Bbq gas or charcoal ???

[Kernow_Stalker]

Gas is just an outdoor cooker. They have their place for sure

But you can't beat charcoal for authentic flavour.

That being said, if a traditional British bbq of cremated burgers, and black sausages that are still raw inside is what's required. Doesn't matter which you go for

 

[Jamouk]

Just firing it up for the first time but it somehow lacks heart

 

[Morkai]

Just firing it up for the first time but it somehow lacks heart

Try the foil takeaway contrainer trick, it's not bad.

 

[Lateral]

At home, it's charcoal, is my preference, because it is THE traditional BBQ. However, at one stage some friends, and I were doing a lot of Green-laning, and camping weekends, and I bought a Weber Q1000 gas BBq.

Very quick to use, and clean, and when finished, throw it in the back of the truck.

 

[User00056]

Wood mark 4 works for me.

Yep. I prefer wood too. Bit of an art, and the temperatures can fluctuate a bit, but for flavour you just can't beat it. Ash, beech, oak, or any fruit wood works great

 

[teflon]

There's charcoal and then there's charcoal.

Lumpwood Charcoal | Products | Big K

Big K Lumpwood Charcoal is the perfect choice for the casual home BBQer. It's versatile, yet consistent and dependable, so you can experiment risk-free.

bigkproducts.co.uk

 

[eldon]

A mate and I discussed this at some length over a few beers back in the 90's....

Are we cooking food or "having an occasion"?

Gas cooks food with convenience.

Charcoal creates delay, allows chat, a few beers, socialising, and eventually food with better flavour.

Take your pick?

 

[eldon]

And what's all this buying charcoal about?
Proper Yorkshireman see

Take some chosen wood off the log pile and light a half hour earlier, job done.

 

[sy247]

I buy restaurant grade bagged charcoal, it has fist sized lumps, they go well.

Me too

 

[HonestJohn]

A mate and I discussed this at some length over a few beers back in the 90's....

Are we cooking food or "having an occasion"?

Gas cooks food with convenience.

Charcoal creates delay, allows chat, a few beers, socialising, and eventually food with better flavour.

Take your pick?

That’s it- if it’s because the family want to have a quick outdoor meal with some sausages etc and the kids reject anything remotely scorched, or you are entertaining friends etc and want to be there to chat and engage etc, gas is the way. It tastes fine, but you’re just ‘cooking outdoors’.

If you want to ‘enjoy’ the experience of BBQ’ing, it’s charcoal or wood all the way. But you need beer, good friends and a wife who will accept you manning the BBQ for an hour and that’s all you do. ..maybe that’s the attraction

 

[Morkai]

You aint getting a bark like this on a brisket or shoulder with gas.

Charcoal and wood all the way, even for grilling.








And if you haven't smoked a mac & cheese, try it.

 

[phillc]

The infinite control of gas for me.

And all this talk of cleaning? Who cleans their BBQ? A quick scrape with a wire brush to remove any dried chunks, then heat the plate/grill to kill anything unwanted. Job’s a good ‘un.

I’m on my second summer with the current gas BBQ and not cleaned it once. It’s been well used and I’m not dead yet.

Having said that, I was cooking on it yesterday and thought that I probably should at least empty the fat drip tray soon.

 

[kingstonandy]

Horses for courses. I use charcoal for low-n-slow cooking, I use a gas BBQ for cooking in volume at food fairs and markets and I use this British made fire bowl for quick cook grilling over hardwood logs at home.

 

[75]

I use gas, but with Penroc lava rocks between the burners and the grill. Food cooked in it tastes identical to a charcoal BBQ, but with none of the mess.

I thought everyone had moved away from lava rocks as they absorb loads of fat and juice and are hard to clean. So next time you barbie you get the smokey flavours from whatever you cooked a week / month / year ago... And it being gas, you can't get it hot enough to properly burn off the residue and clean you rocks. So to speak.

 

[Andrewslater]

Having had a kamado grill for a fair number of years now im seriously thinking of moving to something a bit easier. Been looking recently at the big traeger grills.

 

[Tom270]

Big cast iron plate with handles smooth one side ribbed the other on big area burner. Went over to this after charcoal and gas bbqs , heats up fast cools down fast , easy to move plate somewhere safe after use easily cleanable all features that were important with young children caravaning ,

 

[wilbert]

Gas for simplicity and charcoal for flavour.

 

[Tugmanade]

Charcoal all the way, I have a Weber Summit Kamado which I can have ready for cooking in 30 minutes but can also set it to go all night if need be, very versatile, I also use a Oklahoma Joe offset but must admit it’s very labour/time consuming, ok if you have a good few hours to sit and watch the world go buy while feeding it wood. I reckon I use the Weber at least 3 / 4 times a week to cook on. I keep looking at the gas griddles though, really fancy one & reckon it would get well used, anyone else using one ?.

Ade

 

[MarinePMI]

Does the UK not have Pit Barrels yet? I'd think they'd be perfect for the UK folks looking to smoke meat...

 

[Hod]

A mate and I discussed this at some length over a few beers back in the 90's....

Are we cooking food or "having an occasion"?

Gas cooks food with convenience.

Charcoal creates delay, allows chat, a few beers, socialising, and eventually food with better flavour.

Take your pick?

Had a gas bbq. Didn’t use it much, only when it was an occasion. On that basis, got rid and went charcoal. And +1 for Big K charcoal as mentioned above.