UKC

We've had a couple of barbecues over the last few years. They were both gas ones with lava rocks. We used them on the balcony and used them summer and winter. Very practical and great for keeping cooking smells to a minimum in the house. But they didn't last that long - the burner would just burn out after a couple of years and by that time it did it wasn't possible to get a replacement. So 10 days ago we bought a Weber charcoal barby - really solid and well made, guaranteed real smokey flavour etc. But now I'm wondering if we should have maybe just bought another gas one.

* The charcoal isn't that hard to light with a chimney lighter, but it takes about 20 > 30 minutes to get it really burning.
* There's lots of sparks and smoke when I tip the coals onto the grill from the lighter.
* I end up filthy by the time the thing's going.
* It's just not as instant as a gas one.
* You can't control the heat.
* The charcoal works out far more expensive than gas and lava rocks.

Just overall a bit disappointing and a hassle. I have read that it's possible to convert it to gas, but it's quite expensive and only available in the southern hemisphere! Has anyone got any useful tips?

In reply to JTM:
slightly left field...cook the stuff in the oven and just finish it off on the BBQ.
water/lemon juice spray to calm the heat a bit

In reply to thin bob:

Yes, I see what you mean, but that means going to all that trouble for even less time. Though I suppose it could be cooking while the beast is firing up... I guess it's more the hassle factor - for instace, I'm not going to use it tonight as Mrs J is away and so there's just me with a piece of salmon. Before, with the gas one I could just turn it on and it'd be hot in a few minutes, but I really can't be bothered now.

So what does the lemon juice do?

In reply to JTM:
Lemon juice slows the coals and sprays onto the meat/fish as well for more flavour. It's a bit lazy for those of us that just take one bottle into the barby!

A charcoal barby *is* a pain for just one portion, could you do some veg as well?

In reply to JTM:
Don't use large quantity's of petrol to get it lit.

In reply to Aztec Bar:

I don't use any. The chimney lighter is quite efficient with just a small heat source like burning newspaper, to get it going. It's more the delay afterwards that's a pain.

In reply to JTM:
To get my oil drum BBQ going, once the charcoal is burning, I waft a leaf blower over it. It's up to temp in minutes

In reply to adam11:

That's a point - I did see a youtube vid of some chef using an electric fan to speed it up.
Bob, veggies great idea. I'm thinking it's going to have to be a whole BBQ meal to make it worthwile, rather than a bit of meat or fish and the rest done in the kitchen.

In reply to JTM:

I've just made Jamie Oliver's BBQ sauce (From the Jamie's America book) At the table I commented to Vick that I'm definitely going to make it for the next time we have a barbie - it was delicious on some chicken thighs.

We use that firelighting gel to get our outdoor barbie going. If you need to cook at 7 get the thing going at 6.

E

In reply to JTM: think of it as another oven that you can sit round after cooking as a heat source as it starts to chill in the evening.

also how about cook a bit of food that tastes nicer bbq'd and then stick it in the fridge for the next days lunch? eg some bbq cooked steak or chicken can be used in the next days sandwich but will still have that bbq flavour.

In reply to Enty:

Yes, that's it, isn't it.

In reply to JTM:

Or get a gas one.........hold on a minute.......

E

PS might be able to get out Tuesday will email.

In reply to JTM:
Typical, no patience you young uns. 20 years in Germany, the kings of grilling in Europe and home to your Weber grill have taught me a few things.

Light grill, place meat on table. Kick dog away and open beer. Shout at kids for putting leaves or grass on grill. Drink beer and doze off in the sun. Wake up when grill is out and start again. Repeat until sun has gone down, meat is in dog, it is raining or snowing, kids are filthy and crying from burns and hunger.
Go indoors and order a takeaway.

In reply to jimtitt:

Classic evening then Jim!

In reply to JTM:

My top tip is to make sure that among the people you invite there are at least a couple of blokes, then before you can say the word 'delegation. your problem is solved. Works every time.

In reply to john arran:

Make that a couple of Aussie blokes and they'll be fighting over it.

In reply to JTM:
Every week through the summer!

Haven´t you actually sat outside a million pound villa in a sleeping bag under a tarpaulin in the rain at a grill party? Or used the lighting fluid to melt the ice to get the grill open to start it? Its serious business over here, the new seasons grills were on offer when it was still -15°!

In reply to JTM:

You're comparing BBQs with non BBQs - gas just doesn't really have a place in the world of BBQing.

In reply to Kipper:

Well yes, I'm beginning to realise that. It is however more friendly. I want to be convinced that charcoal is better. At the moment I'm not, and I'm disappointed. Convince me...

In reply to JTM:

Are Weber those ones which look like bouys?

From watching my dad barbacue on ours', and helping my brother barbacue one time when he was away, you need to light it before you want to start to cook so the charcoal goes grey and hot and kind of dormant, rather than smoking and flaming, and if you can find the right height for the grill you seem to just be able to put the food on and keep an eye on it and turn it over occasonally to stop it burning untill it's cooked.

On summer evenings they're nice because as it gets colder you can pull chairs around them and chat and be communal, and put bits of wood on and poke them. You can't do that with gas. Guess that's either a selling point or it isn't. ()

My dad cut two bits of metal to put across the top of our bouy shaped barbacue by the way to put the grills on, so the food is high enough above the charcoal.

In reply to Timmd:

Yes, that's the one. They call them kettles for some reason. It's possible that I didn't leave the charcoal long enough as it wasn't grey (the instructions say this too). There was certainly lots of smoke coming out through the vent in the lid. Think I'll do some experimenting tomorrow.

