View Full Version : Is a gas BBQ cheating?
Psymonkee
11-06-2009, 19:54
Right having a party/Rock Band night on Saturday and somewhat foolishly muttered the letters B, B & Q in quick succesion....so now I have to provided some sort of cooking facility :(
All I have available to me is a small-ish Gas BBQ :( Is this considered cheating?
I prefer playing with charcoal and setting fire to things personally so will probably run out and grab a big charcoal BBQ before hand
Any opinions?
I have a gas BBQ for convenience. Many will tell you that it's not the same as cooking over coals but I can't tell the difference. Cheating or not, the outcome is the same to me!
Cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
For manliness - coals rock. Especially a big coal BBQ like this one
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3450389/Trail/searchtext>BBQ.htm
Make sure you buy briquettes not lump charcoal though, they hold a better temperature and last longer, plus you can re-stock without the BBQ getting smoked out.
But if I lived somewhere nice enough where BBQing could be a common occurrence, I would go gas simply because it gets hot quicker and it's less faffing around :p
When I bbq, I partly cook chicken beforehand. Thats not cheating :) Nah, if you can get the flavour right (think firelighter and smoke flavour) then you have the essence of a BBQ.
Gas is lame, what's the point, just do it indoors and pass it out the window if you're going to do that.
Waste of time IMO, defeats the object.
Piggymon
11-06-2009, 20:15
It isn't cheating as such but it's not quite the same
What you want is one of these babies .. best of both worlds ;)
http://www.wowbbq.co.uk/products/Weber%20Barbecues/14/841004.html
Do a huge round trip to me, borrow my charcoal BBQ that's still never been used, and take me to the Rock Band goodness :D
No it's not cheating, it's a myth that the flavour comes from the charcoal. I've been to some of the biggest BBQ cook off's in the world and every single one of those multiple champions used gas bbq's.
I cook every single piece of meat on mine, all year round. I do my roasts on mine as well, roast potatoes and vege's. I do my xmas dinner leg of lamb on mine. Sometimes I flip the griddle over and do eggs bacon and mushrooms on mine :)
There is no sacrafice in flavour and it's easier to use gas to get a better standard of food. I'd rather serve perfectly cooked food than worry about any real flame snobbery.
I have a 3 burner outback which has done me proud for 6 years, I'm about to upgrade it to a 6 burner. I regularly do bbq's for 20-50 people and it would be far too much hassle on a charcoal BBQ.
I adore mine I can use it to BBQ or as an outside oven/grill.
That's the sort of thing I'm talking about. There really is no difference in the taste of the food, but you can certainly start cooking it a lot quicker when you have a lot of hungry people about. Also, it's really easy to get up on a hot morning, start it up and chuck a couple of eggs and some bacon on for a breakfast bap in the morning sun.
The two main arguments I hear against it are that it doesn't taste the same (which I've never believed) and that you might as well cook indoors and bring it outside, which defeats the purpose of the camaradarie of BBQing (plus my electric grill sucks).
SidewinderINC
11-06-2009, 21:11
I remember the gas one we used to have years ago had coals on it too, they seemed to make it taste better as they got older/more soaked with fat.
It is cheating for a "proper" bbq, but in terms of good food there's little in it. The smoke from a coal bbq does add a little something to the flavour and experience, but for convenience there's nothing wrong with a gas one. IT's easier to cook on it as you can control the temp, but that's part of the joy, knowledge and fun! :D
But without the flames, you don't BBQ tourettes man.
It is cheating for a "proper" bbq, but in terms of good food there's little in it. The smoke from a coal bbq does add a little something to the flavour and experience, but for convenience there's nothing wrong with a gas one. IT's easier to cook on it as you can control the temp, but that's part of the joy, knowledge and fun! :D
I get the same smoke from my lava rocks and lots of it. Last week I did a BBQ while my little fellas baby grows where on the line. I forgot to remove them and now it's great to cuddle the little guy as he smells of sausages ;)
If someone cooks for me I'm not fussed which one the food comes off as long as it's well prepared and cooked :)
Charcoal BBQ > Gas BBQ > No BBQ tbqfh :)
Can you cook marshmallows on a gas BBQ? :/ I don't think so... therefore they fail :p
BB x
i don't know anyone with a gas bbq, but i don't see the difference between that kinda gas and the gas cooker in the kitchen!
