It's time to talk about BBQs!

[Rob_B]

After spending most of last summer re-doing our garden and having very little time to actually enjoy it I'm planning on getting the most out of it this year. As such it'll be BBQs for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I'm looking for one of a fair size (none of these little piddly ones!) I'm drawn to charcoal half drum style ones but I can be swayed. I would like at least one side plate thingy to put stuff on as well I'm not sure quite why I'm avoiding gas, it's probably just what I'm used to and I don't have to faff about with canisters.

Something like this (but not this) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-Drum-C...-/361129069068

budget? I'm not sure, certainly not a cheapy one but I'm not spending £250 on one, I'm happy to pay more for something that lasts and is decent quality however.

Any help is appreciated!

Rob

[Zak33]

Im have a brick built one and I love it...

however.... last summer I ate at a friends house where he cooked with one of these



ie a drum style, with a chimey as it's easier to control the heat with the lid down.. AND A SMOKER on the side.

you CAN use the side as a split BBQ... but what works well is the bbq coals in the left only.. and them smoking meat or fish in the main section...

[Rob_B]

I've seen these, and wondered if I'd use the smoker part, but they do look kinda cool

[Zak33]

we actually used it for cooing more food... however.. after we'd cooked.. the effect of the smoke from the left burner into the main body of the drum was impressive...

I already have a fish smoker and use it for haddock when I get fresh, so smoking is thing I do.. and this worked by being cooler smoke

[Ttaskmaster]

We picked up a nice one from B&Q for less than £100, which includes a waste bin, ash collector, two side plate thingies, coal stacking fire starty thing (which we never use), utensil hooks and a smoking rack.
Works nicely with wood (we have a lot of SA friends, who get all serious about the braai) as well as coal.

Had a barbecue for lunch on New Years Day - Standing around flame like that is great when it's otherwise freezing!!

[Rob_B]

Any model number or anything you can share ?

[Biscuit]

Curveball.....

I spent a good few weeks in South Korea last year and one of my favourite things to have for food over there was their social BBQ thing. They basically have the coals (or gas) in the middle of the table with a rack on top and everyone cooks their food together, its a really fun way to do BBQ!



I think im going to try and make something like this year. Its probably not what you are looking for but I thought it was worth throwing in there

[Flibb]

I bbq all year around, had one New Years day with a few friends and a few beers, probably do 2 month in winter. If you want to stick with charcoal (I would) keep an eye on ebay, gumtree, etc local to you for a 57cm weber, going rate is about £40 second hand. I have a pair of them now and have been keeping my eyes open for a dedicated smoker as well. If you can find a one touch premium (has an integrated ash can) its the better one to go for. You can smoke on a weber kettle bbq, I cooked a large hunk of pig on my one last weekend, took about 6 hours to get to pulled pork consistency. I use a meat probe thermometer that you leave in the meat while its cooking, makes life a lot easier. I also buy charcoal in larger amounts of about 20Kgs, costs around £1/Kg. As in life there is a forum for UK BBQs, plenty of info on there, including competitions!!

[Flibb]

A variation on that is cooking on hot stones or a rock, works extremely well, especially good for steak because everybody does there own how they like it. Stone goes in the the miffle of the table, steak is served charred on outsidem very rare inside, each person cuts and finishes there own bit.

Curveball.....

I spent a good few weeks in South Korea last year and one of my favourite things to have for food over there was their social BBQ thing. They basically have the coals (or gas) in the middle of the table with a rack on top and everyone cooks their food together, its a really fun way to do BBQ!



I think im going to try and make something like this year. Its probably not what you are looking for but I thought it was worth throwing in there

[Rob_B]

I never got the deal with weber, they seem awfully overpriced? That said I see one local on gumtree for £25 (unsure of model) :/

[Flibb]

The main reason for the price is that they are well made, dont rust, and have a long guarantee. Plenty are over 20 years old and still going strong, spares can also be got hold of if needed. On a long slow smoke I can keep the temperature very stable on the Webber using top and bottom vents, that allows me to smoke over 6 hours with only one charcoal topup.

This is how I set up my ones

[kalniel]

It's time to talk about BBQs!

Ah so you're why we had a hailstorm today. Thanks.



I seem to remember quite a few recommendations for a relatively cheap argos job a while back.

[Rob_B]

Ah so you're why we had a hailstorm today. Thanks.



I seem to remember quite a few recommendations for a relatively cheap argos job a while back.

hail was no fault of mine!

[Ttaskmaster]

Any model number or anything you can share ?

Sorry, threw the box away once I was happy that it wouldn't fall apart like the last one the Ttaskmistress bought.

However it's pretty much the same as this one, but with a larger bowl and foldaway second work surface:
http://www.diy.com/departments/kinle.../291027_BQ.prd

I should stress that ours was on sale too despite it being mid-Summer, so possibly now a discontinued model or something.

[deejayburnout]

Something like this (but not this) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-Drum-C...-/361129069068

Rob

Thats the one i have. Works a treat but it can be a pain to clean all the meat off the grill. Getting the ash out is even harder.
i would go gas as far better to work with.

[Ttaskmaster]

Thats the one i have. Works a treat but it can be a pain to clean all the meat off the grill. Getting the ash out is even harder.
i would go gas as far better to work with.

Cleaning the meat off - Burn it to a crisp and brush it off, oil it and burn the oil, then rub down with half an onion. Apparently this seasons the grille, in the same way you'd season a wok or something...

Getting the ash out - I assume you mean that 6mm lip around the 'drain hole'?
Either use an old paintbrush, or just shift what you can and leave the rest to cake the inside of the bowl - Apparently this is also akin to seasoning and adds to the character...

TBH, after hearing so many technical lectures from the SA guys on how a braai should be mantained, these lazy ways started to make sense. Certainly it seemed to get easier to barbecue stuff after I'd followed their advice for a few goes, but I'm damned if I understand the reasoning behind it!

Edit: The only bit I actually do scrub back to shiny-clean is the smoking grill/warming rack that's hinged inside the lid. That doesn't get hot enough to burn the meat and grease residue away.