OT: gas barbecues

[newshound]

At home, I normally use a kettle barbecue with lumpwood charcoal. I know how to allow enough time, and I have backup microwaves, ovens, and grills indoors for pre-cooking and coping with larger numbers.

I seem to have been volunteered to organise some off-site barbecues without much in the way of backup facilities other than a microwave and electric kettle. I'm tempted to get myself a reasonably large gas barbecue (but small enough to lift into my Suzuki Carry van), because I will still use it at home. I already have the propane cylinder and regulator for the big gas torch (and a spare butane one).

I realise that this is one of those "piece of string" or "how much do you want to spend" questions, but I'd still be interested in the collected wisdom. Could be looking to cook for a dozen people, perhaps more. A South African of my acquaintance is a big fan of Cadac systems but they look a bit small to me for the possible numbers.

[Jim Walsh]

I recently bought a "CosmoGrill" 6+1 gas burner barbecue from eBay at aroun d £170.

I assembled it last bank holiday and gave it its inaugural run. Assembly wa s easy and in use, it worked well. The only slight hiccup was that I (and a ll the other blokes present) initially thought it was knackered because, on startup, the roaring noise of the ignited flame disappeared when the burne r control was released (you have to push the control inward to start the ga s flow). We thought that a thermocouple was failing to register the heat an d keep the gas on, but it turned out that the cooking flame itself is silen t and the roaring noise was from a separate ignition jet! This was discover ed after much swearing, a change of regulator, a change of gas bottle and t hen, having all but given up, asking the wife to start cooking in the kitch en.

More expensive gas barbecues tend to be made of thicker metal, have more st ainless steel parts and are generally more durable. Personally, I'm not inc lined to spend £500+ on a novelty cooking device and I'll take a decen t cheapo one every time.

Regards.

J.

[Brian Gaff]

Shock horror, you all mean you are not going to fill the neighbourhood with smelly burned charcoal pong or need to rush to A/e with third degree burns cos you lit it using petrol? This outbreak of sense in the hoards of outdoor cookery types seems totally out of character, and then it only leaves food poisoning and pets nicking the sausages to laugh at...:- Brian)

[leenowell]

Well.. I would much rather cook on charcoal and cook for that number witho ut too much drama. All food cooked from raw and no use of oven etc. I have done nearly 100 but had some help.

If I were you, I would buy

- a barrel type charcoal BBQ (cheap one would be fine size is more importan t)

- For convenience, I would also get a chimney starter (only difference betw een cheap one and expensive one is cheaper one tends to rust but both work fine).

- Chafing dish to keep everything warm

Couple of top tips...

1. Use the kettle BBQ as an oven. Put the charcoal on one side and the food on the other. With lid on it will act as oven. You could use this with a l ittle charcoal to keep the food warm or cook things you would normally do i n the oven. Eg whole chicken (spatchcocked is easier), pulled pork (simple and just leave it until you want it) etc. If you have a thermometer to chec k oven temp that would make it easier. Very cheap on eBay if you don't have one.
2. Use the barrel BBQ as the main grill. I would leave a bit to heat up new coals ready for use in the cooking area or the kettle BBQ. The chimney mak es this much easier as you fill it with charcoal, put a fire lighter undern eath and light it. After 10 to 15 mins your charcoal is good to go
3. The chafing dishes are very handy and means you can keep a steady stream of food and they are kept warm and moist - if you use the kettle BBQ to wa rm the food then it can dry out so might want to wrap it in foil
4. If you are doing things like chicken drumsticks or thighs etc you might want to start them on the barrel and then when crispy move them to the kett le oven to cook through as it frees up cooking space.
5. I would think of the food as a steady stream over a period of time rathe r than everything ready at once as it makes life a bit easier. If you want to all eat everything at once then keeping the cooked food warm for the coo king period is clearly key and doing so so it won't spoil.
6. If you get some briquettes too it will help. Briquettes are good for lon ger duration and not such intense heat (ideal for the oven type mode) and l umpwood for intense heat and sorter duration (eg grilling). You can of cour se mix them to get the right balance - eg add some lumpwood to give the ove n a quick temp boost.