BBQs are about smoke, coal, and fire! not a gas flame.
Charcoal BBQ > Gas BBQ > No BBQ tbqfh :)
qft
Coal all the way! You get to play with fiiiiiire and and and you get the build up to it and excitement and the aromas are beaaaaaauutiful and yeh.
Gas is a big BOO HISS from me! Never I say, NEVER!!
I get the same smoke from my lava rocks and lots of it. Last week I did a BBQ while my little fellas baby grows where on the line. I forgot to remove them and now it's great to cuddle the little guy as he smells of sausages ;)
If someone cooks for me I'm not fussed which one the food comes off as long as it's well prepared and cooked :)
The thing is on real bbqs (bearing in mind I spent a lot of my life growin up in a place where they are a necessary part of life) you get the fat dripping onto the coals, which creates a nice smoke - now whether or not it does actually flavour the food is entirely subjective as I haven't bothered doing any scientific study on it. However there is just something about a coal bbq that tastes nicer. Don't get me wrong it could be entirely psychosomatic and entirely subjective but I still would rather prepare the coals, get them to a temperature that I like and cook on them. It takes more skill and as those who ahve come to Cyprus with me will testify I take it ratehr seriously! ;D
those who ahve come to Cyprus with me will testify I take it ratehr seriously! ;D
Blimey, I never knew you were such a master of under exaggeration.
I would say gas is cheating. I don't base that on anything scientific but I do believe that food cooked over charcoal tastes better.
:o
Come on you loved taking the piss out of me! And I fed you well! :p
Yes we did :D And yes, between you and Kate we were very, very well fed.
Kate = best cooking partner EVER! :D
Thing is, because so many people **** up a charcoal BBQ I often prefer gas. I do like the feel of a 'proper' BBQ but if I want good, well cooked food then its gas all the way.
You obviously haven't had a proper good real bbq then ;)
Gas BBQ with coals has achieved legendary status at Chez Loki
You obviously haven't had a proper good real bbq then ;)
Are you propositioning me?
Stan_Lite
12-06-2009, 12:35
Charcoal BBQ > Gas BBQ > No BBQ tbqfh :)
BB x
I agree with the lady.
There's something infinitely more enjoyable about cooking on a real BBQ and anyone who says they can't taste any difference has lost their sense of taste :p
Having said that, if a real BBQ is not available or not practical, then a gas BBQ is perfectly acceptable and much better than simply oven cooking.
Yes, its cheating :D but when its comes to catering for a large amount of people I'd use one as its hard to keep a charcoal one running for more than its first "cook" without the temp dropping away as the new coals come on.
I don't know about the taste, I think i'm with others.. its more to do with the fire on a Charcoal bbq.
yes. i don't see the point of a bbq without charcoal. it doesn't take long to get going 30minus or less before ready to cook.
Kate = best cooking partner EVER! :D
Oh why thank you *curtsey* :smug::x
You'd be my best bedroom partner too and you know it ;)
Pumpkinstew
12-06-2009, 16:26
There's nowt wrong with gas.
The blue flame only heats the pumice stones which re-radiate the heat up to the food. This is the same as cooking using the hot coals of a charcoal barbie.
I'd only ever cook steaks using a flame, everything else I'd do using hot coals with the occaisional little flame as the fat burns off.
I've had a think.
It takes a while to process things nowadays, so excuse the delay.
But.
My proper proper conclusion is that my definition of a BBQ is a dedicated period of time (normally an early evening event) whereby I get out the veg and meat and all sorts and spend time preparing kebabs and things generally in the sun, with friends and a drink in my hand. Picky manly handles the coals and fire and as it heats up we drink and chatter and enjoy the sun and have starter nibbles and what not.
THEN.
We put the fud on the BBQ and cook it over the next hour or so, constantly nomming food on and off the BBQ until the embers start dying out slightly and it's marshmellow roasting time.
To me... you canny do that so well with a gas BBQ thing. It's just an out door hob. If I wanted to stand over my stove indoors and cook I would but I don't, I want coaly goodness and the smell and aromas of rosemary I've chucked in the coals and sometimes a burning sausage which has dropped through the grill and is rendered irretrievable.
