to think barbecues just aren't worth the effort?

[GulesMeansRed]

First barbecue of the year today.

Retrieve barbecue from back of shed, give it a good scrub because although it was put away clean (or DH sys it was) and covered, it's sticky and mucky after 9 months. Search for charcoal. Search for firelighter thingies. Get the thing going. Stand around while it gets to the right stage for cooking. Start cooking the stuff. Constant debate about whether it's done or not. Multiple trips back into the house to get salad, salad dressing, cheese slices, another beer, tomato ketchup, another plate, another spoon, forks. Then all the clearing away and disposing of the charcoal.

Total faff.

We are a BBQ nation and I can’t understand one word you have written😂. When we want an ‘easier’ meal with no faffing about we go BBQ. I’ve never known a BBQ to be packed away here nor anyone who doesn’t use theirs Year round come rain/hail/shine.

I've just had some leftover chicken thighs (from the bbq yesterday) in a burger bun with leftover salad, for my lunch...yummy

Ds and dd also like to add leftover chicken to noodles or wraps so it doesn't go to waste

BBQ. I’ve never known a BBQ to be packed away here nor anyone who doesn’t use theirs Year round come rain/hail/shine.

Again, you clearly don't live in Scotland. In November, when it's dark by 4pm, why on EARTH would you be out in the garden with charcoal? Literally nobody I know does that. Barbecues are out June, July, August, perhaps September if it's nice, packed away for next year. Nobody is inviting friends round for BBQ food in February.

Our gas bbq doesn't get packed away - its too big for our tiny shed. It stays on the decking with a cover over it during the winter/rainy days. (I'm in scotland)

Yes but are you out there using it in February sideways rain, @dementedpixie ? I bet you aren't!!

Of course we don't use it for most of the year being in Scotland. I'm only just letting dh use it the last couple of years though as thought it was too much faffing about before that. I'm ok as long as I'm not in charge of cleaning it!

I think enjoying a BBQ is part of a lifestyle.

Here in SA it's almost a national meal and I don't have stats but I would say its the number 1 way of entertaining/hosting friends or family. But I think we live a far more outdoor lifestyle because of the weather.

I wouldn't want to be out cooking my steak or whatever when its zero degrees though, I would rather have a stew and dumplings then.

But I am still having a giggle about the food poisoning post.

We don't even clean our grids here, I know this will be a shock to some. The grid gets put under the flame and everything is burnt off, and then a go over with a steel brush. I don't know anyone who has been taken out by a not pristine grid. All this talk of cleaning and scrubbing is a bit foreign to me .

😀

@GulesMeansRed Again, you clearly don't live in Scotland. In November, when it's dark by 4pm, why on EARTH would you be out in the garden with charcoal

Well, no I ‘clearly’ don’t live in Scotland. But I don’t understand the outrage about the dark. We BBQ here in the dark in winter also. We do put outside lights on so we can see if that helps you make sense of it? You then bring the BBQ food inside to eat. We also have lights on inside here 😂.

I love a bbq but only at my own house so DH is doing it or at one his friends because (don’t tell DH!) he does amazing food on it. The only thing I have to do is buy salad and then wait for my food to arrive. It’s a bit of a passion for him and he does ribs that smoke for a few hours and various other things that I don’t understand.

We don't even clean our grids here, I know this will be a shock to some. The grid gets put under the flame and everything is burnt off, and then a go over with a steel brush. I don't know anyone who has been taken out by a not pristine grid. All this talk of cleaning and scrubbing is a bit foreign to me .

Yes!

I never clean my grill either. I've been feeling vaguely guilty reading about all the cleaning.
My mum is from SA and I've probably inherited that from her then. We grew up cooking stuff on the BBQ.

It all adds to the flavour. 😀

I don't know what sort of BBQ's some people have. We've never had under cooked food or sausages with grass on it, we don't just have sausages or burgers, it's not a faff to use.

Then again MN has a history of weird BBQ posts and BBQ snobs...

Blooming love a bbq. We've been watching Barbecue Showdown recently, absolutely drool-worthy. It's really inspired us to try something different next time, although I suppose we've always been quite adventurous anyway. We get regular power cuts here so we cook all sorts on it.

Another one who doesn't wash the grid. Just flame the sucker, then scrub with a steel brush. Easy!

The faff is the fun of it. Nice lazy sunny day, stick a few things on and do prep etc while it cooks. Obviously people who bbq in the rain etc are nuts.

We love bbq! We got gas onefor ease and less smoke due to close neighbours.

Multiple trips back into the house to get salad, salad dressing, cheese slices, another beer, tomato ketchup, another plate, another spoon, forks
Tray. One trip.

The menz stand outside drinking beer and playing with fire, while the women are rushing to and fro
Selfinflicted problem.

Sides prepped earlier with pre drink 😁

Adding myself to winter bbq crowd

£350 ish off the top of my head. So not cheap, but very worth it.

We don’t eat sausages and burgers cooked in the kitchen so we wouldn’t have them on a BBQ either
If you eat shit food normally then it will be shit cooked wherever

We got a gas bbq years ago and now regularly bbq even for midweek dinners. It's been a game changer!

Grilled fish, halloumi, vegetables are delicious!

My son in law and daughter serve the best BBQ food ever.
They accommodate my vegetarian ways and prepare lots of lovely salads too.

So YABU! ☺️

Not all sausages and burgers are shit!

True. I was in town on Friday, and went for a mooch round Waitrose before coming home to see if they had any fancy stuff reduced to my price range. So we had barbecued venison burgers on Friday night

We don’t eat sausages and burgers cooked in the kitchen so we wouldn’t have them on a BBQ either. If you eat shit food normally then it will be shit cooked wherever.

What a snide remark. Our homemade burgers made from good quality beef are not 'shit food'. Neither are the ones (or the sausages) my local butcher makes. In any case, who says you have to have burgers or sausages on a bbq?

😂