Gas BBQ advice please
 

Hi

Im looking for a new Gas BBQ in the £150 ~ £300 price range, does anyone have a first hand recomendation?

Im considering either

AWT 'Master' Deluxe 3 Burner Gas

or

Outback 4 Burner Stainless Steel Gas Barbecue

Also why have they all changed to Propane? ours in Butane and they all used to be that gas. Now I have to buy new bottles :(

I've been looking down a similar route, but it seems if you really do want that genuine smoky BBQ taste then you either need to stick to charcoal, or get some lava rocks to put on the gas BBQ which smoke to give off a similar taste.

I've decided to build my own charcoal BBQ.

Gas BBQ :mad: Thats cheating :razz:

Either buy a charcoal one or save your money and cook it under the grill, you get the same results.

Chop :)

Don't listen to the gas haters. Gas BBQs rock. The fact that they are chargrilled adds the key taste, you don't see chefs cooking your fat steak over charcoal brickets(sp?) do you? Most Australians (Australia arguably being the home of the BBQ) use gas so what makes you pommes any different.

My advice would be to get a 3 burner cheap job from B&Q, Homebase etc as if you use it quite a lot (as I do) then the constant heating and cooling will cause some of the key components to fatigue. My BBQs only last about 3 seasons so it makes sense to buy cheapish.

because the aussies are lazy cvnts.

chop

I bought a £200 gas one from Homebase, 3 burner with a cast iron griddle plate. Hated it, it just isn't the same; you may as well cook in the oven IMO. Sold it a year later for next to nothing.

We use a gas job because, as chop would put it.........

But we use it a lot and it's so quick and easy and I canh't be arsed with the palava of charcoal and a 2 day wait for it to be "just right" to start cooking :)

We have a cheap 2-burner Canadian one called a Broil King. Get one with a decent closing lid as I just get mine really hot and bake the food first so I know it's cooked and then you can use it normally to baste etc.

Next time I'll get one with a mains powered spit. Get a good cover for it; I use some pond liner which is much better than the £30 shop jobs although it does look an eyesore. dl

To those that claim gas BBQ is the same as using an oven you are very wrong!

We BBQ a lot during the summer and the instant cooking ability of gas cant be beat :)

The Aussies have it right in my opinion

Quite right :p

Plus I can hide a bottle of red behind the b-b-q and have a ciggie without being moaned at. Can't do that in the kitchen :thumb:

(and meme sahib doesn't like flames over the worktop) dl

You need to get one of these beauties. I saw this on sale in Nashville, Tennessee when I was over there last.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m47/varboy/bbq.jpg

Worlds best BBQ's are Weber.

I got a Gas BBQ 3 years ago and I must admit I do at times miss the primeval feel to building a pile of coals, soaking with firelighter and setting ablaze and I would probably agree it can more often create better tasting food.

However I dont get what the fuss is about Gas being so so bad. Most incarnations use lava rock. The majority of flavour from bbq'ing comes from fat dripping on hot coals (or rocks) thus creating smoke which rises towards the food.

I would say the first few times was a bit plain but once you get some fat on those rocks they aint half bad and a hell of a lot easier to start, keep a constant heat, keep going for prolonged periods of time (24hr Le Mans BBQ our friends have every year being a good example) and generally just less mess with ash, black fingerprints etc.

If you really want extra flavour then add some wood chips. I have some nice maple ones that give a great flavour and colour to ribs.

I would also suggest buying more lava rocks as I didnt get that many with mine. Bought a spare pack to fill in all the gaps.

Simon

P.S. Mine was an Outback Omega 300 I think - with a sidehob - wicked for doing fried onions etc. Was £150 when I got it but saw it for £80 in Robert Dyas last year.

How about this?

