, actually prefer the gas as it is better for long cooks -6-10 hour slow roasts over smoke chips without having to worry about the coals dying.

    i chuck it in the back of the van cook at my destination, turn it off, by time i finish eating i chuck it in the van and can move on.

    Meanwhile the charcoal braai has only one redeaming feature, you can get it hotter than hades hisself and reaaallly chargrill steaks while retaining a warm rare interior

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    It’s not a wah wah whatever…. Its the cooking tool of choice for a good chunk of the world who cook great bbq food on them. If all your doing is burning sausages on charcoal it’s not a bbq. Rant over

    Still buy the webber

    tor5
    Free Member

    +1 for the Webber. Hot enough to cook in in a couple of minutes with minimal faff. Great for a ninja grill when the sun’s out midweek and you want to get a ride in as well.

    (Written standing in front of mine waiting to flip the steaks)

    twicewithchips
    Free Member

    spend a bit more on the weber, can’t imagine you’ll regret it.  weve got one of the Q ones, I think the numbers relate to size, and maybe whether its got legs or not.  Just watch cos some take wee cartridges, rather than a big bottle

    Who gives a shit about what its called. You’ll have finished your steak before the charcoal lot are ready to cook.

    root-n-5th
    Free Member

    Thanks for the replies. I converted my old gas outdoor cooker to charcoal last year. No such thing as a quick bbq now – family close to starving by the time I’ve got the darned food cooked. Call me a heathen, but give me the gas.

    The Weber Q looks good. Smaller than I was looking at, but does it cook better than a cheap one so cooking time is less?

    ransos
    Free Member

    Who gives a shit about what its called. You’ll have finished your steak before the charcoal lot are ready to cook.

    If only there were some other way of accomplishing that.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    but does it cook better than a cheap one so cooking time is less?

    Never sure quicker is better…

    Very controllable, the grill heats up nicely so better cooking really, bit of practice and I could order everything I needed to be cooked

    convert
    Full Member

    BBQs, gas or otherwise are so last century – it’s all about the pizza oven now. Actually pizza oven that cooks other stuff in sizzlers and roasting tins too. Great for steaks if that’s your bag. Since we got ours the bbq hardly gets a look in.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    “If only there were some other way of accomplishing that.”

    Well you could stick it on your george foreman and ruin the meat i guess.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Re webber q and the little cannisters.

    Cut off the crimped on regulator for their cannisters and fit the regulator for your gas of choice.

    Butane in the summer (burns hotter) and propane in winter (its boiling point is -40 vs butanes +4)

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Charcoal BBQ’s and Convertible cars are a truly British thing, Pinning all your hopes and aspirations on claiming you could live for summer ignoring any of the practicalities and realities of the situation.

    ransos
    Free Member

    Well you could stick it on your george foreman and ruin the meat i guess.

    I wouldn’t know.

    ransos
    Free Member

    Pinning all your hopes and aspirations on claiming you could live for summer ignoring any of the practicalities and realities of the situation.

    Waiting 15 minutes for the coals to heat up is a terrible imposition.

    twicewithchips
    Free Member

    Oh the comment about pizza oven reminds me.  Get a cheap pizza stone on amazon, bung it on top of the grill, set to nuclear.  By the time you’ve arranged your artisan cheeses it’s ready to go.

    Good advice above on regulators.

    batfink
    Free Member

    We have a webber “Baby Q” – it’s awesome.

    Charcoal BBQ’s and Convertible cars are a truly British thing

    Indeed.  Never met an Australian with a charcoal barbie.  Webber (like Subaru) have been adopted by the Aussies as a defacto domestic brand – they love ’em.

    edit: except in tassie, where everyone seems to drive Mitsubishis for some reason

    sbob
    Free Member

    No such thing as a quick bbq now

    Me and my house mate used to do impromptu midweek bbqs all the time, it’s not a chore.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Indeed.  Never met an Australian with a charcoal barbie.

    Still used there but mostly for the very serious meat smoking slow cooking lot. Day to day it’s the Webber or whatever outdoor setting you have.

    root-n-5th
    Free Member

    I’ve nothing against charcoal, it’s just I’m not very good at it. It takes me about half an hour to get it lit, then another to let it get hot. By then I’m starving.

    i usually cook for about 8, which includes a mixture of meats and and a vegetarian selection so I quite like a large grill, the ability to control heat in different sections with separate burners, and a warming rack would be good. Not asking for much…

    julians
    Free Member

    Just ordered a landmann rexon 3.1, had a look at weber but tbh they looked overpriced, and not substantially better quality than any of the other bbqs.