Lee.

[Jeff Layman]

The previous owner here left a 3-burner gas stainless steel BBQ. Well, it is SS except for the most important part - the griddle, which is porcelain coated and of course goes rusty when the smallest piece of porcelain cracks off...

But I digress. If you aren't going to use it to give a smoked flavour to the food, perhaps by using lava rocks if it can take those, a gas BBQ is nothing more than an outdoor oven or fryer, depending on how you use it. Think about it; if you don't allow fat and juices to drip onto hot charcoal or lava rocks and produce smoke, how is this different from just frying the food, or, if using a lid, just roasting it? You might just as well use outdoor gas rings and frying pans.

For convenience, we seem to have moved rather a long was from the camp fire with a branch pushed through the food and supported on a couple of Y-shaped branches. There the juices and fat dripped onto the fire to give real "BBQ" flavour (which, if I remember correctly, was often burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. Happy days...).

[T i m]

Quite ... and about the only time I feel any of it is relevant these days.

I mean, all the cost (kit / fuel), effort (buying and storing the kit, setting it set up and running), mess (cleanup), compromise (little in the way on control), smoke (public nuisance), smell (public nuisance) [1] and to eat (as we are generally talking 'meat' here) stuff we are advised to be cutting down on, cooked in a way that I believe is more dangerous for us (smoked), however 'nice(er)' it might taste?

And further, if I'm not 'camp cooking' (because it's reasonable to do , even a disposable BBQ) then do I want to be sharing my food with the flies and wasps, especially when you are 10' away from a perfectly good kitchen when in the main you aren't having to queue to wait for your food, typically being cooked (often badly) by the 'part time' chef? ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[1] And the startup BBQ smells can often be worse than a bonfire or pot.

[T i m]

Eh? Never head of others having opinions that may be different to yours (and shared by many others) that aren't rants? A 'rant' would me getting on a soapbox about the (say) smell of a BBQ being started (all paraffiny), not just mentioning that I'd prefer not to smell it?

I'm actually not a veggie but daughter is and so as I do most of the cooking I try to provide stuff that we can all eat and enjoy.

So, that does include quire a bit of the Quorn and Soya based stuff and in some cases, those guests not familiar with such say they find it perfectly ok or actually like it over it's (so called) meat alternative (like some of the sausages and things in breadcrumbs).

I have tried Tofu and don't really like it, not am I 'into' most of the weird stuff that many veggies seem to like (humus, lentils, nut cutlet and anything squash like (courgette, marrow, gourd etc)).

Maybe it's because I'm not particularly 'social' (especially in big groups that I'm supposed to know / mix with) and still really only eat food to survive, rather than a hobby (with all the associated paraphernalia, like gas bottles or charcoal) in itself.

Cheers, T i m

[leenowell]

Just checked and Aldi have a couple of barrel BBQs which would be perfect f or OP. The £50 in store would do the job but for the extra £10 I would go for the smoker type one online. I wonder if the smoker box on the side could double up to keep the food warm as you go?

[T i m]

Not my thing but your last point is part of the 'issue' with BBQ's in a domestic environment.

A small BBQ isn't able to cater for a big party unless you pre cook and hold and so you end up with a queue of people waiting just to get something to eat.

If it's a big enough BBQ then it will generally be overkill for a small group, more expensive to buy and more difficult to store. (My mum and dad's neighbour put their lit BBQ away in their wooden shed after use and burnt the shed down and damaged dads brick built workshop). ;-(

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind cooking food on a BBQ but typically only when it's really the only way to cook that type of food, away from a real kitchen (like when camping).

ITRW, you are either 'working' (cooking for others) or at the peril of people cooking food who may not know how to do so safely or well (how many of us have check to see if something is cooked though or tried to find something edible amongst the carbon). ;-(

BBQ's and BBQ'd food *can* be cooled well and taste nice of course (I've cooked / had such) just for this anti-social utilitarian, it's generally not worth the 'ag'. [1]

Cheers, T i m

[1] And that's without considering any extra health risks associated with 'smoked' and carbonised foods.

