We have a brick built charcoal bbq at bottom of garden but it only gets used a couple of times a year realistically. The usual charcoal issues, need to plan in advance, no spontaneity, but messy etc.
The missus fancies us getting a gas bbq that can sit close to bac door, more accessible, more instant and more likely to be used. my b-i-l cooks his pizzas on the bbq all year round!
Anyone any suggestions for gas BBQ's that will survive more than one season being left outside as we have no where to put it through the winter?
Budget maybe up to £400 if it was going to last - assume a weather cover will prolong life? Are any of these genuinely resistant to rust? Oh and dishwasher safe parts would be a bonus!
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Weber. Best in the business, but I wouldn't leave it outside.
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>> but I wouldn't leave it outside.
This one shouldn't rust.
i.redd.it/i1s45juydht01.jpg
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This was a question I had to address a few years ago. Our old and rather too large bbq was gummed up with fat and general crud despite my efforts to keep it clean.
After much research I bought a Weber Q2200 together with an cast iron additional griddle plate to accompany the conventional cast iron rack. The cooking surfaces come in “half moon” sections so we have half griddle/ half rack. Ours is sited near the back door.
The body is cast aluminium with no rusting metal fittings. It sits on a stand with a plastic base into which the bbq slots, supported by treated/ coated metal legs. In use I line the bowl shaped body under the racks with silver foil, and there is a central fat drain with a disposable silver foil tray. The lid is detachable and it is very easy to give it a thorough clean with hot soapy water. We have an outside hot tap so a short hose enables a good sluicing down.
Last autumn I also used oven cleaner (£5 from Sainsbury’s) to thoroughly clean the body and racks. It has come up like new and is well designed to avoid traps etc that hold grot and grime.
We bought ours at the end of the summer season for £250. Yes, painfully expensive for what it is, but in as new condition after three years. Ours normally over winters in the garage but was left out this year. I switched to propane so that we could use it over the winter. It is great, heats up quickly and cooks very well, and no smoke or smell in the kitchen. Very pleased with our Weber and would happily recommend them or indeed buy another, but ours is pretty much as new.
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I'll beat BBD to the punch line. "Is it wise to put a source of fire and flames close to your back door?"
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 18 Apr 19 at 22:50
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Well, we have an Aga in the kitchen and an open fire in the sitting room. A car with up to ten gallons of petrol in it is parked outside the front door. The gas for the BBQ is turned off when not in use, so can’t see a problem.
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But you don't have history of burning your house down
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Lemma, thats interesting - I see they are £299 new just now.
Would have ruled them out on size and versatility - no side burners, only one burner (although it is Q shaped - but when you look closer at the structure and quality of materials it looks super. Also size wise, it looks like it could easily be folded away and put in loft over winter?
Just doesn't have much "presence" and not sure if the cooking area is big enough to be doing various burgers, fillets, sausages etc at one time?
Assume you cannot vary temperature across the area or are there natural variations due to the burner shape?
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Yes, the quality of the materials is very good. I have no qualms about leaving it outside. I do have a Weber cover that goes over the main body, bought cheaply when I was in the US. I use it keep bird poop and general grot off of it rather than to protect it from the weather. it is perfectly capable of looking after itself. I have seen images of people who keep them on their verandahs all year round and happily cooking with snow on the ground. We converted from butane (blue cylinder) to propane (red cylinder) in order to use it year round as propane flashes off at a lower temperature. We did not make any adjustments to the burner but of course changed the regulator.
The stand folds down very easily and the BBQ comes off the stand in moments, well designed to do so. I would wonder about putting it in the loft though, quite bulky and heavy to struggle up there with it, but would go in a corner of the garage or shed very easily. The fact that they can be cleaned so easily does it for me.
If you want side burners etc then you can buy a larger version, for even more £s of course. Previous to this we had a large all singing and dancing BBQ that looked the part, but in reality this does all we need and can easily provide for the family when they come over. Occasionally we do perhaps the sausages and put them in a warmed oven while the burgers cook if there is a crowd. Part of the trick is to get it really hot and then whack the food in and cook it quickly. There are plenty of forums around, mostly US based, and lots of recipes, hints and tips on how to use them. In fact it is something of a cult to be a Weber BBQer.
With regard to varying the temperature it is pretty even across the grill area, but you can get a stand to raise cooked food up off the main cooking area. Of course the gas flame is adjustable. The bell shape of the cover allows for large pieces of meat, chickens etc to be cooked. We have not done that ourselves but one day I intend to do beer can chicken. Stuff a can up its rear end (opened :-) ) and then cook it slowly.
