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.

You need The Green Barbeque by Rukmini Iyer, or there are loads of amazing veggie recipes you can Google.

We washed everything today and the sun immediately went in. I let DH light the bbq - he only used half a dozen pieces of charcoal and therefore nothing cooked . . .

I think any meal that you start making the day before is quite high effort!

I am really 'meh' about barbeques, though that's partially because I'm veggie and the options you get offered are VERY variable in quality... We don't own one ourselves and I don't think I've ever wished we did!

Bbq bags!!! Transformational!!!

ALL side dishes and salads can be done the day before

Ah you see there's the problem. We live in Scotland. It's a rare occurrence that we get nice weather, and it's a spur of the minute decision to bbq as it's dry. As there are only 5 of us in the house, I would not do multiple sides and salads for an ordinary meal, so why for a bbq?

I am veggie and love ours. Bbq mushrooms, corn on the bobs, beetroot burgers, vegetables on a skewer, halloumi and honey and veggie sausages!! Delicious 😋

Bring out 2 bags of easy light charcoal. Light them. Go and have some beer. Come back in 20 minutes, bring out salad etc, put grill on BBQ. Drink some more beer, bring out some plates, sauces, butter. Come back in 10 minutes put some sausages, kebabs, burgers etc on to cook, turn occasionally, drink some beer. Call family, eat, cook some marshmallows. Take plates etc in and wash. Leave BBQ until late evening and then clean grill.

Easy. I don't see the hassle.

BBQs are our favourite through the summer, well cook everything on it. Mostly DH but I can use it too. We have a coal2gas bbq so can switch fuels which is handy depending on what we're cooking, mostly use gas. It's always left out so no faff to get it out. There's so many things to make on them that we don't get bored.

YANBU - We've got a gas bbq somewhere and just can't be arsed with the faff. We take the raclette outside and just cook our own food on that if its a nice day.

I agree! however we just bought a ninja outdoor grill thing and OMG it’s a game changer.
Food cooks nice and quickly (we cooked burgers and sausages and they were ready in about half an hour from set up including pre heating the grill) it’s actually edible and not all charred on the outside and raw on the inside.
And the plate can be removed and given a wash in the sink.
We have used it 3/4 times in the last two weeks because it’s so hassle free compared to an actual bbq.

I’ve no interest in having one myself, I’d rather just use the air fryer.
I hate it when you are invited to one and you’re told not to bring anything and then the food is just awful.

I got persuaded to go to a friends as she told me she had ordered sausages/burgers from this great butchers shop. Then then proceeded to cook and serve really cheap s&b’s, which I cannot stand and I felt really sick. I don’t know if the expensive ones were meant to be a second course, they made a big show of getting them out and having them next to the bbq, then they just put them back in the fridge. But why would I want 2 burgers and 2 sausage buns anyway?

What you need is a gas bbq and a tiny garden. Our patio is so close to the house it’s probably closer than the kitchen table. So no more of a faff than dinner inside.

YANBU. Fucking hate them. Dh loves it tho, and ds. We had 2 last week ffs. I don't even like burgers. Tbf dh did get me a steak but I'd much rather have it with chips, med veg and pepper sauce.

Having one friday with friends. I'll do naice meze stuff and a couple of decent salads and just have a bit of shish.

BBQ is the only way to cook on holiday!

We camped a lot on our holidays and I invested in a Cadac BBQ. Such a difference.

The BBQ cooking is just part of the experience. A decent wine, BBQ smoking away, the aromas as you cook. That is just what makes a holiday for me.

A decent wine, BBQ smoking away, the aromas as you cook. That is just what makes a holiday for me.

What makes a holiday for me is someone else doing the cooking and clearing up!!

Always hated them. CBA. We had one in the early noughties for 2 or 3 years and it was more trouble than it was worth. Took about an hour and a half to get food ready that took 10 minutes to eat LOL. (Food that would have taken 20 minutes on the hob/in the oven.)

Nope , the ones I know use Webber Gas with added lava rocks/smoked wood chips. If it's good enough for a Saffer ,it's good enough for me 😂

We barbeque all the time! We have a large gas one so I just marinade chicken thighs, and the children have it with flatbread, cherry tomatoes etc. I make a quick potato salad too. Absolutely love it!

Right there in the kitchen, where all the heat generated for cooking your food will dissipate into the house in general. I try to avoid running the cooker as much as possible in summer, especially in the evening when I'm trying to vent heat from the house to make it possible to sleep. Would much rather eat a chicken that's been spatchcocked and barbecued and return to a reasonably cool house, than run my oven for two and a half hours doing a roast.

God, I love a bbq. One of the best things about summer!

We have a gas one so no clearing away of that, we cover the grills in foil but tend to just chuck them in the dishwasher anyway. My DH does the cooking and I bring everything else out, make a salad etc. It's so bloody easy!

All the sides can be done at once. Sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't. If the weather turned I found that I can always just make the meat indoors anyway.
I do the prep and dh does the bbq, while the dc are playing about and we all just having a merry time without alot of work. And we use disposable plates / trays so it's not alot of clean up too.

I have a gas Barbeque and use it regularly. Switch it on, put the meat on, cook it and switch it off. Did sausages and some chicken breasts tonight. Was a doddle

OMG thank you for this thread OP I honestly thought I must be an oddity because honestly as soon as the sun comes out lots and lots of my friends have tons of Bbqs so I'd always thought I must be doing it wrong and maybe I am but I'm glad I'm not the only one that doesn't look forward to having loads of them.

I find them a real faff and I'm not overly keen on food that's been done on the BBQ.

OH GOD! I feel seen. The menz stand outside drinking beer and playing with fire, while the women are rushing to and fro getting the plates and napkins and sides and salads and drinks and cutlery and condiments. Then at the end the menz take all the credit for the feast and for charcoaling a couple of burgers and a packet of sausages that could have been done under the grill in half the time with a quarter of the fuss.

We BBQ most weekends from May to September if we are at home.
Generally I think that most people who hate them arent doing them right

We have that one too. Feels like summer when that is brought out of the garage. And no faffing about with charcoal or gas - perfect!