    I know this goes against the grain on here but the b&q own brand bbqs looked good for the money. The webers looked no better than those.

    Now usuallly id advise against b&q own brand stuff as its usually tat, but this time i couldnt detect much difference.

    Still didnt buy the b&q one though….

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    the issue seems to be in the longevity though.

    we are 3 years in with our Weber using it all year round 2/3/4 times a week . basically any time there is meat to be cooked as its just nicer cooked on the BBQ – even a cast iron Griddle doesnt come close.

    ours old BNQ bbq burner tubes started to burn out after 6 or so months of heavy use

    Ok so our use may not be typical but the weber certainly holds up its end of the cost/function rather than just being overpriced*

    *id not have spent that on a bbq we recieved it as a wedding present from a group of people who knew we BBQ alot

    aphex_2k
    Free Member

    the hustler
    <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>If its gas its not a BBQ its an outdoor cooker……</span>

    Bloody poms. No clue. We don’t have time to fk about with coals and risking setting the whole bloody place on fire. You’d soon get tired of coals if you did more than one bbq per year!  :p

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    bloody gateway error

    stevextc
    Free Member

    Just ordered a landmann rexon 3.1, had a look at weber but tbh they looked overpriced, and not substantially better quality than any of the other bbqs.

    Come back after a few winters … we are through our 5th Winter .. don’t do anything special except clean it and disconnect the gas in Oct before it standing Idle and come April it’s reconnect the gas, wipe it down and fire it up.  No rust etc.

    The beauty of the Weber is not so much over the summer but rather over the winters … I spent a lot on other brands before concluding the Weber is cheaper over 10 years…

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Last year I bought a Weber go anywhere.   Combined with a chimney starter and Weber briquettes it’s fast and economical .  All year round it gets used for pork chops especially.   By the time the potato salad and garlic beans are cooked,  the juicy,  smoky,  crisp-rind chops are succulently ready.

    Where’s that drooling Homer Simpson gif when you need it?

    hedley
    Free Member

    Doesn’t help with your gas BBQ choice but I’ve just bought a Charcoal Chimney which means that rather than stand for 40 minutes blowing on the lumps and waving a piece of cardboard, I can light it, go inside for 15 minutes and prepare food then pop outside and tip the hot coals on the grill. it’s been a revelation.

    The Weber’s Complete BBQ Book is also helping me change from a black & burnt sausage guy to tasty food. It’s a whole new world!

    root-n-5th
    Free Member

    This is why I haven’t replaced our old one for years – too much choice.

    The chimney is a good idea but still like gas.

    3 choices.

    1. Tesco cheapy 3 burner for £64 with clubcard points.

    2. The outback one above for £200 looks great value.

    3. Weber 3 burner for about £500.

    I’m sure a Weber is the best, but is it really worth it as we’re on a budget? I know, in 10 years it will still be going

    I sometimes think I’d have been happy in communist Russia where the state chose for you. The simple life.

    Painey
    Free Member

    Glad the chimney starter got mentioned. I’ve had a few bbq’s over the years, currently own a portable weber for camping and a mastertouch top of the range kettle thing. Which is great. Used to have a big stainless steel gas one which wasn’t a weber and when it broke I couldn’t get the parts to fix it, not a problem with the weber ones.

    I’m not saying they’re better than other makes, but spare parts are easy to come by, they seem well thought out and of a decent quality. If I was buying another gas then weber would be my first choice as long as I got a good deal on it!

    This whole thing about gas being more convenient, yes and no in my experience. A decent chimney starter will get coals literally red hot within 15-20 minutes which is comparable to a gas bbq.You can even put a grill over the top of the chimney if you’re really in a hurry. And if you like fish then nothing beats cooking it over coals. So basically don’t discount charcoal if you know how to get the best out of it, messing about with fire lighters/gel etc is not the way to do that and certainly never, ever use the instant lighting stuff.

    stevextc
    Free Member

    The chimney is a good idea but still like gas.

    3 choices.

    1. Tesco cheapy 3 burner for £64 with clubcard points.

    2. The outback one above for £200 looks great value.

    3. Weber 3 burner for about £500.

    I’m sure a Weber is the best, but is it really worth it as we’re on a budget? I know, in 10 years it will still be going

    I sometimes think I’d have been happy in communist Russia where the state chose for you. The simple life.

    It’s a 1 or 3 choice for me….