A BBQ is not supposed to be supremely "easy" work but it's "enjoyable" and sometimes "challenging". You have to get it right and if you don't it's charcoaled and good anyway.
You canny achieve that with a Gas BBQ... so to me... Gas fails!
BBQ = Charcoal. End of :)
But the best I've ever tasted by far is saussies, bacon and eggs cooked on a shovel in the firebox of a steam engine.
Wow.
That is all :cool:
Psymonkee
12-06-2009, 18:44
Then it is decided :D
BBQ to be purchased tomorrow, pics and stuff to follow :D
36 burgers so far....just a few more should do it :p
Thanks for the advices :)
Yes and I don't find cooking for 10+ people appealing.
Most I have cooked for was 8.
You might as well cook the meat in the oven and bang it on a BBQ for 4 mins for that authentic taste. I do this for Chicken thighs and legs.
I think it is cheating, but from my perspective who cares! (Okay, I know some people do). Personally though a decent gas one with loads of lava rocks is fine, you get something you've marinaded and pour that over and you get plenty of flames too. Plus there is a lid which helps when BBQ'ing in the pouring rain with a coat on.
For the real authenticate taste probably go with a 'real' one, but with the great British weather... ?
whereby I get out the veg and meat and all sorts and spend time preparing kebabs and things generally in the sun, with friends and a drink in my hand.
Somebody tell me I'm not the only who saw the INYOURENDO ;D
Psymonkee
13-06-2009, 10:54
I see it now :D
Suns trying to break through the clouds, I'm off to Argos :D
SidewinderINC
13-06-2009, 15:29
http://www.wickes.co.uk/BBQs/Oil-Drum-BBQ/invt/158596
We had a 'BBQ' last night. Pre-cooked meat warmed up on an outdoor grill (gas, I presume). That's just about as fake as it gets, and it tasted it.
Though, to be fair, they were catering for 50-100. :)
We put the fud on the BBQ and cook it over the next hour or so, constantly nomming food on and off the BBQ until the embers start dying out slightly and it's marshmellow roasting time.
To me... you canny do that so well with a gas BBQ thing. It's just an out door hob. If I wanted to stand over my stove indoors and cook I would but I don't, I want coaly goodness and the smell and aromas of rosemary I've chucked in the coals and sometimes a burning sausage which has dropped through the grill and is rendered irretrievable.
A BBQ is not supposed to be supremely "easy" work but it's "enjoyable" and sometimes "challenging". You have to get it right and if you don't it's charcoaled and good anyway.
You canny achieve that with a Gas BBQ... so to me... Gas fails!
I can do all of that on my gas bbq. I put herbs directly onto the lava rock which creates the same effect as putting it on the charcoal. I also have a smoker box which you can put woodchips and herbs in for flavoured smoke.
Again the coals don't add flavour it's just the fat smoking on it, the same as lava rock.
I can easily roast marshmellows on mine as well.
All the stuff mentioned in your post I can achieve, the preheating preperation while it heats up. The only bonus is the temperature of mine once heated is constant and not limited to the life of the coals.
Each to their own.
I couldn't disagree more, the coals do add something to flavour and style of cooking.
But as you say each to their own, agree to disagree etc... :)
I actually quite like sitting around a BBQ after having used it to cook food, with the embers slowly dying. I don't want to be able to switch it on, reach optimum temperature immediately, add some special ingredient to give it an authentic taste etc. It holds absolutely zero appeal to me. I like the roaring flames at the start, I like having to wait until it's ready for cooking, I like the feeling of being able to cook something with coal and fire. It's about the whole experience and I want a proper BBQ. To me that means coals and real fire.
But one of the main points of BBQing is that it's not a straight forward switch on switch off! It's dirty and things burn and fall through gaps and you laugh at the burned nommy stuff and stand proudly with the perfectly cooked fuds!
Then when you've finished you can sit in the evening around the coals as they burn out, all huddled together trying to get the last bit of warmth out of the bbq and despite it being freezing outside, all managing to stay out with blankeys and and all sorts.
COAL AND BBQ's FTW!