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Lemme cheers for recommendation.
Now an owner of a Weber QQ2200 based on your recommendation, the availability of it at my local Go Outdoors , and the fact that it takes 10 mins to build as opposed to some other barbecues that seem to take 10 days!
Will be cooking on it shortly!
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Bobby that's gas cooker not a BBQ :-)
Anyhow you previously said
"We buy chicken fillets and mince in bulk packs.
On an average week, we probably have both twice a week. Mince being in pasta or chilli con carne.
Maybe need to seriously rethink the red intake."
How did the thinking go, and how big are tonights steaks? :-)
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No steaks tonight!
Son made burgers with 5% fat mince. And we had chicken fillets and pork sausages. And lots of salad.
Tomorrow, my wife has decided we are having an Easter Sunday feast. Has invited her folks up. I see there is a full roast joint and a turkey in the fridge.
Looks like those will be the meals for the next week!
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Well done Bobby! I hope it gives you much pleasure and many years of service. In fact I was cooking on ours today. Bacon in fact for BLATs - bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato paninis. Bacon eh? Yes, we live life on the edge here. Looking forward to using it again on Monday too.
Incidentally I buy cheap, generic aluminium fat trays from Amazon rather than the expensive Weber ones. I also have a small sprayer with cooking oil in it that I use on the griddle plate to stop things sticking. I would really like to have an apron with images of ladies underwear and tassels on the breasts but management has no sense of humour
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I have a charcoal barbecue which has a metal gas pipe full of holes running through it.
I build a charcoal barbecue around and on the gas pipe. Light the gas, 15 minutes later a well burning charcoal barbecue.
I do have a small gas Weber outside the back door for quick and easy use throughout the year, It's good, but I'm not sure it's worth the premium that Weber charge.
For pizzas you'd be better off using the oven in the kitchen. The smaller, and lighter, gas barbecues simply don't hold enough heat for such a thing.
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We have a gas bbq that is left outside all year round. I just take the grill part inside and don't worry too much about it all. Its just one from argos i think, it's still fine to use. Had it a few years now and do the same each year.
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I just bungee a tarp over ours when it's not being used over the winter. Seems to work, no harm has come to it.
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Must admit I find a BBQ too much faff so haven;t owned one for years. Much easier to use the proper cooking equipment in the kitchen (which includes SWMBO LOL) :-)
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Yes, it does seem a bit strange to have a fully fitted kitchen with modern cooking facilities and then use a BBQ. Bit like having a luxury shower room and then using the garden hose for a wash:-)
Does anyone use them to cook anything other than sausages and burgers?
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Meat and veg on a kebab.
That reminds me we haven't done this one in a while :-)
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There is definitely a different taste and quality to the taste of BBQ'd food. Never cooked with a gas one though.
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Steaks, You can't cook steaks properly using regular domestic cooking facilities.
As for what BBQ, It needs to be a cast aluminium (or cast iron) body and lid, with cast iron griddles/grids. Pay good money for a heavyweight weatherproof cover. Costco is a good source.
I have a Canadian Fiesta Ottawa, its still going strong after 11 years and you can still get parts for it.
I love BBQ food, but its probably contributed to my bowel cancer.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 19 Apr 19 at 10:57
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In what way?
Too much meat?
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>> In what way?
>> Too much meat?
I understand it's the fats dripping off the meat, burning on the coals creating carcinogenic compounds.
It's what makes a BBQ smell and taste so damn good!
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>> In what way?
>> Too much meat?
"too much" meat seems to be a quantity that is dropping year by year according to various medical research, cook it over a BBQ and that risk seems to quadruple
Sausages are bad mothers. Processed read meat, exposed to burning fat, kiss your colon goodbye.
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>> I love BBQ food, but its probably contributed to my bowel cancer.
Without prying, genuinely, do you regret it, or do you think it was worth it? ie do you now wish you'd been a vegan for fifty years or something?
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>>
>> >> I love BBQ food, but its probably contributed to my bowel cancer.
>>
>> Without prying, genuinely, do you regret it, or do you think it was worth it?
>> ie do you now wish you'd been a vegan for fifty years or something?
It was a thought provoking comment till you mentioned going vegan.
Hell NO.
Do I intend to stop eating BBQ food? Hell no.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 19 Apr 19 at 12:40
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Hmm. We try to keep the meat down, but somehow this weekend the fridge is promising sausages, bacon, processed ham and pork belly slices. Did have fish twice this week but even so that seems to have got a bit unbalanced somehow.
