Barbeques - Gas or Charcoal
Discussion
miln0039 said:
http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-chimney-sta...
One of these ^^^
ETA - Worth having a look around for WOWBBQ discount codes too, they send you them on the marketing emails a lot! Usually good for another 15-20% off.
Bbq20 for 20% off!!One of these ^^^
ETA - Worth having a look around for WOWBBQ discount codes too, they send you them on the marketing emails a lot! Usually good for another 15-20% off.
Edited by miln0039 on Monday 23 June 18:06
Chimney and aussie charcoal on its way!!!
My 2 penneth.......
Charcoal is great for the lazy weekend afternoon event. Lots of people waiting, with a sense of anticipation at whether you will make a pigs ear of it, or produce something epic!!
Charcoal gives a sense of occasion, especially when the whole thing catches alight. If you get it right, you're a hero. If you burn everything, no problem, thats exactly what was expected.
The whole matter of man working with true, real, unpredictable fire is primeval. All men love it.
Also, women love to see a man cooking with "real" fire. You have a far greater chance of a bunk up, after using charcoal. Fact.
Gas BBQ just screams Costco and football shirts.
There's no real skill to using it. It's either an upside down gas grill, or an oven. Just outdoors.
What's the difference? Just cook it in the kitchen, then take it outside.
The only real point that separates the two, is the fact that the gas BBQ'er can drink cheap lager from a can, whilst he stands next to the outdoor grill/oven.
The charcoal man, will be seated, enjoying a glass or two, of fine wine, whilst chatting with close friends, whilst the charcoal cooks the food, slowly and perfectly. Just don't cook over the coals until the very end.
Obviously, all said with a pinch of salt. Actually, as I'm a charcoal man, that'll be onion salt, not blue and white stripe stuff.
;0)
Seriously, for me, it's charcoal.
However, I can appreciate the convenience of gas.
Charcoal is great for the lazy weekend afternoon event. Lots of people waiting, with a sense of anticipation at whether you will make a pigs ear of it, or produce something epic!!
Charcoal gives a sense of occasion, especially when the whole thing catches alight. If you get it right, you're a hero. If you burn everything, no problem, thats exactly what was expected.
The whole matter of man working with true, real, unpredictable fire is primeval. All men love it.
Also, women love to see a man cooking with "real" fire. You have a far greater chance of a bunk up, after using charcoal. Fact.
Gas BBQ just screams Costco and football shirts.
There's no real skill to using it. It's either an upside down gas grill, or an oven. Just outdoors.
What's the difference? Just cook it in the kitchen, then take it outside.
The only real point that separates the two, is the fact that the gas BBQ'er can drink cheap lager from a can, whilst he stands next to the outdoor grill/oven.
The charcoal man, will be seated, enjoying a glass or two, of fine wine, whilst chatting with close friends, whilst the charcoal cooks the food, slowly and perfectly. Just don't cook over the coals until the very end.
Obviously, all said with a pinch of salt. Actually, as I'm a charcoal man, that'll be onion salt, not blue and white stripe stuff.
;0)
Seriously, for me, it's charcoal.
However, I can appreciate the convenience of gas.
The gas/charcoal debate will run and run.
But can we just get one thing clear:
There is no such thing as a "barbeque"!!!
The spelling is "barbecue", with a "c". It is acceptable to use the phonetic 3-letter abbreviation "BBQ", but please don't mix up the two spellings.
"Barbeque" is not an alternative spelling of "barbecue". The "q" spelling is simply wrong. Yes, you'll find it all over the internet, and admittedly if I were running a website I'd try to find a way of hiding that spelling in there - simply so that search engines will direct the common mis-spelling to my site as well.
But it's "barbecue", with a "c".
But can we just get one thing clear:
There is no such thing as a "barbeque"!!!
The spelling is "barbecue", with a "c". It is acceptable to use the phonetic 3-letter abbreviation "BBQ", but please don't mix up the two spellings.
"Barbeque" is not an alternative spelling of "barbecue". The "q" spelling is simply wrong. Yes, you'll find it all over the internet, and admittedly if I were running a website I'd try to find a way of hiding that spelling in there - simply so that search engines will direct the common mis-spelling to my site as well.
