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

Mekrel said:
Now we finally have a garden, I'm looking at getting a BBQ.

I'm still torn on options, and we're looking at three avenues but leaning between either options 1 or 2 which is basically choosing a brand for your standard charcoal fired kettle BBQ.

1) Weber Performer Deluxe
+ The unit the kettle is attached to seems better quality than the Napoleon below
+ There's gas ignition for lighting the charcoal
+ Side bucket for charcoal and a timer (not massive pros, timers can be ran off a phone and not hard to get coal out of a bag)

- The lid mechanism isn't hinged

2) Napoleon Pro Cart
+ Hinged lid, saves faff with storing the lid on the side rack like the weber
+ The cast iron grill looks better quality
+ Takes up less space as the side table can collapse

- Harder to ignite technically vs the weber but I think getting a start chimney would negate this?


The third option is a Hybrid BBQ because my other half thinks charcoal is bad for you (I have no idea if this is true, or it's a case of everything in moderation). A little worried going down this route as being Hybrid, do you lose out on it going well at using either of the fuel types? Leaning towards option 1 and 2 because I've said to my other half that how many times will we be cooking on a BBQ due to being in Engurlaaannd and secondly, might as well cook inside and eat outside if you're using gas?

Any experiences on Napoleon vs weber, of dual fuel BBQs?
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Personally I would avoid a hybrid as it's always going to be a compromise on either way of cooking (unless it's one of the type that has discreet different cooking areas for each fuel).

A few thoughts which came t mind for me.

1) the lids on the 57cm webers are really heavy, I know it has the surround thing to slide it into but I have found that when cooking, something simple like lifting the lid to spritz the meat on a long cook feels much more cumbersome and annoying than with a 47cm.

2) Gas inition for charcoal is fine but how much are you paying over and above for that compared to £10 for a starter chimney (don't pay out on an expensive weber one!) and a couple of wax wood firelighters that will take the same length of time to light?

3) Prime consideration should be how well you'll be able to control the airflow, both of those options look to be good for this.
 
Deep said:
I see so many reviews about this, I will be following this thread very carefully.
I have a Weber and it's great but sometimes I want to do loooooooooooong cooks (brisket) and I can't be bothered to maintain the temps all day or night
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You could always consider something like the SmartFire, can easily maintain temps for a very long cook with very little maintenance. I use mine on an entry level bullet smoker and can get a good 10 hours of cook time without having to do anything really.
 
The MasterBuilt is a fantastic bit of kit. Been using my 800 for over two years and it's so easy to fill up and set for a long cook, especially with three young kids around.

I still find myself using my little Weber Go Anywhere for quick evening cooks with skewers, etc though.
 
Did some pork belly + ribs on the weekend, plus a ton of wings, burgers and sausages. On a Masterbuilt Gravity 560.

These had a 6 hour cook (3-2-1 method) and came out beautifully. This picture is just before they had a marinade and final hour I think.

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I'm facing a bit of a dilemma when it comes to the variety of food I cook on the BBQ. Last weekend, I grilled chicken thighs, chicken breasts, mushrooms, lamb chops, tomatoes, and some potatoes, all using indirect heat. However, since these items had different cooking times, I found myself constantly lifting the lid towards the end, and the timing got a bit out of whack.

Do you concentrate on cooking one food type well, or do you mix it up with various items on the grill? I'm wondering if I'm overloading the grill by trying to cook too many different things at once.

One solution I'm considering is having a separate grill or BBQ dedicated solely for vegetables and side dishes. This way, I can leave the meat alone to cook indirectly for an hour or so without interruption, sear it at the end, and then serve everything together.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this. How do you approach cooking multiple items with varying cook times on the BBQ? Do you have any tips or tricks to share? I'm open to suggestions and ideas to make my BBQ game stronger!
 
Personally I use a mix of different things. Firstly, I own more bbqs than a normal person should have, currently I have 7 of various types, so I can always have more than one on the go if I want. Can be useful if you've got vegetarians coming as you can keep one just for veggie foods.

Second and probably the best tip for me is to cook some things in advance. For example last week I had my pellet smoker running to cook of a nice brisket and some hot dog burnt ends, which took a good few hours. Once all done, I portioned them up, vacuum-packed them and they are waiting in the freezer for when I want to use them. When the time comes I can get them out to defrost, then bring them up to a nice eating temp bagged up in a water bath with a sous vide controller to ensure they reach a good temperature but won't over cook.

I have a bbq for a decent sized group of people coming up and it's my intention to make sure I've got pulled pork, brisket, ribs and some sort of burnt ends pre done, so on the day I can focus on the more simple, less time-consuming things which I'll do on the grill.
 
Did steak, a few burgers and sausages on my smaller weber kettle.

Nothing special at all, but pleased the BBQ is still going well, it's at least 10 years old now.

Got a shoulder of lamb out the freezer earlier, I'll stick a dry rub on and that'll go in the bigger one tomorrow, have that with some salad and wraps.
 
I've been using the Masterbuilt 560 as a pizza oven (using a big cast iron pizza tray inside down), it works amazingly well, 4 minutes on the iron, then move to the rack for a further 3 minutes to stop the bottom burning, which also makes room for the next pizza.

If anyone needs some man-maths to justify a purchase, this 'saves' you £200 on a new pizza oven. ;)
 
Had this yesterday.

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Looks a great bit of kit. I am 'making' do with my Weber 57 but that would make a great upgrade in the future. Like the fact it simplifies the process to get things up and running and leave it alone approach. Enjoy your summer cooks.
 
Our 5 year old Char-Griller Duel Fuel is in a sorry state covered in rust, so I am wondering what decent and not over-price replacements to look at.

As much as I would like a Weber Master-touch, any kettle-style ones are instantly veto'd, so it would need to a barrel or side-by-side design.

Charcoal is the primary cooking method, but having gas would be a bonus.

Are the Char-Broil Gas2Coal options any good?
 
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