[Mr Cat]

well, I used to work as a dishwasher when i was younger and one of the chefs there (not the brightest of blokes...) used to eat the burnt bacon saying that he couldn't give it to the customers due to the carcagenics (?) in it...but I was young and naive....and he did have a very large waistline... :D

[DaveC]

Barbecue season? ???
All year round isn't it?


Don't worry, never took me coat off in't first place!

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Aren't there negative health issues w/ non-gas BBQ's?  Never been fully explained to me, tho' the father-in-law won't use one (a solid fuel BBQ that is); words like cancer have been heard; maybe this is charred food?

Anything burnt is supposed to give you cancer, burnt toast is the classic one! The tip is don't burn it in the first place, if you read anything on barbecuing (there are tons of US sites dedicated to 'grilling', I'm not THAT into it honest  ) you'll learn quickly 'it's all about the lid'. Without one it's almost impossible to control the heat. The worse are disposable bbq's, meat only a few millimetres from the coals= guaranteed instant charring and raw on the inside. A decent kettle with a close fitting lid and an air inlet and chimney/air outlet you have total control. If you want you can put it out in about 5mins.

The Cobb I mentioned previously is the ultimate in terms of controlled heat. Fixed air inlet and outlet, light the 6 brickettes as instructed and you get two hours of perfect heat, no burning/charring. Perfectly cooked whole roast chicken so it's a myth that you can't cook well on a BBQ.

[once you learn the knowledge of the 'lid', the next stage is 'all about the marinade', at which point the US grill-geeks start getting a bit scary.  ]

[SA Chris]

you'll learn quickly 'it's all about the lid'. Without one it's almost impossible to control the heat. The worse are disposable bbq's, meat only a few millimetres from the coals= guaranteed instant charring and raw on the inside.

Not true. It's all about choosing the right moment, anything can be cooked to perfection. Apart from chicken which has no place on a barbie.

[St Hubbins]

Apart from chicken which has no place on a barbie.

Why do you say that? I love bbq chicken, especially the next day for lunch

[tomtom]

Full spit-roasting is incredible to watch. 

 

[SA Chris]

Apart from chicken which has no place on a barbie.

Why do you say that? I love bbq chicken, especially the next day for lunch

Too marginal to get decent results IMHO. Never find any at a proper braai, just chunks of red meat, the bigger the better.

[St Hubbins]

This is bbq heresy but.... I part cook my chicken in the oven before sticking it on. 

[GCW]

I must admit I do that with chicken kebabs after I bit into a nice raw one at BBQ once.  Raw chicken don't taste nice, and the textue ain't hot neither.

Is raw chicken one of the few things that doesn't taste like chicken?   

[slackline]

Too marginal to get decent results IMHO. Never find any at a proper braai, just chunks of red meat, the bigger the better.

What about the shrimps though?  Can't miss out on them, skewered on kebab sticks to prevent them being sacrificed to the bar-b-q god and seasoned with whatever takes your fancy they are truly delicious.

[Plattsy]

The girlfriend being an ex-pescatarian used to do herself Tiger prawn, halloumi and pineapple kebabs.

She also does bananas sliced half open and rammed full of chocolate button and marshmallows then wrapped in tin foil and cooked until, well she decides they're cooked (a gooey mess I think). Not my cuppa but kids might like them.

Thinking about it not sure they're very bar-b-q specific. But ideas none the less.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Apart from chicken which has no place on a barbie.

Why do you say that? I love bbq chicken, especially the next day for lunch

Too marginal to get decent results IMHO. Never find any at a proper braai, just chunks of red meat, the bigger the better.

We disagree on the chicken front, the chicken on Sunday was moist, cooked and tasted beautifully smokey. But we agree on the 'big red meat', the tastiest thing I've ever cooked on a BBQ (our neighbours gas one, with a lid!) was a huge steak ('96oz.. and the gristle!') kind of like a huge T-bone except it wasn't one, can't remember what the cut was called but it was from a decent butchers. Incredibly juicy, my mouth is watering thinking about it.

[matthew]

What about the shrimps though?  Can't miss out on them, skewered on kebab sticks to prevent them being sacrificed to the bar-b-q god and seasoned with whatever takes your fancy they are truly delicious.