I might have to start up a national debate.
But one of the main points of BBQing is that it's not a straight forward switch on switch off! It's dirty and things burn and fall through gaps and you laugh at the burned nommy stuff and stand proudly with the perfectly cooked fuds!
Then when you've finished you can sit in the evening around the coals as they burn out, all huddled together trying to get the last bit of warmth out of the bbq and despite it being freezing outside, all managing to stay out with blankeys and and all sorts.
COAL AND BBQ's FTW!
I might have to start up a national debate.I like you :D
Furthermore, you can't get disposable gas BBQs for emergencies when you NEED a BBQ on the hop. You can't (AFAIK) get gas BBQs which easily pack down into a flat package for taking camping. \o/
As you guys are saying, BBQ's are about the whole atmosphere and some of that is created by things going wrong, food being burnt, the chef setting things on fire and more. At least that's how my BBQ's go anyway :D And that for me is part of the fun.
I actually quite like sitting around a BBQ after having used it to cook food, with the embers slowly dying. I don't want to be able to switch it on, reach optimum temperature immediately, add some special ingredient to give it an authentic taste etc. It holds absolutely zero appeal to me. I like the roaring flames at the start, I like having to wait until it's ready for cooking, I like the feeling of being able to cook something with coal and fire. It's about the whole experience and I want a proper BBQ. To me that means coals and real fire.
I love you.
But one of the main points of BBQing is that it's not a straight forward switch on switch off! It's dirty and things burn and fall through gaps and you laugh at the burned nommy stuff and stand proudly with the perfectly cooked fuds!
Then when you've finished you can sit in the evening around the coals as they burn out, all huddled together trying to get the last bit of warmth out of the bbq and despite it being freezing outside, all managing to stay out with blankeys and and all sorts.
COAL AND BBQ's FTW!
I might have to start up a national debate.
I love you too.
As you guys are saying, BBQ's are about the whole atmosphere and some of that is created by things going wrong, food being burnt, the chef setting things on fire and more. At least that's how my BBQ's go anyway :D And that for me is part of the fun.
I love you the most.
Psymonkee
14-06-2009, 11:26
I love all the charcoal lovers <3
Sadly no pics pre nommage but taking a little over 5 kilos of charcoal, half a bottle of lighter fluid (from distance while lit, THE DANGER :D) and over an hour to get usable whilst we stood around chatting rubbish and drinking - this was a real BBQ! :D
A sausage even fell down into the coals, was recovered by a brave soul and then fed to the late comer unsuspectingly whilst everyone grinned like idiots :D
Kept going from like 6.30 -> 2am as well - marshmallows GALORE :D
Pics of post BBQ madness to follow though :D
I actually quite like sitting around a BBQ after having used it to cook food, with the embers slowly dying. I don't want to be able to switch it on, reach optimum temperature immediately, add some special ingredient to give it an authentic taste etc. It holds absolutely zero appeal to me. I like the roaring flames at the start, I like having to wait until it's ready for cooking, I like the feeling of being able to cook something with coal and fire. It's about the whole experience and I want a proper BBQ. To me that means coals and real fire.
A gas BBQ doesn't get to temp instantly thats another myth. You have to leave it for everything to get to a constant temp as well.
You don't need to add any ingredient to get as you call it an authentic taste because as has been proved there is no authentic taste from charcoal.
As I said I went to the world rib cook off championships in America, hundreds of the best rib chefs in the world and they all used a gas bbq because they know the flavour doesn't come from the charcoal. People also seem to think that the burnt food flavour is something that comes from charcoal.
This is an argument I have often with my brother in law, almost as often as which one of us makes the best yorkie puds ;D
NokkonWud
14-06-2009, 16:18
We got a BBQ for £85 from B&Q yesterday and it's brilliant. Had a cracking BBQ yesterday with it.
Best BBQ i've had recently was on the beach with an upturned basket from the nearest supermarket and a bag of coals underneath.
