Why are we so bad at BBQ'S in this country?

[unicorn]

I know we don't get much practice... lack of sunny weather etc... but....

There is no any excuse to dish out tasteless meat burgers, and grain (sorry) veggiburgers, with no salad, no onions, no relish, and charge 2 pound a head.

Ozzie friends at today's function were disgusted at todays attempt.

So, why are we so bad? and, how, (suzywong et al) can we do it like you lot?!

I do a damn good bbq i go all out, with steaks, home made burgers onions homemade bbq sauce and relsih and salad, the works!!!!! but i have NZ blood in me and im a big show off! [grin

We've had one tonight with eveything imaginable.

We had chicken kebabs-marinated in a garlicy, lemon sauce
Burgers, every variation of sausage, lime and coriander chicken, minted lamb chops and kebabs.
With... tons of salad, jamie oliver new potatoes, fruit galore and for desert apple pie and strawberries with cream

I thought we did a damn good job!

I know what you mean unicorn i have been to some where its basic burgers/sussages in a bun with possibly chicken legs if feeling adventurous - very very sad

Our local butcher will marinate the chicken and meat especially although we sometimes do our own like Nbg depending on the circumstances.
Some Tahina with the lamb goes down well too, we serve that with lots of warm pitta bread...
Oh...i'm hungry now!

I do a leg of lamb on the bbq, butterflied and stuffed with a paste of parma ham, anchovy, parsley and garlic, new potato salad with dijon mustard, green salad and garlic bread. with bbqd asparagus and veggies to start. scrum

It is different though when you're catering for loads of people - unicorn didn't say how many were at her function but it is hard!

DH used to run our school barbecue, the butcher who provided the burgers and sausages used to lend oil-drum barbecues and if it was a nice evening there could be 300-400 there, queueing for up to 30 mins - kebabs and butterflied lamb joints not really an option

(They did used to have vats of lettuce and some fried onion though.)

speak for yourself. we do fantastic BBQ's. Dh is a chef and so has some scrummy ideas.

Who is talking about home bbqs and who is talking about big public functions here?

soory I am talking about home ones. I agree that larger ones are really pants.

As an Australian that has been in the UK for 10yrs and has experienced many Brit BBQ's that involve burnt to a crisp chicken that is raw on the inside and steak cooked so much that it resembles leather, mainly because the cook thinks that you need to get the fire as hot as possible and then chuck the meat on, turn it 10 times while trying not to get 3rd degree burns. A BBQ is supposed to be relaxing so cook slowly on a low heat and second rule of Aussie BBQ is to cook double what you think that you're going to need, catering for just enough just isn't the way it's done back home. We do loads of salads (coleslaw, green, potato and pasta) and then an Aussie BBQ wouldn't be an Aussie BBQ without a pavlova.

I remember a british friend telling me that his local garden centre was holding BBQ'ing lessons (run by a Kiwi), PMSL but figured at least someone was taking the bull by the horns and trying to train these men on how not to poison there families with raw chicken or set himseld on fire

i went to a Kiwi's bbq last weekend and it was FAB - loads of salad, beef and pork cooked for AGES until it just fell apart - very good

I think it is down to the weather = lack of practice though.

We lived in the US for 4 years - before we went we'd never barbecued (mind you this was 1979-1983 so neither had anybody else) but DH learnt from neighbours while we were there and got used to cooking big chunks of meat, which are cut and marketed for grilling there (eg London Broil). When we came back he started doing it here too but the hardware was difficult to come by, never mind the right cuts of meat...

20 years on there is so much more choice, and with another 20 years of global-warming summers I bet we'll all be up to Aussie standards

(Agree that here in UK we simply do not have the gene. My uncle (AKA 'drunkle', after his behaviour at our wedding) is currently in the burns unit of his local hospital after a BBQing incident with his 'sausage smoker'

Tried to stifle giggles when my aunt told me the news over the phone)

I do hope his smoked sausage isn't too painful, bp.

i cant complain, my dh does a fab bbq, we bbq virtually everynight of the summer, we have salmon in marinade wrapped in foil, cooked slowly, dh makes his own kebabs.

my dh has been know to bbq in the rain undera brolley lol

See told you it's all in the slowness of it. Also must confess that Aussie/Kiwi BBQ's usually involve just a little teeny bit of beer and wine and what usually happens is the the cook lights to BBQ, grabs a beer and starts chatting to his mates. Then grabs another beer and keeps chatting to his mates and before you know it 2 hours have passed, the guests have eaten all of the crisps and starting to get just a bit pissed from beer/wine and lack of food and the cook suddenly thinks OMG I'm supposed to be cooking and hey presto the BBQ is just at the right temp.

BTW can I just say that the best Brit contribution to BBQ's is Pimms, we love it and those that are returning home have started to introduce it back there as up until a few years ago it wasn't widely drunk at BBQ's.

hope your uncle is ok bakedpotatoe...i too am desperately trying to stifle giggles at the sausage smoker reference..seriously though, hope hes ok.

lol, mumsrcool, thats what my dh does settles himself down on a deckchair with a beer, then starts cooking..eventually when we all complain!

Spacecadet, your DH should be given Aust honorary citizenship for BBQ'ing under a brolly in face of rain adversity

We have had Bonfire Night and Boxing Day bbq's under a tarp!

(Well when I say "we"...luckily DH loves rain )

We have a cooker inside and everything

Can never be arsed with a barbecue. God, I'm miserable!

But hunker, it means the men do most of the work!

Well, no, not work, because the women usually end up doing all the extras while they swig beer and prattle, but YKWIM.