AND I've just had a delicious Beef Pot Noodle with an extra Oxo cube.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 19 Apr 19 at 12:44
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>> Hmm. We try to keep the meat down, but somehow this weekend the fridge is
>> promising sausages, bacon, processed ham and pork belly slices. Did have fish twice this week
>> but even so that seems to have got a bit unbalanced somehow.
>>
>> AND I've just had a delicious Beef Pot Noodle with an extra Oxo cube.
Just eaten a corned beef sarnie for lunch.
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Well that's made me feel better.
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I can't see any point in BBQ without charcoal; you might as well use the oven burners and grill. With charcoal in our cast iron hibachi, we found it the best method for cooking steak and oily fish.
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>> Well that's made me feel better.
Shouldn't do, My bowel is currently bypassed, immune. Yours however, well, what can I say. Adios probably.
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We buy chicken fillets and mince in bulk packs.
On an average week, we probably have both twice a week. Mince being in pasta or chilli con carne.
Maybe need to seriously rethink the red intake.
As a family we also eat a lot of cold meat. We go thru probably around 3-4 packs of meat and very rarely dies it make its way onto a sandwich. More usually just a slice or two straight into the gob.
Need to rethink that as well.
Having said all that, I have lost one and a half stone now since middle January and want to lose the same again. So must be doing something right!
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Hi
You appear to be in rude health!
How's it going.
You don't need to reply if you don't feel it's appropriate.
Neil
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Letter in today's Telegraph:
Rasher rations
SIR – You report that an Oxford University study shows an increased risk of bowel cancer of 20 per cent for those eating the equivalent of one rasher of bacon.
However, the figures quoted show that bowel cancer developed in 2,609 people out of a population of 475,581 in 5.7 years. Their risk of bowel cancer was therefore about 0.096 per cent per year. The increased risk from meat-eating would raise this to 0.115 per cent. On reflection, I don’t think I’ll stop eating bacon.
Dr John Stabler
Fakenham, Norfolk
- Lies, damned lies and statistics!
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There again:
A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors).
1 in 15 UK males and 1 in 18 UK females will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in their lifetime.
54% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
13% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by eating processed meat.
11% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by overweight and obesity.
6% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by alcohol drinking.
7% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
2% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by ionising radiation.
5% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by too little physical activity.
28% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by eating too little fibre.
Seems sensible to try to reduce the odds if you can:
www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/bowel-cancer#heading-Three
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>> Hi
>>
>> You appear to be in rude health!
>>
>> How's it going.
>>
>> You don't need to reply if you don't feel it's appropriate.
>>
>> Neil
Its going well, couple of setbacks (dehydration issues) no equipment failures of any kind, self managing stoma, nurses have signed me off onto twice monthly turn up clinic, eating well, output good, healing well, stamina returning, Histology reveals clear margin on bowel removed, 20 nearest lymph nodes unaffected, but the tumour was Mucinous, so been referred to oncologist for possible wash up chemo. If no chemo reversal in 3- 5 months, if chemo reversal in 9 -12 months.
Its exceeded my recovery plan.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 19 Apr 19 at 16:02
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>>Yours however, well, what can I say. Adios probably
True. Congratulations on your improving health and I hope it continues. For me, CT scan Tuesday followed by an endoscopy, possibly a colonoscopy and maybe some other interesting -oscopys , definitely a PSA check. I am anaemic and must be bleeding from somewhere but there no visible traces. It seems blood can be digested or un-coloured somehow.
These things are just nature's way of saying "Logoff out of it!"
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>> Tuesday followed by an endoscopy, possibly a colonoscopy and maybe some other interesting -oscopys ,
If you go for the colonoscopy, dont be a brave boy, say yes to the offer of a sedative.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 19 Apr 19 at 16:55
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It would be my third over several years. I turned down the sedative for the first and found the procedure very interesting on screen. For the second, the doctor insisted and in fact told me not to watch.
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>> It would be my third over several years. I turned down the sedative for the
>> first and found the procedure very interesting on screen. For the second, the doctor insisted
>> and in fact told me not to watch.
I had the sedative and watched the screen. When he was clipping biopsy sample from a suspicious slug thing I said "Whats that"? He said we would talk about that later.. At that point I knew I was in the mire. Confirmed when the nurse in recovery said "I need to take blood samples". I could see the bad news etched in her eyes.
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>>self managing stoma
How is it self managing, Zero?
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>> >>self managing stoma
>>
>> How is it self managing, Zero?
Sorry lazy prose. I meant I am self managing it without any assistance from nurses. As in cleaning, checking size and cutting bag flange to size, skin care, output thickness, etc etc.