I was brought a Bar-b-q wok for my birthday a few years ago. It's excellent for doing smaller prawns in. http://www.idealhomemagazine.co.uk/news/Sainsburys_launches_new_barbecue_wok_article_115279.html

Favourite recipe is chopped chilli's, garlic, lemon juice, lemon grass, coriander and fresh garlic. Marinade for a while and wok them until slightly crisp on the outside.

[Joepicalli]

Joe's heroic attempt to save Houdini from cancer:
A Very Berry Surprise:
2 oz Baja Rosa® strawberry cream liqueur
1/2 oz 99 Blackberries® blackberry schnapps
1/2 oz Black Haus® blackberry schnapps
1 oz DeKuyper® Raspberry Pucker schnapps
1 cup ice
1 cup black cherry ice cream

Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a blender to make a smoothie. Serve in a classic margarita glass. Garnish with either cherry, raspberries, strawberries, or all!

[SA Chris]

kind of like a huge T-bone except it wasn't one, can't remember what the cut was called but it was from a decent butchers. Incredibly juicy, my mouth is watering thinking about it.

An SA braai special is "wagonwheel" steaks, could be the

Seafood has no place at a braai either. Although a fullsized snoek wrapped in foil and doused liberally with lemon juice and apricot jam sauce can be used as starter.

[RopeBoy]

I dp hope that no one uses those ghastly gas operated BBQs

See RopeBoy's post above. Just outdoor cookers aren't they.

You use lava rocks with it and it's just like a normal bbq;
http://www.bbq.co.uk/acatalog/campingaz-lava-rock.html
http://www.thebbq.co.uk/faqs/

To be fair I didn't think they were 'cricket' either but I went to a couple of friends who had them and was quite impressed, especially with the lava rocks I didn't even realise they were gas ones. And now with the kids we're short of time it makes sense for us but I appreciate they might not be everybody's idea of bbq.

J :-)

[lagerstarfish]

The modern human male's equivalent to the canine practice of pissing on gateposts - smoking up the neighbours' laundry with charcoal and flesh.



We get on fine and they fully accept that there is a reasonable laundry curfew on sunny bank holiday evenings.

[lagerstarfish]

and down to the serious business of the barbecue itself



This was bought for £7.99 in a sale at Argos last year - including 4 x 1kg easy to light bags of charcoal. I just wanted something cheap and cheerful and didn't expect it to last past a few uses. As it turns out, I used it regularly last summer (over a dozen times), left it outside all winter and it is still perfectly usable.

One of those 1kg bags of easy light charcoal takes about 30 mins to get to to a state where you can start cooking and lasts long enough to cook 2 full racks of burgers, sausages, kebabs, fish or one rack of thicker meat/chicken - starting off with the rack in the highest position and moving it down one notch every two beers. The warming shelf underneath really does keep things warm.

I know that it is the epitome of shite British style barbecues, but at least it doesn't pretend to be anything other than a short step up from a disposable job.

Performance 5/10

Ease of use 7/10

Value for money 10/10 (because it still works)

[Paul B]

Last year the little Tesco's over the road was selling those disposable bbq's at something stupid like £1.99 (after the bbq season). I had the great idea that as our flat had a covered balcony I could have a bbq any day of the year (haha)... So I removed a stand and placed this on a table with the bbq on top, I was pretty confident that it was safe as the heat below the bbq was minimal, so inside I went, opened a beer and waited for the charcoal to turn white. Whilst inside, the coals burnt through the bbq outer and dropped onto the table, which after a while started to burn and flame. I went out to check it was ready and I don't think I've moved so fast since. Phew! I won't be doing it again.

[GCW]

Paul, you do nothing to shake off your accident-prone image

[SA Chris]

[Bubba]

Have you been struck by lightning yet Paul?

[Houdini]

Paul B shortly after falling asleep at his BBQ

[Paul B]

Paul, you do nothing to shake off your accident-prone image

I'm beginning to realise that it mightn't be down to a run of bad luck and more likely; a lack of common sense!

[lagerstarfish]

Paul, you do nothing to shake off your accident-prone image

I'm beginning to realise that it mightn't be down to a run of bad luck and more likely; a lack of common sense!

You are the new Joe Simpson