*****Official BBQ Thread - Suns out, Buns out!*****

My essentials / thoughts:

Chimney starter - get a good sized one, can always half fill. I'm only exaggerating slightly to say that it's life changing bbq wise...
Charcoal - I generally buy Big K Apple Lumpwood and have been using the coconut briquettes for longer cooks which seem decent
Woodies - or equivalent. A box of 200 wood wool lighters from amazon are great. 1 per chimney starter use works perfectly

For me a lid on the BBQ is essential, otherwise you're just direct cooking and a mix of options is best.

Was staying with family last week and got volunteered to cook on the BBQ there. A very basic kettle with cheap, tiny charcoal. The vents got blocked and it was a very difficult cook!

Meat wise, I generally buy from my local butcher who is excellent.
 
Street said:
The boxes of Big K charcoal are decent and are fairly reasonably priced for the quality and amount you get, you can usually find them on offer somewhere as well. I tend to use charcoal for grilling and Heat Bead briquettes for smoking.

Having a kettle with a lid is definitely worth investing in as it opens up so many more possibilities. The go to is the Weber Master Touch although the Napoleon equivalent gets decent reviews and I imagine there isn't a huge difference between the two.
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Yeah. The BBQ will be upgraded at some point but at the moment we're newly poor homeowners saving for renovations so the garden (and BBQ) is plum last on the list. Nice to have something to play with in the meantime :) Where do you get your Big K from? Amazon?

taB said:
Chimney starter - get a good sized one, can always half fill. I'm only exaggerating slightly to say that it's life changing bbq wise...
Charcoal - I generally buy Big K Apple Lumpwood and have been using the coconut briquettes for longer cooks which seem decent
Woodies - or equivalent. A box of 200 wood wool lighters from amazon are great. 1 per chimney starter use works perfectly
Click to expand...
Thanks!

EDIT: Also any particular recommendations for a chimney starter? Weber worth the extra?
 
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Scam said:
Yeah. The BBQ will be upgraded at some point but at the moment we're newly poor homeowners saving for renovations so the garden (and BBQ) is plum last on the list. Nice to have something to play with in the meantime :) Where do you get your Big K from? Amazon?

Thanks!

EDIT: Also any particular recommendations for a chimney starter? Weber worth the extra?
Click to expand...

I think I bought the last lot direct from Big K as they had an offer on, but previously, Ocado. It doesn't look like anywhere has it cheap at the moment though. I prefer the Dura (ACH15) charcoal to the others they do as it seems to burn a lot hotter. I bought the Weber chimney, but I imagine they're all pretty similar. Mine is rusting through so I'll need to replace it soon.
 
Scam said:
EDIT: Also any particular recommendations for a chimney starter? Weber worth the extra?
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My Weber chimney has a melted handle and lot of dents but still going after 10 years. Will probably replace it next year. I've left it out in the rain and haven't generally been kind to it so feel it's done very well. Also cook on it sometimes for steaks.
 
Thanks guys. I've got a £25 gif card from work burning a hole in my pocket so that'll do nicely for the Weber chimney.

Street said:
I think I bought the last lot direct from Big K as they had an offer on, but previously, Ocado.
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Ah great. We're Ocado users as well, makes it easy. So am I right in reading that due to my grill setup (no lid etc.) I'm always going to want lumpwood charcoal as opposed to briquettes? As in, I'm always going to be searing stuff on a direct heat. And only for two people (well maybe a couple of guests!) but we're not talking slow cooking hunks of meat for 16 people+ etc. :)
 
Hi, I'm about to buy a webber. Is the extra cost of the master touch (and premium) justified over the originals? I'm looking at the 57cm version. Is busying direct from Webber the best place for a good price?

Thank you.
 
john_smith said:
Hi, I'm about to buy a webber. Is the extra cost of the master touch (and premium) justified over the originals? I'm looking at the 57cm version. Is busying direct from Webber the best place for a good price?
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I'd go for the Master Touch (and I did in fact). I got mine from Riverside as it was on offer and came with a few free accessories. I'd check out places like WowBBQ, BBQWorld, Riverside and see who gives you the best deal.

Scam said:
Thanks guys. I've got a £25 gif card from work burning a hole in my pocket so that'll do nicely for the Weber chimney.

Ah great. We're Ocado users as well, makes it easy. So am I right in reading that due to my grill setup (no lid etc.) I'm always going to want lumpwood charcoal as opposed to briquettes? As in, I'm always going to be searing stuff on a direct heat. And only for two people (well maybe a couple of guests!) but we're not talking slow cooking hunks of meat for 16 people+ etc. :)
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I'd stick with charcoal, the Dura stuff gets hot enough for anything! I've found the Heat Beads take longer to get going and don't burn as hot but they do last longer.
 
Street said:
I'd go for the Master Touch (and I did in fact). I got mine from Riverside as it was on offer and came with a few free accessories. I'd check out places like WowBBQ, BBQWorld, Riverside and see who gives you the best deal.
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Thank you. master Touch, or Master Touch Premium?

Edit: Checked them out, RIP stock levels!
 
I've just got the normal Master Touch. The lid hinge would be nice, but not worth £100 extra! Damn, it seems it's the wrong time to be buying a BBQ.
 
I have the 57cm Master Touch and love it (along with the chimney)

Got a big gathering / BBQ coming up at the end of the month so also just pulled the trigger on a six burner gas BBQ too .... Should be here within the week
 
Bit of pork for pulling this evening. Averaged around 120C for 7 hours until 93C internal, just left it to cook, no faffing around...

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Street said:
I've just got the normal Master Touch. The lid hinge would be nice, but not worth £100 extra! Damn, it seems it's the wrong time to be buying a BBQ.
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Go big or go home etc



:)

Plus a £30 grey cover from Weber store on Amazon rather than the black cover for £70+ that the BBQ suppliers sell.

How many "cooks" will that 2KG of fuel cover? Where's the best place to buy reasonably priced fuel online? Thank you.
 
Do people store their Weber’s outside with the cover? Is it shower/frost proof?

I’m close to pulling the trigger on a Weber and interested to know whether people just leave them outside?

Thanks!
 
thewanted said:
Damn, Webers got really expensive. I must pull my finger out and advertise my spare 57cm Master Touch.
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I paid £230 for mine and it came with loads of free extras! 50% more expensive now with no freebies. :(

wildest_jjk said:
Do people store their Weber’s outside with the cover? Is it shower/frost proof?

I’m close to pulling the trigger on a Weber and interested to know whether people just leave them outside?

Thanks!
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My WSM came with a cover that I use and I bought a cheap cover on Amazon for the MT as the Weber one is stupidly expensive. I leave them both outside year round and figured a bit of protection is better than none.
 
wildest_jjk said:
Do people store their Weber’s outside with the cover? Is it shower/frost proof?

I’m close to pulling the trigger on a Weber and interested to know whether people just leave them outside?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Mine has been outside and uncovered for over 4 years and looks fine. I did buy a Weber cover, but it went brittle and mouldy.
 
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