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Thank you. With my numerous other medical complications, it looks as if I may have to turn full-time professional patient.
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>Do I intend to stop eating BBQ food? Hell no.
We have an Outback BBQ bought when we had a load of visitors from the US. One was a chef from New Orleans and his BBQ cajun chicken was amazing. Repeated attempts to recreate it have been a dismal failure so I've given up and it hasn't been used for at least three years. Our table firepit cooks the usual swordfish, burgers and steaks just as well under my control. You can also put your feet under it when it get's a bit chilly.
On the subject of diet:
Mrs K is a piscivore. About 30 years ago we were in our local with friends for Sunday lunch. One of our friends had brought his 80-something father with him.
During our banter the link between cancer and red meat arose.
Friend's father quite rightly observed. "But it's brown when you've cooked it."
Bless!
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Bananas in silver foil with a little brown sugar and maybe a little brandy. I also cook bacon and eggs on ours for breakfast sometimes on the griddle plate. I have found that veggie burgers dont do well, they tend to fall apart. One day I will try roasting a joint of meat on our Weber.
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Sorry about the above, this is out of sequence and should have followed on from the comment about cooking anything other than sausages and burgers. Not sure why it didnt.
Good health and speedy recovery to those who are suffering or under suspicion. I have spent 18 months back and forth to the Urology clinic with PSA issues. My BiL had his cancerous prostate removed and management decided I should get mine checked. I am in two minds as to whether it was a good thing, maybe turned me into one of the worried well as the PSA number whilst slightly higher than expected for a man my age seems stable enough. But PSA is notoriously unreliable whilst indicators of other diseases should not be ignored.
It is said you need three things in life - time, health and money - but at any one time only have two. A certain element of truth in that I find.
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I have an oil drum, laid on its side on a metal frame with a smaller oil drum inside it. It's covered with a thick layer of some kind of adobe & chicken wire. There's a bit underneath where the fire goes. It's wood burning. And the heat goes around the gap between the two barrels and out a chimney.
It's very Heath Robinson, and cost me about £30 from the guy who made it, but is just about the greatest slow cooker ever.
A bit like this.....
www.diariopopular.com.ar/como-hacer-un-horno-tambor-y-barro-n209027
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Anyone got, or considered a traditional wood burning pizza oven?
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>> Anyone got, or considered a traditional wood burning pizza oven?
Yes.
I quite fancy the idea and think it would be cool to have. The designs are well known and fairly easy to construct. I was intending to get around to it.
But about 2 years ago I was stopping for a few days with a friend who had a lake we were at for the weekend and he introduced me to his Pizza oven - as you can imagine a pretty perfect environment for such a thing.
It's a lovely thing to own, and if managed properly makes great pizzas. And certainly we ate some great pizza - though preparing them is more of a time-consuming a*** than I was prepared for.
There is, however, a fly in the ointment; The huge amount of work involved in the oven; clean it, prepare it, light it and get it to the required temperature and then keep it there is simply not worth it for one or two pizzas.
Perhaps if you are prone to having large gatherings then it'd be a great idea. But for a family of 4? No.
I do keep idly wondering whether or not a bread oven might be a more practical return on effort.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sun 21 Apr 19 at 18:53
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The huge amount of work involved in
>> the oven; clean it, prepare it, light it and get it to the required temperature
>> and then keep it there is simply not worth it for one or two pizzas.
We had one at work, I'm not sure it ever got used for those reasons.
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>> I do keep idly wondering whether or not a bread oven might be a more
>> practical return on effort.
Are they not essentially similar?
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Yes, I think so, though the internal arrangement appears to be different. But I cannot imagine what I could do with more than one or two pizzas when I wanted them quickly whereas I might want more bread than that.
I sort of have this idea that a bread oven would be as much of a hobby as a meal preparation technique and on the right day I might be happy for it to take longer.
Also, I eat a darn sight more bread than I do pizza.
But, it's been a vague idea for some years, it takes me quite a long time to get around to such things, if in fact I ever do.
It's far easier to knock things off the list [pizza oven] than it is to actually build stuff which remains on the list [bread oven]
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sun 21 Apr 19 at 21:19
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My sister has an outdoor pizza oven at her place in Spain. It's useless. It takes at least six beers to get up to temp and by that time you can't be bothered to get up every minute to turn the pizza because it's burning at the back and cold at the front.
Next outdoor cooking purchase is going to be one of these -
www.catering-appliance.com/electric-griddles
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Gas BBQ - R.P.
