barbeque cast iron grill

She was talking utter crap.

Indeed - they contain paraffin AFAICR and therfore burn colder until the paraffin is gone. As for "melting porcelain" with an open charcoal barbecue... I don't think so.

Next time I'm down at the Cash and Carry, I'll have a look at Outback stuff. It's the only place I know of that sells it.

In what way are they crap? Can you justify that rather sweeping statement?

I use a chimney starter and a few of sheets of old newspaper. The charcoal lights up very quickly.

Did you try googling for porcelain coated grill?

This site list several. Maybe they don't understand the word "porcelain".

Oh, you cam melt glass and distort cast iron in an open fire. In a bit of a breeze or with a good chimney etc.

Porcelain is not glass though. Its a ceramic, and those are used in the highest temperature places man can achieve.

I've no idea what outback means when they say 'porcelain coated' but it ain't the truth.

However porcelain enamelling is a term used for vitreous enamelling: Even so it takes upwards of 1500C to bugger it.

Lord knows why Outback are doing it, if that's what they are. Total waste of time.

I either use firelighters or a gas blowlamp. The gas blowlamp rocks.

Often use old small logs from the wood pile as well. Takes and hour or so to charcoal itself, but nice flavour..

Probably not as it's a type of clay. But of course many just think of the glazed finish it commonly has in practice. And that glaze is very similar to vitreous enamel, both being basically glass.

Getting back to the OP, I generally clean the grill by getting it bleedin hot over the charcoal and burning off any food residue. Any bugs that survive deserve to live.

Whatever the material used by Outback for their grills, they describe the grill as porcelain coated as do other manufactures. They also described it as heatproof which is obviously relative to typical BBQ temperatures. There is little doubt that the damage to the grill is caused by exessive heat from the charcoal. The damage is a bubbling of the coating which changes from a smooth surface to something like that of cast iron. I use a chimney starter to light the charcoal and it gets very hot, presumably hotter than the temperature required to melt the porelain /enamel coating.

I agree, Gas is crap. You foolishly bought a gas one.

My Outback charcoal BBQ get hot enought to melt the Porcelain/vitreous enamel grills. It has never blown out. I have plenty of cooking area - it is just a question of buying the right size for your needs.

The few I've seen are cheap construction at a (relatively) high price. They seem pretty useless for cooking, and when we do have family barbecue getogethers we have settled on luau pits and oil drum barbecues. Costs little, does a better job.

Can you justify yours?

No, why would I?

Most likely. Marketing men talk s*it.

Rubbish. Gas is the way forward. There is no difference whatsoever between the way a gas BBQ cooks and the way a charcoal BBQ cooks - apart from the 30 min wait.

Ahhhh... But Holy Wars have been fought over less...

I'm in the charcoal camp myself - it's all part of the ritual, especially if it's a social gathering. Bit like comparing some mid-europeans to some more north... The midlanders would chat, sip wine, slowly get together and cook a bit, shrug a bit, eat a bit, chat, etc.... The northerners: Click, Whoosh, Now Ve Vill Eat. ... :-)

As for the way they cook - yes, heat applied to meat/veg cooks it more or less the same... As for the flavour - well, there's no comparison there!!!

Gordon

In a traditional BBQ the flavour comes from the vaporising fat dripping on the coals and the smoke from the wood chips. If you like that taste then gas is no good.

If you like the flavour from a marinade or spray on smoke then gas is easier.

But you smoke, don't you? ;-)

But there is a complete difference in flavour and taste.

Our gas barbie has heated metal sheets the fat drops on to. Result is pretty much the same as a charcoal barbie. The metal plates also keep the rain off the burners so it is possible to continue cooking through showers - whilst the guests all shelter under gazebos.