In reply to JTM: If you're just cooking some salmon for one then don't bother with the charcoal and just use a few sticks-quick, free and less mess.

Ben

In reply to Sharp:

... and tastes nicer, if you pick the right sticks.

In reply to JTM: youtube.com/watch?v=vq2SOmwzjUU&

In reply to JTM: Control the heat by having different amounts of charcoal in different areas under the grill. Hot and fast for burgers and thin cuts and cooler and slower for bigger cuts or meat on the bone. and move the food around as it cooks to stop it burning.Watch sausages for hot fat flare ups.

In reply to JTM: don't cook without the lid, put food on put lid on only take lid off when turning or removing, the lid controls the heat via vent and vent on bottom section. Best BBQ bar non imho.

In reply to jimtitt:
Is Illinois in Germany? I have a couple of Weber kettle BBQs of different sizes and love them, they do require a little patience, but you can arrange the coals so you have hot and warm parts of the grill, use it as an oven and the flavour is far superior to gas.

In reply to JTM:

Webers are excellent (very popular for braais in South Africa). Your problem is more that you are used to the instant gratification of gas and don't like the inconvenience of charcoal. It's the difference between bolts and trad!

In reply to Dave Garnett:

Dave, you're absolutely right!

In reply to JTM:

Don't spread hot coals evenly, instead have a hot side and a cool side for things to chill on. Don't cover the grill totally with meat, you need space to move things around.

Wait until the temp is a bit lower before starting to cook.
Get pork ribs, they are fantastic on a bbq and don't mind being cremated.

In reply to JTM:
Get some Rustlers burgers, done in the mic in 1 min and no BBQ to faff about with!

In reply to JTM:

Top tip ..

Get Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible book

In reply to JTM: My goodness fella - where have you been.

Charcoal does take about 30 minutes or so to get going which means that you are unlikely to be have a BBQ in the winter months (unlike with a gas burner). I have always used fire-lighters to get going and generally speaking, once the coals have turned white, you have about 30 minutes or more of cooking time without needing to add more coals. You adjust the heat by stacking coals on one side of the BBQ and moving the meat around accordingly or moving the grill up and down. I have to say that nothing beats a proper BBQ since that raw heat is ideal for burning the outside of the meat whilst leaving the inside perfectly raw, but I have to say that I am a devoted gas burner enthusiast for its ease, convenience and the fact that is is quite fun to have a BBQ in the snow!

Will be out to get a new one very soon. B+Q have some pretty good ones at a reasonable price. That said, lava rock seems to have fallen out of fashion somewhat!

In reply to JTM:

Problems starting fire? Hand over your man-card.

In reply to JTM:

I think Dave makes the point up thread; it's all about patience - light the charcoal, get your favoured tipple and wait. Grey coals, or about 10 sec with a hand over the heat before starting cooking. With the Weber, do as others say - keep the top on and control the airflow while cooking.

For instant gratification, gas is fine. But it's not a braai.

In reply to JTM:

Why don't you just use wood? A few branches to get it going and some a bit bigger and in 15 minutes it burns down to charcoal and Bob's your uncle.

In reply to Bruce Hooker:

Hmmm, someone said this above. If it worked it'd solve the problem of the cost, but not the lack of instant gratification which I crave. But I think there are quite a few handy tips to get started with, so for tomorrow I've got some lamb chops and... well lamb chops really. What veggies go well on a BBQ?

In reply to JTM: Veggie kebabs go down well with the missus, sweet peppers, onion, courgette, cut into same size chunks, dressed in oil flavoured as you like (chilli, just herbs etc) skewered together and roast as slowly as possible. Turn frequently. Big slices of aubergine work well too.

In reply to Mark Morris:

Just looked in the fridge - courgette, red pepper (past its best but OKish) and onions. looks like I'm sorted for tomorrow. Thanks.

In reply to JTM:

Jon, I'm starting to think that H doesn't leave you to fend for yourself all that often!

In reply to Dave Garnett:

You mean the contents of the fridge?

In reply to JTM:

More the whole air of mystery and earnest enquiry into charcoal, fridge, and edible vegetable matter generally!

In reply to JTM:

Surely a BBQ is all about the process anyway - if you want a nice easy convenient fast way of cooking then why not just throw it under the grill... Maybe it's just that I only do BbQs in nice weather, but I sort of see it as a part of a nice evening outside ith a beer, I don't expect it to be quick or easy.

As a serious question, what is the advantage of a gas BBQ over a grill? Charcoal gives you the smokey flavour and all, but gas presumably doesn't give you that...?

In reply to AJM:

I guess I want a quick and convenient way of cooking meat and fish that doesn't involve filling the house with cooking smells - it's a very small house. The obvious way is a BBQ outside on the balcony, but as I said, gas BBQs just don't last very long, and as our last gas one died a year back I thought it'd be good to give charcoal a go. Gas ones certainly don't give you the same flavour. When the rocks are new there's something in between a charcoal flavour and a kitchen grill, but as the rocks get covered in fat and oil, they do take on a flavour all of their own. That's the time to put new rocks in.

In reply to JTM:

None, it's not what a BBQ is for

In reply to JTM:

Sounds like the next DIY project is some sort of extractor fan, Jon!

In reply to pneame:

Ah, therein lies a problem. As with all old provencal houses, the stone walls are 80cm thick with rubble infill and frankly best left alone.