The Ultimate BBQ for outdoor entertainment Direct 2 home

Last time I was in the States I saw a massive one in Walmart complete with outdoor sink and small fridge :)

Simon

:notworthy Well put, thats exactly where the flavor comes from :)

Absolutely right :notworthy and as such should be forbidden :nono:

:lol1: I am a real man and as such own a "proper" barbarqueue :norty:

hi m8
regards to diff gas if you already have a gas bbq with a blue regulator and new one will have an orange one just swop them over and continue using current gas bottle till it runs out then swop them back over when u buy new gas bottle this is what i did and no problems all that needs to be done is undo jubilee clip and remove it to swop and job done.

damian.

bbq-only one way
http://img.photobox.co.uk/8957745006...2a823aa78d.jpg
gives this
http://img.photobox.co.uk/59515955d9...6043c66824.jpg
richie:D

Too right :D :thumb:

I use a weber, but I think gas may be the way to go.
I find by the time I've cooked everyone elses burgers, sausages etc, that the BBQ is no longer hot enough to cook my expensive steak rare without broiling it.
I'm still working on it though. With a coal BBQ you learn something new every time!

I got an out back 2 burner; had it for 6 years now; used every weekend during the summer (weather prevailing) and left outside during winter (albeit under a cover).

Its been solid; wood needs teak oiling every year and that about it.

Its on it last legs now, as I had to weld a patch in on the steel that holds the burners in place. The drip tray is starting to go, and the steel on the lava-rock basket is wafer thin. Still, six years from £120 isn't bad IMO. Will probably buy the bigger version of the same next time; as they use the same burners and griddles.

That's because you're using a crap bbq :D

We have an Outback charcoal one and it's brilliant. The big difference is that the fire is in a suspended basket, so there's room for air to circulate under it. It's consistent, predictable, and ready to cook on in about 20 minutes.

We use it mostly for smoking and spit roasting pork joints, chickens and (best of all) ducks; with a little practise they come out perfect every time.

Besides, playing with fire is fun :)

you might as well drag the cooker outside imo gas bbqs are cheating a mans need to make fire and provide :D

a good old brick bbq and an old shopping trolley bottom is the way to do it with some good old charcoal and matches:D


am i not correct in this matter ???

Not really: 'cos you can't "flame grill" burgers under the grill or in a frying pan...gas BBQ you can (providing its a good one with lava rock saturated in lots of lovely fatty juices).

Its the only way I cook my entrcote/ribeye...get the fat on fire...sear on the outside, and keep it slightly bloody in the middle. Melts in your mouth - delicious. Tried doing in the kitchen. Just can't be done well, not unless I drag the BBQ in there :lol1: - grill doesn't get hot enough and a pan/hot plate just broils it.

How ever for the occasions; will do it the old fashioned way with the charcaol, but I'll be damned if I'm doing that every weekend :lol1:

Now on Propane. Wish I did it sooner...Butane is crap - starts freezing before the bottle gets less than half empty so the output on teh BBQ is pathetic

still love preparing a bbq though . gives me a sence of pleasure :norty: lol

Forgot to add: Research indicates that cooking with charcoal adds carcinogens to the food which eaten regularly enough can lead to a higher risk of colorectal cancer.....

Gas all the way.

With respect, that's a very vague statement, and certainly not complete enough on which to base any kind of decision. Obvious questions which spring to mind are:

What research? By whom?
On how many people, over what period of time?
Are the alleged carcinogens produced by the charcoal, or by the burning meat juices when they hit the fire? In which case, does the fuel make any difference at all?
What is the alleged increase in risk? Is it statistically significant?
How much bbq food would I have to eat to give a measurable increase in risk?
How does that risk compare with the risk I take driving to work every day?

Even if it is true, I'm sure most of us are already well over the fact that some things in life that are fun and worth doing have risks associated with them. You only get one life, don't risk having a boring one!

Weather looks good for the weekend... smoky bbq ribs here we come :D

I been meaning to buy a deceny BBQ for ages, so this thread is perfect. Nice one.

PS im going gas too lol

With all this talk of barbecues we should get a thread started of decent recipes and tips for barbecuing :) Summer sticky lol

Simon

It was deliberately vague as to be perfectly honest I couldn't be arsed to trawl the internet for hours looking for papers to substantiate what was an off the cuff remark to prompt thought.

I would suggest that if you are interested, that you seek to dissprove what I said, I honestly ambivolent to whether I am proved incorrect or not.