[newshound]

I quite like the look of the smoker one, my main concern is that it is not that big and maybe not that solid.

[newshound]

Nearest house is best part of a mile away from the venue. Don't get burns or food poisoning if you do it *properly*.

[newshound]

Never used a chimney one. My general concern with charcoal is the time it takes to get up to temperature.

I already have a large chafing dish: preaching to the converted!

All good advice. I'm trying to avoid becoming the full time cook at these events, though.

Not sure I exactly recognise the geometry you are talking about here: with a chimney, a kettle, and a barrel?

Agreed

Agreed

Been there done that! But in my experience, it is still quite a lot of work fiddling around to get it right, using charcoal. I occasionally used to help a neighbour who had a big gas grill (he had been in the food trade) and my impression was that everything was a bit more controllable with gas. But all comments are greatly appreciated.

[Martin]

It is easy and near effortless to light charcoal with a thing like this. You can buy cheap imitations that work just as well.

[Martin]

If you use a Weber or Weber clone BBQ (one with a lid on it). One can cook food perfectly without burning on outside and raw inside.

[newshound]

Added dietary iron

Indeed. It still tastes better, though (provided it's not raw and burned at the same time)

Agreed.

[newshound]

I need to potter past Lidl later, I will see if they have anything in

[T i m]

The emphasis there really being on the *if*. OOI, what catering qualifications do you need these days to be able to prepare food for a quantity of people (some 'public' / 'strangers')?

I would say I've had my share of BBQ's over the years (my own or with others) and I think the general procedure is to OVERcook, rather than risk UNDERcooking.

If you overcook there is the potential of other risks from that.

Then, in the UK especially there is a very good chance that your outdoor eating will be ruined by bad weather (and why we rarely arrange to visit any 'outdoor event' in advance). [1]

Ok, you can stand in the rain eating an under/overcooked burger but I'd rather not.

Cheers, T i m

[1] Something a mate from the UK who now lives in Canada but who was living in the USA said about living in California. If you arrange an outdoor event 'Thursday week' the chances are the weather will *still* be as is was the day you arranged it. Unlike in the UK then where you can get all 4 seasons in one day!

p.s. As mentioned we now rarely eat meat (but still do) and I can't remember the last time we had a chop or steak and it isn't something I miss or crave (or have ever craved).

[Richard]

Probably

[lee]

Sorry I think the confusion might have been with my use if chimney. I mean the chimney starters like these

They are great. You just fill with charcoal put a lit firelighters undernea th and then about 10 / 15 mins later pour to charcoal where ever you want i t. My suggestion was to use a bit of the barrel (say the far left bit) to d o this process as and when you need it. You can leave the coals there until you are ready and pour them out eg to top up the kettle oven or grill on t he rest.

I think the smoker would be perfect. I doubt you could leave it out uncover ed though. In terms of full time chef, you could adjust the menu to minimis e things you need to look after by doing the more oven things. Pulled pork / beef is ideal as you put the rub on , double wrap in foil. Stick it in th e kettle (around 160 but don't be precious about that) using the method I suggest and then leave it be. Only need to do anything when the temp is too low. Spatchcocked chicken similar. Grill it first then put in oven and lea ve.

[leenowell]

Sorry I think the confusion might have been with my use if chimney. I mean the chimney starters like these

They are great. You just fill with charcoal put a lit firelighters undernea th and then about 10 / 15 mins later pour to charcoal where ever you want i t. My suggestion was to use a bit of the barrel (say the far left bit) to d o this process as and when you need it. You can leave the coals there until you are ready and pour them out eg to top up the kettle oven or grill on t he rest.

I think the smoker would be perfect. I doubt you could leave it out uncover ed though. In terms of full time chef, you could adjust the menu to minimis e things you need to look after by doing the more oven things. Pulled pork / beef is ideal as you put the rub on , double wrap in foil. Stick it in th e kettle (around 160 but don't be precious about that) using the method I suggest and then leave it be. Only need to do anything when the temp is too low. Spatchcocked chicken similar. Grill it first then put in oven and lea ve.