But it's "barbecue", with a "c".
Gas does not equal "grill"
Charcoal does not equal "BBQ"
BBQ - is a slow cooking technique, involving smoke and indirect heat
Grill - is a fast cook technique, involving direct heat
You can achieve either with gas or charcoal.
If you BBQ with gas I recommend wrapping your wood chips loosely in foil to make them easier to remove and to control the volume of smoke.
Those of you who really think you can only BBQ with charcoal "for the taste" should try doing it with gas and nicely soaked wood chips, with indirect heat for the necessary hours. It works. The results are indistinguishable.
And if you tried to do that inside? Mwahahahahahaha. It might be gas but outside is absolutely necessary!
Note: I like charcoal too for the fun. Sometimes it is nice to light a fire. But if you are trying to grill something outside for supper with a bit of smoke and character? Gas will do the job.
Charcoal does not equal "BBQ"
BBQ - is a slow cooking technique, involving smoke and indirect heat
Grill - is a fast cook technique, involving direct heat
You can achieve either with gas or charcoal.
If you BBQ with gas I recommend wrapping your wood chips loosely in foil to make them easier to remove and to control the volume of smoke.
Those of you who really think you can only BBQ with charcoal "for the taste" should try doing it with gas and nicely soaked wood chips, with indirect heat for the necessary hours. It works. The results are indistinguishable.
And if you tried to do that inside? Mwahahahahahaha. It might be gas but outside is absolutely necessary!
Note: I like charcoal too for the fun. Sometimes it is nice to light a fire. But if you are trying to grill something outside for supper with a bit of smoke and character? Gas will do the job.
Charcoal for me, British lump wood every time though. Briquettes and imported stuff tends to be crap.
I do a lot of BBQ-ing and find the flavour results totally different between gas and charcoal. As someone mentioned there is a lot of benefit in cooking on smoke rather than over the flames. Gas has its place, I often do my brekkie outside on a Sunday morning and 5-10 minutes of heat is all that is required.
If you are London based have a look at this. Locally made, lights without fire lighters, quality stuff.
I do a lot of BBQ-ing and find the flavour results totally different between gas and charcoal. As someone mentioned there is a lot of benefit in cooking on smoke rather than over the flames. Gas has its place, I often do my brekkie outside on a Sunday morning and 5-10 minutes of heat is all that is required.
If you are London based have a look at this. Locally made, lights without fire lighters, quality stuff.
i bought this in bulk direct from the manufacturer and shared the delivery with a mate and saved quite a bit off retail price
http://www.bigkproducts.co.uk/Catalog-BBQ-Charcoal...
http://www.bigkproducts.co.uk/Catalog-BBQ-Charcoal...
If you are grilling with charcoal, then lumpwood charcoal is fine.
If you are Barbecuing then you really need briquettes of some kind. Last weekend I had a single load of briquettes maintain a more or less constant 105 degrees C for 18 hours - which is something you would never achieve with lumpwood.
Briquettes made from coconut shells are by far the best sort to use, but I can no longer find anywhere in the UK that sells them.
Personally the outdoor cooking device I use most often is my Gas Grill. It's convenient, quick and reaches a much higher temperature than the grill in a domestic oven or any hob based grill pan. An outdoor gas grill is by far the best way to cook Steak.
I also have a charcoal grill, and also a charcoal BBQ. The charcoal BBQ is only used 3 or 4 times a year, but is definitely worth the effort.
If you are Barbecuing then you really need briquettes of some kind. Last weekend I had a single load of briquettes maintain a more or less constant 105 degrees C for 18 hours - which is something you would never achieve with lumpwood.
Briquettes made from coconut shells are by far the best sort to use, but I can no longer find anywhere in the UK that sells them.
Personally the outdoor cooking device I use most often is my Gas Grill. It's convenient, quick and reaches a much higher temperature than the grill in a domestic oven or any hob based grill pan. An outdoor gas grill is by far the best way to cook Steak.
I also have a charcoal grill, and also a charcoal BBQ. The charcoal BBQ is only used 3 or 4 times a year, but is definitely worth the effort.
