I don't understand the appeal of the BBQ

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There, I've said it.

I understand that it's an excuse for day drinking and being outdoors with friends on a nice day. I get that bit. But why does the food have to be cooked over a fire? Someone has to stand over a fire on the hottest day of the year.

It's not even easy. Cleaning the grill is worse than any washing up, you can't have all the food ready at once and there's all the "bits" that have to go with it.

I'm sure BBQs weren't a thing when I was young in the 1970s, but maybe that was just my family. We'd have similar gatherings, but they'd be a picnic or picnic type food in the garden.

I still think that's much nicer and for any summer entertaining at our house, it will be an afternoon tea type spread in the garden. Just me? Do my friends (who always make appreciative noises) think I'm weird not to fire up the barbie for outdoor entertaining?

the smell of dead stuff being cremated on a summers day, marvellous, boak.

I don't think we've ever washed the grill, and we bbq all the time. 5 times a week in the summer at least. It all burns off.

And BBQ'ing is absolutely my domain, not DH's!!

I like a bbq, till my hayfever kicks in, im a basic sausage and burger person ,but these days theres to much extra stuff to do for a bbq if its more than family ,ie chicken ,fish ,kebabs, dips ,crisps ,sauces ,salads ,pizzas ,garlic bread ,wedges, fruit ,smores etc when you just want to keep everyone happy

Oh my goodness. My family are Mediterranean and in their country a BBQ is a religion. They worship a good old flaming piece of meat on the slab. I’m not talking chipolatas and burger, I’m talking big chunks of meat on huge skewers turning round and round over a massive fire.
This doesn’t happen once in a blue moon. It’s every bloody week!

The only thing I like at family bbqs is the salad. The rolls are horrible white stodgy things and the meat often has bits of gristle in ..mmm yum!!

I think it's really overrated. I am sandwiched in between two gardens where the neighbours love to constantly bbq, which is a nuisance for me as l always have lots of washing on line, plus it makes my house smell , the wind always seems to carry it my way. It's like hot tubs, fun for the ones using them but not so much for neighbours. I am saving to move as l just want a peaceful summer, l am an introvert and love the peace and quiet.

Really surprised at some of these comments, surely people must understand that just because you’ve been served cheap crap poorly cooked food in meagre portions, doesn’t mean there is some rule that you can only cook cheap shite on a bbq and do it badly and everyone does that?

I don’t feed my family crap as standard, why would I suddenly do it if bbqing. It’s just a different method of cooking, it’s good quality food cooked well and enough of it.

What do people eat when not bbq ? I mean do you never grill bit of fish? Or make kebabs?
You can do everything on a bbq and it tastes better.

I bbq all the time and I haven’t touched a cheap white burger bun in 20 years.

You’re all doing it wrong. It’s just a cooking utensil that makes things taste nice.

I’m not a fan of blackened sausages/burgers etc off a bbq, but I do like my little gas cadac one that I use a lot when away in the caravan, as it can be just a basic hob ring to use a pan on. I’ll cook outside on it sometimes at home if it’s red hot, as the last thing my south facing kitchen needs is another heat source adding, but it’s rare I do typical “bbq food”. I’ve got a really nice big pan which is perfect for paella or risotto, and I’ve got a pizza stone for it which saves putting the oven on. I love my cadac and it’ll no doubt get loads of use next month when my kitchen is being refitted!

my previous neighbours had no idea at all everything always smelt burnt, and the smoke and lighter fuel was awful,

I love a BBQ. We do it often for dinner, so lightening it around 6pm. We often have courses, put starters and things which take longer first, than add other meats and vegetables. Side dishes are maybe a green salad or raw vegetables and bread.

This is how I grew up in the Seventies. We always did BBQ just for us in Summer.

If you light it correctly you won't have flames, smoke or smell of lighting fluids.

We do what lots of other PP say, heat the rack and scrub it hot. Before we put it away for winter we do a proper clean but not during the BBQ season.

Your Afternoon Tea idea sounds nice but in my opinion a proper Afternoon Tea is also complex and time consuming to prepare if you want it looking nice. I did one once for a birthday and while I enjoyed it I hated the fussing around in advance. And for me it is not sufficient to last as a dinner so I need to make another meal.

Otherwise it is just a picky tea and that's nothing special for me, we do this far too much in Summer for lunch when we don't want to cook or we are out for the day and have a picnic for lunch.

I can’t imagine baking on a boiling hot day for an afternoon tea! Though I love them.
That would be my idea of hell, if it’s hot obviously

I've never got the fascination with them either, but then I don't particularly like eating outdoors and that includes picnics...all those wasps and flies buzzing around whilst I'm trying to eat makes my stomach turn.

I hate bbqs. Don't own one and probably never will. DHs family are big bbqers and I really don't see the appeal.

@trappedsincesundaymorn

I've never got the fascination with them either, but then I don't particularly like eating outdoors and that includes picnics...all those wasps and flies buzzing around whilst I'm trying to eat makes my stomach turn.

I live rurally and genuinely don’t have any issue with wasps or flies. We occasionally get a wasps nest and I call the guy out as soon as I see it, and he deals with it same day. Luckily we’ve never had a problem with flies. We have a lot of bees and dragon flies, but they don’t bother us or us them.