    We used to have the Tesco or equivalent and they are pretty much stuffed by 2 winters

    My mate who keeps leaving the UK and giving me his old BBQ’s kept buying the Homebase ones then I’d end up with it and after a year it looks tatty .. different bits rust (can live with) and after 2-3 winters it was time to take to the recycling as it was more rust than BBQ.

    (damned horrid things to put in the car though)

    The Weber has just kept working and has no rust… and has also avoided taking to the tip etc.

    I’ll admit I was sceptical… but part of what partially swung me was the cheapest company is right by my Mum… it’s a internet offshoot of Dawsons in Clitheroe… so I figured I’d be able to go and complain if it didn’t last.

    It’s a big outlay and especially at the time I was saving a deposit for a house… but I just got sick of the others not lasting.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    “will get coals literally red hot within 15-20 minutes which is comparable to a gas <span class=”skimlinks-unlinked”>bbq”</span>

    what are you cooking on red hot coals.

    and what gas bbq takes 15-20 minutes to heat up.

    My experiance that even with a chimney for anything other than a steak i want to be pretty much charred on the outside(which id have cooked over the chimney before letting the coals out) and mildly warm on the inside that it takes more like 30-40 minutes to have the coals cool enough to cool on without charing everything in sight.

    Project this summer is to build an indirect smoker out of some old (and shot blasted) car wheels and sheet steel i have lying about.

    ransos
    Free Member

     I can light it, go inside for 15 minutes and prepare food then pop outside and tip the hot coals on the grill. it’s been a revelation.

    That’s what I do. It does require multi-tasking though which may be beyond some. So the additional time over a gas outdoor grill is for me to walk to the shed, grab the charcoal, put it in the chimney starter and light it. About 3 minutes extra, I reckon, if I’m being generous.

    benp1
    Full Member

    I’ve not been able to start my chimney stack with newspaper, just doesn’t work. tried numerous times and other people have tried too, wouldn’t work (weber one and a cheapy one)

    Works fine with BBQ lighters though, I use those underneath and it works fine. Hmmm, must do a BBQ soon!

    Painey
    Free Member

    Not cooking anything on red hot coals, my point being you don’t need many of them or much time to generate sufficient heat for indirect cooking. To get a gas bbq up to a decent temperature, grates nice and hot and scraped clean with wire brush does not take 1-2 minutes. Just my experience with what I had and that was pretty hot on full whack.

    Best way of using chimney starter, small bit of newspaper with 1 cube firelighter in the middle. Works every time.

    hugo
    Free Member

    This whole thing about gas being more convenient, yes and no in my experience. A decent chimney starter will get coals literally red hot within 15-20 minutes which is comparable to a gas <span class=”skimlinks-unlinked”>bbq.</span>

    Without trying to jump on the quasi religious “if it ain’t charcoal it ain’t a BBQ” bandwagon, the above is very true, especially when you’ve done it a few times to get in a routine.

    To make it even faster and fail-safe combine a chimney starter with a natural firelighter cube or two and a drizzle of veg oil on your newspaper at the bottom.  No odour or weird chemicals but still a boost to get it going.

    Coals ready in 10 minutes which is, as is said above, the same as getting a gas one warm anyway.

    The only downsides I’ve come across are cost (charcoal/briquettes are more expensive but the BBQ itself is far cheaper) and the initial smoke of the chimney if you’ve got washing out, etc.

    Gas BBQs are great at what they do (long slow roasting for example as you can leave it to it) but the convenience bit doesn’t sell it for me.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

     So the additional time over a gas outdoor grill

    Go on just try calling it a BBQ 😉

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    And the Weber Go-Anywhere has vents which close and put out the coals when you’ve finished cooking.  Not only does it mean you can pick it up and carry it back from the beach in 25 minutes, if you use briquettes many of them can be used a second or third time.  Typically for a meal for the 2 of us, I only have to add 3 or 4 new briquettes so it’s super economical.

    ransos
    Free Member

    Gas BBQs are great at what they do (long slow roasting for example as you can leave it to it) but the convenience bit doesn’t sell it for me.

    I did a roasted shoulder of lamb on the bbq last Sunday. There was still plenty of charcoal left after three hours of cooking (Weber with the top vent almost closed) – they’ll go back in the chimney starter next time.

    Go on just try calling it a BBQ

    The gas grill in my kitchen is called a gas grill. Just trying to be consistent. 😉

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 74 total)

The topic ‘Gas Barbecue advice’ is closed to new replies.