Don said:
Gas does not equal "grill"
Charcoal does not equal "BBQ"
BBQ - is a slow cooking technique, involving smoke and indirect heat
Grill - is a fast cook technique, involving direct heat
You can achieve either with gas or charcoal.
If you BBQ with gas I recommend wrapping your wood chips loosely in foil to make them easier to remove and to control the volume of smoke.
Those of you who really think you can only BBQ with charcoal "for the taste" should try doing it with gas and nicely soaked wood chips, with indirect heat for the necessary hours. It works. The results are indistinguishable.
And if you tried to do that inside? Mwahahahahahaha. It might be gas but outside is absolutely necessary!
Note: I like charcoal too for the fun. Sometimes it is nice to light a fire. But if you are trying to grill something outside for supper with a bit of smoke and character? Gas will do the job.
Spot on.Charcoal does not equal "BBQ"
BBQ - is a slow cooking technique, involving smoke and indirect heat
Grill - is a fast cook technique, involving direct heat
You can achieve either with gas or charcoal.
If you BBQ with gas I recommend wrapping your wood chips loosely in foil to make them easier to remove and to control the volume of smoke.
Those of you who really think you can only BBQ with charcoal "for the taste" should try doing it with gas and nicely soaked wood chips, with indirect heat for the necessary hours. It works. The results are indistinguishable.
And if you tried to do that inside? Mwahahahahahaha. It might be gas but outside is absolutely necessary!
Note: I like charcoal too for the fun. Sometimes it is nice to light a fire. But if you are trying to grill something outside for supper with a bit of smoke and character? Gas will do the job.
I can't understand why anyone would consign themselves to using one fuel or the other when you can simple buy a range of devices. I have 5 barbecues at the moment - 4 charcoal and 1 gas but I am thinking of buying a much bigger gas one for the patio. I love cooking with coal but even as a total enthusiast I have to really want to take my time - if I want to knock up some bacon or fish in the morning with a bit of smoke, I could be doing that on gas in as long as it takes to boil the kettle. Even with a chimney starter on a perfectly still day I'd be looking at 25-30 minutes on coal to go from deciding to cooking.
Its the same with the briquettes vs lumpwood arguement - I keep both in stock and appreciate them for their individual merits. I prefer cooking with lumpwood generally but if I'm smoking a pork shoulder for 18 hours and leaving the thing unattended for lengths of time, briquettes are the only way. I tend to only buy Weber briquettes because their qualities are very consistent and reliable.
HereBeMonsters said:
trashbat said:
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
"Barbeque" is not an alternative spelling of "barbecue".
Apparently it's in the OED.
The fact that they've added this mis-spelling doesn't make it right.
Weber Performer... perfect!
Gas to heat coals, then coals to heat food. I use a chimney too, but no need for newspaper, just 5 mins on the gas to get the coals going then cook.
http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-performer-d...
I love mine.
Gas to heat coals, then coals to heat food. I use a chimney too, but no need for newspaper, just 5 mins on the gas to get the coals going then cook.
http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-performer-d...
I love mine.
moffat said:
Weber Performer... perfect!
Gas to heat coals, then coals to heat food. I use a chimney too, but no need for newspaper, just 5 mins on the gas to get the coals going then cook.
http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-performer-d...
I love mine.
Literally stick the chimney above the Gas and then turn it on full? Gets it going in 5 minutes to tower inferno in the chimney?Gas to heat coals, then coals to heat food. I use a chimney too, but no need for newspaper, just 5 mins on the gas to get the coals going then cook.
http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/weber-performer-d...
I love mine.
If so it's better than I'd expected...
miln0039 said:
Literally stick the chimney above the Gas and then turn it on full? Gets it going in 5 minutes to tower inferno in the chimney?
If so it's better than I'd expected...
Its excellent, seriously.If so it's better than I'd expected...
Usually having cold one when its cranking up, but not long at all. Feels like 5 mins, but probably 10.
Will time next time.
moffat said:
miln0039 said:
Literally stick the chimney above the Gas and then turn it on full? Gets it going in 5 minutes to tower inferno in the chimney?
If so it's better than I'd expected...
Its excellent, seriously.If so it's better than I'd expected...
Usually having cold one when its cranking up, but not long at all. Feels like 5 mins, but probably 10.
Will time next time.
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