'Let's have a BBQ ' said no woman ever!

[Lifewithasixyearold]

No it isnt easier, no it's not less work and no DH you don't actually do anything like all of it!
Fuck me, it's 160 degrees out there, my rage is hotter than the damn BBQ which wasn't lit in time of course and naturally I have started things in the oven because when the BBQ does get going it will incinerate the outside of everything and leave a lovely warm core of pure food poisoning within...
AIBU surely we could get them banned, smoke, emissions or something??

Lol Bertrand I just spat out my tea. I'm taking chakalaka to people's BBQs now just so I can say that.

Murphys I learned so much from DH. I love bobojtie as well.
Plus if you don't season or marinade meat and salads it's apparently sacrilege. We're so crap at that in the UK.

Asparagus on BBQ is delicious

We don't clean the grill. We burn everything off next time we use it. Have never tried using an onion, though. thanks for the tip

YADNBU!!

I want to enjoy us having a BBQ,I love entertaing and I love cooking and I want to be able to cook and entertain for people whilst were using a BBQ.
But it's always such fucking hard work,my DH always wants to be the one doing BBQ but it takes him bloody hours and I end up pre cooking stuff in the oven and by the time everyone sits down to eat half of the stuff is cold whilst we've been waiting for the rest to cook.

I wish we could have a BBQ with lots of friends and family and that it was half as easy as everyone else seems to make it look.

I need to know what the secret is?

I can't believe people pre cook the food in the oven. What's the point in that? However I can't help you with the secret as I don't go near the barbecue but everything is fully cooked when it comes off.

Bertrand thanks so much, looks fairly straightforward!

ohtheholidays I think alcohol is the secret

We cook on our gas bbq most nights when the weather is good and it's something that can be cooked on it.
Tonight we're having tandoori chicken thighs with a side salad.
No faff whatsoever. I'd rather be outside cooking than in a hot kitchen.

We even cook our bacon and eggs on it at the weekend (on the side burner).

The secret is keeping it simple - potato salad, coleslaw, rice, garlic bread, extra 'cooked stuff' (like pizza) etc etc is a waste of time (you're having a BBQ, not a harvester buffet!). Yes, they're nice to have but unnecessary unless:
a) you have people who turn up expecting to be fed straight away
b) everyone is going to eat it. If people really want it they can bring it along.
Just stick with bun, burger, salad, cheese, strawbs.

For the salad, put onions, toms, cheese etc in one of those divider plates for people to choose what goes on their plate (I detest picking bits I don't want out of a premixed salad) - whatever's left can go in an omelette for tea later.

And disposable BBQs are a godsend - ash in the bin, metal for recycling.
I love a good BBQ

I love using the gas bbq to cook tea. Especially fish and chicken. But that's just two of us and the food tastes good and the kitchen is less hot.

Or doing a butterflied leg of lamb if there's more of us.

What I get in a paddy about it a bbq for loads of people with multiple meat and salads and having to faff around with chips.

My mother is bloody obsessed with BBQ's. I'm not particularly keen but DP and I just bought a tepanyaki grill for our garden which is similar. I love it.

I love them, means the meat gets cooked outside and doesn't stink my house out

Paradox Chips??? as in hot chips? ..

Chips is what we call crisps, perfectly acceptable as a nibbler whilst conversation is flowing and the chips soak up the booze. But there is no place for hot chips at a braai. I think I need to have a sit down here.

Ribena oh yes, steak and chops spice... cannot have meat just plonked on without a little bit of tlc beforehand. And nobody has yet mentioned ribs. The sticky and messier, the better. And use hands... cutlery is just for the salads... you pick up the rib, chop, boerewors (which is sausage).

So if a braai is planned with visitors (so not just a family thing), then the discussion will be along the lines of.... 'hey China (or Bru, Ma Cuz, Dude.. dependant on where you live) tjop and dop... here Saturday, will have the rugby on too Boet,.' Ribena, your dh will get it....

For everyone else... tjop (chop ie meat) and dop (booze)... so essentially its 'bring your own'... and we hope to goodness their team wins the game.... Otherwise its tjop, dop, fok and donner....

I will get my coat

murphys I know! That is the bit that really gets to me. As far as DH is concerned if we are having a BBQ with people round you have to have oven chips and onion rings.

So I'm there naffing around with that inside trying to get the timings right to coincide with his man cooking on the BBQ.

Did a lovely potato salad yesterday - but no, there had to be chips too.

YABU. I love bbq. Dh is an accomplished barbecuer (and cook in general). None of your cremated burgers here, or chips
. Lovely homemade burgers and marinated kebabs, marinated butterflied leg of lamb etc. I just make some salad and flatbreads, couscous etc.

Onion rings??

Paradox's dh please...just a short explanation of why?

Instead of our BBQs being nice and relaxed and things being ready in bits and people being able to graze. It's run like a military operation to time with the chips and the onion rings.

Onion rings are apparently essential.

I'd like a nicely bbq steak and a salad.

Paradox

When we are on your holiday, please come and visit me and you can have your steak and salad, with not a chip nor onion ring in sight.

There are some that do like a toasted cheese and tomato toastie done on the fire for nibbles.... but not at his house. Pork rashers all nice and crispy are our sort of nibblies...

I am done with bbqs. Apparently I say this after every one we have

Yesterday I made loads of lovely kebabs, marinades, etc, faffed around for ages.

When it was all cooked a laid out on the table a bloody great blue bottle landed right in the middle of it all. The DC all freaked out and didn't want to eat any of it. It put me off too actually, but I sat there chewing on a kebab making yum noises just to make a point.

We then did 'phase 1' of the cleaning up, which took until about 3 in the morning (possibly exaggerating).

Phase 2 will be tonight when the bbq is cooled down enough to clean.

I can't be arsed anymore.

I think we over complicate bbqs in this country, one or two things is enough, say steak and sausages or chicken and burgers. Open a bag of prepared leaves into a bowl, chop up a baguette, get the ketchup and that will do! BBQ some veggies (we slice into large chunks, a pepper would be into 4 for instance) and don't bother kebabing. Easy!
Once you've finished bbq'ing chuck some more wood on it to burn it clean. No need to clean.

BadTaste You don't need to clean a bbq! And if flies put you off you'd never want to eat outside abroad!

I have big fold up food covers which we use to cover anything we're not eating.

Agree that you don't need to clean a BBQ.. far too much effort! The bluebottle wouldn't put me off the food but then not much does 🐷

I love the idea of BBQ, but not the reality. I organised one for 200 people recently and...well....I keep telling myself this year is the last!

On the other hand, attending a BBQ being well run by someone ELSE is pretty good :)

You see, here's the issue: plates, cutlery, salads, vegetables, garlic bread, pasta...

All you need for a BBQ is:

1. a BBQ
2. meat
3. a fork (for stabbing and eating above)
4. maybe some rolls/ketchup and some cheese slices if you're feeling REALLY exotic (rolls conveniently negate the need for plates and leave one hand free for...)
5. cold beer

Zero washing up, minimal faff.

I say it all the time...I love a good BBQ.

Ha, just realised I posted 2 '4s'...that'll be all the BBQ beer!!

I actually work with numbers for a living which makes it all the more excruciating...