To think gas barbecues are a waste of space?!

[MerryCosIWonaGold]

So, Friday we were at a 'proper' barbie with half burnt sausages, burgers and it was all smoky, yummy. I do adore the special summer taste.

Saturday we were at another, much posher, barbecue with 'barbecued' prawns, lamb, chicken, sweetcorn, the works. Problem being you don't seem to actually get any barbecue flavour. May as well chuck it in the oven or under the grill? What is the point other than men seem to be more willing to dabble with it? All that delicious food would have been gorgeous on a proper charcoal barbecue.

Gas Barbies. Waste of space, I tell ya!

Weber One Touch Gold all the way for us!

Gas barbecues are brilliant. Turn them on, wait 15 minutes and they're ready to cook. You don't have to wait 2 hours while somebody faffs around with charcoal. You can use a gas barbecue in the rain or in the snow. I've barbecued in December before now. They get hotter than a conventional oven, so you can cook stuff like homemade pizzas and naan breads and get that crisping that makes the flavour better.

They're good for cooked breakfasts, where you can stick your bacon and sausages and tomatoes and black pudding/chorizo on the grill and then use the side burner to fry/poach/boil/scramble your eggs.

I'm sure some people like the burnt taste and waiting for hours on end to see if their food is edible. But gas just works. In our uneven climate it makes perfect sense to own one.

I also think that most barbecue snobs would, in a blind taste test, find it impossible to tell the difference between the food cooked on a gas barbecue and food cooked on a charcoal one.

barbecue snobs :) love it

I am not a BBQ snob, just prefer charcoal or a fire pit.

Apparently so is bacon, doesn't mean I will stop eating it!

Burnt food is carcinogenic is it not and you can get that smoked bbq flavour from using wood chips in a gas bbq

Barbecued bacon is delicious!

And gas BBQ are great for making beer can chicken or piglets on the BBQ instead of the usual crap just don't use aluminium cans unless you keep the temp low.

Gas bbqs are inferior but they are ok to cook a few sausages or something like that. A bit of an embarrassment to serve to guests though.

If it takes 2 hours to light a charcoal bbq you are doing it very, very wrong.

www.worldofpower.co.uk/weber-charcoal-barbecue-chimney-starter.html

plus

images.mysupermarket.co.uk/ProductsDetailed/18/075718.jpg

equals hot coals in 15 minutes, no more.

Lol at complaining about carcinogenic food and then suggesting beer can chicken. Beer cans are coated in dodgy chemicals that will melt and leech into your food.

Better beer can:

www.amazon.co.uk/Weber-6408-Poultry-Roaster/dp/B0012XXE3E

We have a BBQ but DH 'manages' it I have nothing to do with it. I'm sure its gas, and looking out the window I can see the big canister, but ours still has charcoal on it and it definitely has that typical BBQ flavour so YABU.

i have a huge BBQ, and only light 1/2 i have a cool area for when the bbq is getting too hot.

to me a bbq is about getting the coal lit and controlling a fire.

We have both. We use the charcoal for proper BBQ food and the gas one as a grill. We keep it at the back door and use it regularly as it's faster and much less stinky than using the kitchen grill

How do you clean the gas BBQ ? Does the grill go in the dishwasher ?

DH cleans off the grill with a wire brush immediately after cooking. He also puts them in the dishwasher before the BBQ goes into the shed before winter and again before cooking on them for the first time after being in the shed as a minimum.

NO need if you let the BBQ get up to a high temp afterwards for few minutes and you have quality grill.

Doesn't all the bits of meat and grease left on it attract insects, or does it have a good lid and cover?

I've heard it all now.

It's embarrassing to use a gas BBQ when entertaining?

MN wank-fuckery at its best.

I couldnt give a toss whether it was gas or charcoal. Aslong as the food is edible, the drink is flowing and the people are good company I'll have a good time.

I think of gas barbecues as cheating a bit I must admit!

Frankie- the wire brush gets rid of that, along with ramping up the heat. The lid is then put down after.
The grills are still put through the dishwasher regardless if it's not used for a long period of time.

DH can fire a charcoal BBQ in less than 10 minutes, but he cheats. Lights it with a blowtorch and attacks it with an industrial compressed air line.

Can also cook unburnt sausages, although we usually do burgers or steak due to having no grill.

I am wondering why we are discussing barbecues

Not raining here......yet
It's bound to chuck it down when I need to get these two to the pool on foot later though!

Another Australian here, who has always used gas barbecues.

Of course, in Australia, we have to worry about lighting fires in the open, in barbecue weather, so maybe that has something to do with it?

(Although, you aren't allowed to light a gas barbecue on a day of total fire ban, anyway, so perhaps just laziness )