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.

YANBU. BBQs sound like a great idea in theory but they seldom live up to expectations in my experiences.

I am uptight though so hate the way food randomly appears in no particular order at random intervals.

Love them. We have about three a week. Don’t find it a hassle at all!

I only like them with proper meat - steaks, chops etc
So many people think that cheap burgers & sausages are OK - crap that I will not choose to eat normally

YABU. We cook on the bbq most days in the summer, even breakfast at weekends. It’s cleaned regularly so never needs a big clean. Our house/garden aren’t big enough that it’s a massive faff to go inside and get the ketchup etc. Love a bbq!

Yep would rather just cook in the air fryer then eat in the garden. Much quicker and zero faff. I don’t get the bbq obsession either

This is my inlaws. Cheap Richmond bright pink sausages, cheapie findus burgers, ketchup. And that's your lot.

Agree, but DH loves them. We just had a chicken cooked on one of those ceramic pot things that mimics cooking a chicken on a beer can. It took twice the length of time it should have done and didn’t taste half as nice as if I had roasted it in the oven.

DH cooks twice as much meat as we usually eat, so I have to shop more frequently. Annoying all round!

We just cook the meat/food we’d normally eat, just on the bbq instead of the oven/grill. So roast chicken on the spit roast, steaks, lamb chops, halloumi, chicken and roasted veg skewers.
A bbq is just a cooking instrument; having a bbq doesn’t mean it has to be sausages and burgers!

We’ve just got the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor grill, now we are BBQing a lot! Before that, nope loved the idea but was just a faff.

I loathe them. Very few people know how to bbq properly in the UK, we weren’t made for it!
burnt on the outside, raw on the inside.
stinks the garden out and those of neighbours .
impossible to eat outside because of flies, wasps etc.

Total faff. DH bought a big gas fired one a few years ago. Used it twice then sold it. Just a load of traipsing in and out with stuff. Really dont get it.

My DM says the same. She prefers to cook in the house and bring it outside 🤣🤣

Anyone have one connected to their solar panels? Might make me more tempted to brave the faff.

A bbq is just a cooking instrument;

This is true. But when I am using the hob or oven, I just switch it on and it's ready to go. I don't have to dispose of the fuel afterwards, or scrub the grill trays every use. It comes with a special temperature gauge so I know how hot it is, and can control it easily. And it's right there in the kitchen, 2 steps from the fridge, cupboard with plates etc.

Hate them.

Don't know what it is in our DNA that means the minute the thermometer goes over 20 we have to eat our dinner outside off a paper plate and with a plastic fork. With coleslaw.
Fuck that.

Depends where you live and if you're doing it properly. They're pretty antisocial if you're letting thick burnt-meat smoke blow in to all the neighbouring gardens. One of my neighbours does this because he's a knob.

It's totally worth it for me as my husband does the cooking on the BBQ and it's my son's job to clean it. My job is just to buy the food.

Men like it. It saves me cooking

I don't really like burnt sausages hugely

After years of avoiding getting one after being put off by the faff of it, we got an electric one and used it for the first time today. It was great and really easy to clean. Hopefully it's not just new purchase enthusiasm!

And why do we always eat loads when it's bbq? I real life, I'd have a burger in a bap and some chips. In bbq land, it's burger, sausage, rice, potato salad, kebab.....

I agree.

My husband is still cooking on the barbecue that he lit over an hour ago. It’s now too cold to sit outside and eat it.

BBQ ing when done right is amazing.
def doesn’t have to be cheap burgers sausages paper plates and ketchup. I mean that is actually rubbish.

I know this defies bbq laws but we cook the food in one go and take it to the kitchen, dish up and take it back out side.
Far less faffy then it sounds.
My DP is a good bbq cook, so it is always tasty and cooked through.

@GulesMeansRed This is true. But when I am using the hob or oven, I just switch it on and it's ready to go. I don't have to dispose of the fuel afterwards, or scrub the grill trays every use. It comes with a special temperature gauge so I know how hot it is, and can control it easily. And it's right there in the kitchen, 2 steps from the fridge, cupboard with plates etc.

So true!!!

We got rid of our bbq about 5 years ago. Summers are much more enjoyable now!

I think it depends on the climate you live in. If you have to dust it off for just a couple of times a year it is a real hassle. We live somewhere warm enough that we can start cooking on it in May all the way until early October and we have optimised the process. I bought a massive tray in which I cart everythign outside at once. I also just keep it to one meat/main and a couple of salads and that is it. Streamlining the process and actually enjoying being outside int he garden while it is heating up etc makes it a joy.