I’d be concerned if there were lots of flies and wasps in anyone’s garden when they were tying to sit out. That sounds awful. Do you have this issue? I guess you do?

I don't like a barbecue but I love a raclette instead. Hot stone with pans underneath. It doesn't smell - just plug in and cook your own food.

@Bluntness100

Really surprised at some of these comments, surely people must understand that just because you’ve been served cheap crap poorly cooked food in meagre portions, doesn’t mean there is some rule that you can only cook cheap shite on a bbq and do it badly and everyone does that?

I don’t feed my family crap as standard, why would I suddenly do it if bbqing. It’s just a different method of cooking, it’s good quality food cooked well and enough of it.

Exactly We don’t normally eat sausages and burgers and cheap white bread So why would we do that at a BBQ? People who hate BBQs are doing them wrong

If any of my neighbours have a bbq it always means my house stinks of the smoke for the rest of the day and any washing on the line........... needs to be done again. I cant abide them personally.

@Taliskerskye
^What do people eat when not bbq ? I mean do you never grill bit of fish? Or make kebabs?
You can do everything on a bbq and it tastes better.^

I hear this so often, but I've never found it to be the case - everything tastes barbecued, which is not better.

There is so much that you can't cook on a bbq (or makes no sense to cook on a bbq - ie ANYTHING IN FOIL), it's such a limiting way to cook. And everything that goes with it has to be prepared in the kitchen anyway - so it's spreading out the cooking and the mess.

Unless you specifically want a smoky chargrilled flavour on something, I can't think of a single thing which is better done on a bbq.

I can't think of a single thing which is better done on a bbq

Hmmm, well as said I have a gas one, so it’s chargrilled but not Smokey, but I think bbqing isn’t just is it better cooked on the hob or on the bbq, but also the whole occasion of cooking and eating outside, the social aspect, doing something different, it’s fun.

But we do fish, burgers, different sausages, steak, corn on the cob, asparagus, peppers, mushrooms, onions, asparagus, chicken, lamb, seafood, halloumi, the list is endless. It’s a very healthy way to cook, and everything tastes of what it is, and it’s actually lovely.

I think I’d agree with you more if it was a small cheap charcoal bbq and someone who doesn’t know how to use it properly. But generally if you’ve a good bbq, either charcoal or gas, know how to use it properly, use good quality ingredients, then it doesn’t taste all the same.

I think the issue here is a lot of people have never had a good bbq. It’s generally cheap crap food done poorly in a charcoal bbq that the cook doesn’t know how to use properly.

But it tastes delicious!

Am sorry but the idea of tea and crumpets and picnic style garden parties couldn't sound more boring if you tried.
I absolutely adore a bbq,love the smell, the taste,the atmosphere, the novelty etc.
What kind of bbqs are you all going to!!???
Lashings of food is a must..steak, shrimp,roasted corn,chicken thighs, skewer kebabs,roasted jumbo sausages, big chunky homemade burgers etc.why would you be using paper plates😳

@douliket

Am sorry but the idea of tea and crumpets and picnic style garden parties couldn't sound more boring if you tried. I absolutely adore a bbq,love the smell, the taste,the atmosphere, the novelty etc. What kind of bbqs are you all going to!!??? Lashings of food is a must..steak, shrimp,roasted corn,chicken thighs, skewer kebabs,roasted jumbo sausages, big chunky homemade burgers etc.why would you be using paper plates😳

Exactly. Two weeks ago we had marinated chicken and lamb kebabs, sardines, German sausages, fresh aspargus.

We also had raw peppers and mushrooms to go with it plus a Turkish style flatbread.

Other things we often BBQ are steaks (pork, beef, lamb), prawn skewers, corn on the cob, potato and vegetable skewers.

Paper plates are used if I have a large party and not enough china.

I only have burgers on it when we have friends over who like them but they are proper ones. I don't buy different meats regardless where I cook it on.

@fantastaballs

I cook on charcoal, so I don't cook over flames. I cook over the residual heat of the coals and I proper bbq in a drum with a temperature Probe etc. I don't pre cook anything as I know what I can cook, how long it takes and have a charcoal starter to top up the coals should they be needed. I also smoke my own food. Contrary to what you say, I don't see bbq asa chore. My grill is incredibly easy to clean with a C wire brush and I have liners to remove ash. It's a 3-5 minute job.

And nothing compares to a slow cooked brisket. The depth of flavour is amazing. I do fabulous cherry smoked ribs too. And Thai chicken wings and honey and mustard sausages. Even cooking burgers, they have to be hand made burgers with an excellent quality mince. I make all my own sides. I have an outdoor kitchen that is under cover. I don't just churn out charred smart price burgers and semi frozen salmonella chicken.

I am with you 100% on this. That's how we bbq aswell and it's so much better than the parties I used to go to when I was younger. Even when it's just me and my fiancé, we make a real effort with our food because we want to eat something that tastes good rather than a frozen burger slapped into a bun

We did the same quality food on the bbq as I would do inside, and a huge range, lots of different marinades, styles, salads and sides, homemade flatbreads and dips etc etc etc.....and still, there's not one single thing that I'd say is better cooked on the bbq, and it is definitely a lot more faff.

I do agree though that there's the social aspect of it, so people milling around the garden, drink in hand, while someone stands at the grill attending to the food, lots of chatting etc.