Barbecues: Gas or charcoal? (1 Viewer)

[Minxy]

We've had lots of different BBQs, both gas and charcoal, but now if we want to BBQ it has to be a gas one, too much messing about with charcoal and it actually doesn't do anything to improve the taste, in fact it can be the opposite! Similarly the lava rock you get with the gas ones doesn't help either, it is just more mess to clear up. The BBQ flavour, as has been mentioned, comes from the fats/juices hitting the hot surface/flames, not the coals, lava rock etc therefore you are only really BBQing when you use a proper BBQ rack (ie metal wire type) and NOT a solid griddle/hot plate. However, 'proper' BBQing is messy, whereas the griddle/hotplate is much easier to clean and cooking on and it gives those 'men who must play with fire' the feeling of being in control of something 'wild' but without quite so much of an after-nosh cleaning chore!

We've had various gas BBQs, including ones like that which Devon Bee Keeper uses and its more upmarket cousin which was better built with a warming shelf too and a burner that lasted a lot longer, in fact I think we've still got it kicking around somewhere as we only stopped using it due to it being too large for our van conversion, instead when we want a BBQ we have one powered by the small aerosol type gas canisters which fits in a suitcase, just a bit bigger than the similar suitcase stoves. It works very well but can be a bit messy to clean up (you can stick it back in the case but if you stand it on it's side you can get a bit of gooey mess oozing out!) so at present we take a single suitcase aerosol type stove and hubby uses either a large frying pan or griddle pan on it, and we've found that this produces very good results - in fact you simply cannot beat the taste of chicken pieces cooked in the frying pan with crispy skin ... something you do NOT get on a BBQ without it being half cremated!

 

[Chockswahay]

Agreed, but good for these

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[DBK]

C'mon! What would be the fun if you didn't spend an hour trying to get the barbie to light properly then spend 30 minutes cremating everything then eating it all in a rush while the barbie finally gets up to temperature and you use it for boiling a pan a water to spend another 30 minutes washing up the smoke and grease ridden mess!!!!!!!! LOL

On a related note, waiting for the BBQ to warm up is the perfect time to open the wine and relax, letting the worries of the day melt away. You don't get that with the instant gas BBQ.

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[scotjimland]

BBQ at its' best.. can't do this on a gas barbie .. perhaps a Cob ?

smoked brisket, marinated overnight with a mustard dressing, then .... 6 hours slow cooked over oak and charcoal ..

 

[cmcardle75]

Has anyone tried one of those small Chinese grills? You see them a lot on eBay, all the same design, but different colours and "makes". Interestingly they take those cheap gas cartridges that the cheap stoves also use. I've used one of those £15 stoves and found it remarkably effective. I'm thinking if the BBQ version is as good as the hob, it would be an excellent lightweight alternative to a bulky barbecue and heavy cylinder or expensive gas outlet.

I'm guessing it will be more of a grill than an actual barbecue, but would have the advantage over the onboard facilities that you can sit outside with a beer whilst cooking a steak.

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[cmcardle75]

BBQ at its' best.. can't do this on a gas barbie .. perhaps a Cob ?

smoked brisket, marinated overnight with a mustard dressing, then .... 6 hours slow cooked over oak and charcoal ..

Looks lovely. But then, I've found slow cooking easier with gas than charcoal. Keeping solid fuel going for 6 hours on low heat sounds like a labour of love.

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[tambo]

You should never clean the wire rack of your barbie ....its like a wok it retains the seasoning just leave it over the flame a little once you've stopped cooking and it's good for next time

 

[Chockswahay]

BBQ at its' best.. can't do this on a gas barbie .. perhaps a Cob ?

smoked brisket, marinated overnight with a mustard dressing, then .... 6 hours slow cooked over oak and charcoal ..

OK OK ! I feel quite inadequate now (at least I caught the mackerel and they were as fresh as possible)

 

[Judge Mental]

daughter has just asked me to find a charcoal bbq for her balcony...any recommendation please ( we use Cadec when travelling and a bigger gas one in garden)

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[Wildbill]

we have a cadack we use the BBQ function with very good results I do prefer caracole but it is to much mess
We clean the grill once when on holiday usually at the end of the trip we just put the grill and deflector in to a strong bin liner.
When we use it again usually every day when away her in doors pre cooks the meat and I just flash it off on the very hot caddice.
If its not making enough smoke I just sprinkle some bacon fat on the deflector to get the bbq taste I also do the same at home pre cook in oven with marinade then on the BBQ for five min to get BBQ tast try it some time it works
bill

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Gas for us every time. We have a Cadac in the van which is great and a couple of bigger ones at home. Personally I don't really like food that tastes of smoke and charcoal but each to their own.

