Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[Becka]

Advice would be most welcome. My husband would like a BBQ for his birthday but we're not sure whether a gas or charcoal one would be best. We've been using a charcoal one for years now but find it quite unpredictable in the time that it takes to become ready to cook on. My in-laws have a gas BBQ but the food seems to taste very bland just like grilled food really. This could just be down to their cooking technique! Anybody have any suggestions as to pros and cons of the two types?

Becka

[Lesley]

I have to agree about gas barbecues - we just use ours as an outdoor grill really. I'm not too keen on charred food anyway - and not sure what the effects of eating charred food may be in the long term, so we're quite happy just cooking and eating outside.

 

I'd rather have new potatoes, corn on the cob, lots of salads and just a bit of meat - but that's just my choice.

[Guest]

 

We just got a fantastic BBQ - it called the Brinkmann BBQ and Smoker, and as well as using it as a BBQ, you can smoke meat in it - it's fantastic, you set it up in the morning, chuck a chicken, or joint of meat in and leave it to smoke till tea time, and you get the most gorgeous, succulent meat out of it. You can add wood chips to it, to give the meat different flavours - it's fab!

[Becka]

That sounds interesting! Does it cook the meat as it's smoking it?

Becka

[Guest]

Yup - it's fab!

 

Here's a link to it....

 

Smoke and grill

[Cinnamon]

That looks good Shona

 

We bought a Gas BBQ a couple of years ago,but really didn't like it at all.

I like Barbies for the smoke,the smell & the spitting coals,& gas ones just don't have any of that

So we now have a cheap & cheerful buckevt BBQ which is great just for the 4 of us.

 

make sure you get him an Omlet apron to go with his new Barbie!!!!

[Becka]

We've been using a bucket style one but find that we only get a certain amount of good 'quality' cooking heat. The cooking time is fine for the five of us but since we've moved to the country my family 'pop' over and stay for tea and then we end up cooking for seventeen which is impossible on the exisiting BBQ!

[Cinnamon]

Ah you see we have banned family from popping over,so its fine for us 4

[Becka]

i can't ban mine as I use them as a feeding stop for the baby when I'm on the way into town. I'd be lost if they banned me! They do phone before coming and bring food and drinks so they are most welcome!

[Nicola H]

We have an Outback gas barbeque and it is wonderful so easy to just light and cook on instead of waiting for ages for the charcoal to get hot...............I think the food tastes good and as it is the only cooking my OH does then it gives me time off from the kitchen.

[buffie]

Mikey only likes Webbers and he uses the heat beads.

 

BBx

[Kathy C]

I would also recommend a gas barbeque. you can use it for as long or short as you need and a 7kg bottle lasts for ages. We regularly use our 5 or so times in a weekend! We always do bacon for Sunday breakfast bacon sarnies on it.

 

We are known to barbeque all year round and the neighbours get really jealous. Our most odd BBQ was in Aberlour, Scotland on Christmas Eve cooking venison sausages in the snow, my brother-in-law's neighbours thought this highly amusing.

[Rhapsody]

Oh lor dont get me started about other people's BBQ's!!!! Bland isnt in it! If you are going to switch to gas (we did last year) you need to marinade your meat and buy more highly-flavoured stuff eg sausages with herbs, burgers with shallotts in etc. I regularly do breakfast on the BBQ too.

I dont use the barbie as a cooking style but a way of staying out of the kitchen on a hot day and enjoying the garden. It's a grill. And yes in our house I barbie, my OH sets the table and keeps my glass full.

[chelsea]

We have a "char-broil" american style gas BBQ. It was expensive when we bought it years ago but a very good investment. We are a bit like KathyC, we have used ours a lot over the years and even in the winter....our best winter one was on Bonfire Night....it was freezing but we lit the patio heater and had burgers/soup etc outside. fab

 

Ours has a side burner for onions/sauces/pans etc and a large 3 tiered cooking area. We also have 2 charcoal BBQ's which we take we when go away in the caravan. We enjoy the taste of a charcoal one but GAS is SO much easier, quicker, less messy etc.......just simply wheel it out from the garage after work and hey presto you can have a nightly BBQ

[BeckyBoo]

we bought a gas one as it's so much safer with our little ones, soon as you turn it on it's hot - no waiting for hours to cook, then turn it off, put the cove on and it's safe again. That said I agree, you do have to buy more spiced food, altho I did hear you can buy flavoured coals to go on it? Not for me I'm afraid.

 

Mrs B