 

[tonyidle]

Cadac most times for convenience then occasional one-shot barbies for a more authentic taste seems a good way forward?

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[Peter & Elaine]

We have of these in van great for a couple of steaks

 

[jockaneezer]

Sunday's sirloin done on the Webber with cherry wood, you won't get a taste or a smoke ring like this with a gas barbie

 

[magicsurfbus]

First controlled use of fire by hominids: 400,000 years ago.
First use of outdoor gas grill by modern humans: 60 years ago.

What do you think the Daily Mail would advise, assuming you weren't using it to light the fire?

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[parknride]

If you put the griddle of a proper BBQ in the grass overnight the dew helps soak off the Gubbins and it cleans very easy then. I believe Gubbins is the technical term for burnt on food....

 

[Gandhi]

I'm a convert to these after years of stuffing around with wafting magazines at charcoals and getting covered in plumes of smoke.
Cost me 30 quid including delivery. Very, very well made, easy to clean, grilling in 1 minute, dead easy to clean is even dishwasher safe and it all goes away in a small plastic box under a seat. Bottle lasts for 30 hours. Griddle lifts off to put a wok or saucepan on or turn it over to use as a flat frying surface. Winner!

 

[Old Soldier]

I'm a convert to these after years of stuffing around with wafting magazines at charcoals and getting covered in plumes of smoke.
Cost me 30 quid including delivery. Very, very well made, easy to clean, grilling in 1 minute, dead easy to clean is even dishwasher safe and it all goes away in a small plastic box under a seat. Bottle lasts for 30 hours. Griddle lifts off to put a wok or saucepan on or turn it over to use as a flat frying surface. Winner!

View attachment 62966

Do you know the name Paul? Looks interesting. Does it only work with that type of gas bottle?

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[Falcon 269]

Outdoorchef City Grill, portable version of their gas BBQ kettle, is a terrific bit of kit. Used ours to do bacon, sausage and egg baguettes for 6 of us on a recent trip. This included baking the bread first. Also doubles up as direct heat source for a wok and a pizza stone. Easy clean, too.

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

daughter has just asked me to find a charcoal bbq for her balcony...any recommendation please ( we use Cadec when travelling and a bigger gas one in garden)

Morrisons are doing a reasonable size one on wheels for £10 which has a lid

We bought smaller but similar to this last year - so easy to clean and empty as it has a bit at the bottom that comes comes off so that you just put a rubbish bag or bin underneath and get rid of the debris afterwards. You can get them much cheaper than this but here is a link to give you an idea of what I am talking about

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[Gandhi]

Here you go Pete.

Can't find it for 30 quid - looks like it's gone up a bit (5 to 10 quid) since I bought it . It''s really well put together. I bought one of those plastic boxes with lids from B & Q and keep it in there with the adaptor, tongs and bits and bobs I use for a BBQ. Dead convenient and it's all wipe clean.

I took a good look at a Cadac but there's bits all over the place, tops for this, tops for that and not only does it seem to take up loads of space with all the bags it wasn't cheap and would only pay for itself if I used it all the time when away.

Calor have done themselves proud with this one - it only uses the small Calor patio heater bottle but that's small enough to fit under one of the back seats in my MH and you don't even know it's there but it's got enough in it for around 30 BBQ's which pretty much covers a season for me for £20. No more black dust everywhere, fire lighters, black grease and waiting half an hour before you're cooking.

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Cheers

Paul

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[Oldyamyam]

We have a Cadac Safari Chef, find it brilliant for the two of us and it all packs away in a small bag. No more messing about with charcoal for me.

Dave

 

[TheWM]

If you can make a fire you can make a BBQ.

I've never used firelighters / gels / petrol to get a fire going and that is where many people become unstuck.

Get back to learning the basics of starting a fire with some kindle and gradually bigger bits of woods and when you have a fire going start placing your charcoal on there - job done. The fire part is a bottle of beer and getting the charcoal done is another

There is room for a cadac in everyone's lives. When we camp out with a few pals, we have a cadac for brekkie for everyone. Does sausages, bacon and eggs brilliantly and as a hot plate can't really fault it.

Would I use a cadac - yes. For a BBQ, no. In fact - there should be rules about inviting people round to your house for a BBQ, but using a gas equivalent.

Call me old school, but as my dad use to say "there's a right way and a wrong way..."

 

[chopper602]

We bought one of these last year (at a much cheaper price) and it is excellent. The charcoal grill without the flaring and burning and it is ready to cook on in 5 mins (really!). Outer skin is cool to the touch so can be moved once lit and it's very sturdy.

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