That's what I love about BBQs - the 'anywhere' nature. You can't take a gas unit down the beach, or to the local park and stuff like that. Half the fun is when the coals won't catch and so you douse it in lighter fluid and nearly burn off your eyebrows. The randomness, the excitement, sometimes the challenge. It's just great fun making it work and being able to laugh at other people if they can't. Such as last summer, group of my mates on the common and a couple of people we didn't really know - this guy giving it the big 'I am' about how good he was, whilst we all relaxed with a beer and laughed at him repeatedly failing to start a fire :S=D
Gas just cannot compare on the fun factor at all - it's too easy. Turn it on, wait a bit, cook the food, turn it off. Great if you're treating it like a catering facility but that's not what a barbecue is to me, nowhere near.
In that case I think either the argument is moot, or someone needs to expand on 'cheating'.
If you want a nice drawn out evening with the camaradarie, huddling round the fire, toasting marshmallows etc. then that's not what a gas BBQ is for... so using one isn't cheating it's just completely inappropriate.
If, like I often do, you want to invite everyone round for some food cooked outdoors in the sunshine then head off somewhere else (like I did when some of us went on the Real Ale Train last summer) then you can't beat getting everyone fed in 30 minutes.
I wouldn't call feeding everyone in half an hour and then leaving 'a bbq' at all though, to me a bbq is an event in itself, not just cooking/eating the other side of a wall to where you usually do.
A gas BBQ is not a BBQ, it's just an outdoor grill and cannot be called a BBQ. A BBQ needs to have coal, fire and preparation to turn it INTO a BBQ. I still think it does affect the flavour - but I have a very good palette for such things.
However some people can't tell the difference between 2 red wines, so it's always going to be subjective isn't it?
However as has been stated it's far more social doing a proper bbq, than just cooking on a gas grill outside.
I agree with Belmit, it's a moot point, it's not cheating, gas is just an outdoor grill and not a bbq so it's completely irrelevant to the question being asked.
like I did when some of us went on the Real Ale Train last summer.
Can we do that again please, please can we do that again please?
The problem is semantic then. Manufacturers call them Gas BBQs, and if you invite people round you say 'come round for a BBQ' not 'come round for some food cooked outdoors on an open grill'. It's just terminology and, in this case, the question 'Is a gas BBQ cheating?' (whilst grammatically confusing :p) is almost purposefully designed to create argument.
Can we do that again please, please can we do that again please?
We must!
I agree. Arguments are fun though! :D
We must!
When we do, will we have a BBQ? ;)
I just don't know any more. ;D
However as has been stated it's far more social doing a proper bbq, than just cooking on a gas grill outside..
How is it more social? I don't get that part at all. As I say I regularly do them for my friends and family and have 30-50 people. Having it on gas is not less sociable.
Its still an event that lasts all day and night. The BBQ is never turned off. I also hire a bouncy castle for the 'kids'.
I understand some people want to play with fire, but I don't see how it can be more sociable to do so.
Well everyone mucks in, you have plenty of time in the mean time whilst the coals are burning to wait for them to cool down before you cook, to sit down have a beer, help prepare the rest of the food, muck around, then 30 mins later the fire is ready to cook on etc...
Don't get me wrong with an outdoor grill it's similar no doubt, but there's not as much preparation and it's just "good to go" - where's the fun in that? You're supposed to drag it out as long as possible! :D
Maybe it's just my Mediterranean blood - can't help it. ;)
TBH I have my 'outdoor grill' BBQs in exactly the same manner as you have described. Literally no different. I'm still preparing food throughout and having a beer as guests arrive. Actually I lie my mrs prepares everything thats not meat or going on the meat while I socialise.
Although I'm pretty organised though and all my homemade dips, sauces and marinades/rubs and even the burgers have to be prepared the night before. It would too long to make 50 odd homemade burgers on the fly.
Each to their own. :) I choose the traditional way, you choose the efficient way. :)
Stan_Lite
16-06-2009, 07:02
Each to their own. :) I choose the traditional way, you choose the efficient way. :)
I think that's the crux of the argument for me. Some of us enjoy the traditional aspect of the BBQ experience i.e. burning something solid and using it to cook food.
When I was younger, I used to love making small bonfires to cook freshly caught trout whilst camping (finding firewood in Shetland is not an easy task but it was all part of the experience - foraging for stuff). I found the whole experience hugely satisfying. I don't know if the food really tasted much better (although I defy anyone to deny that wild trout cooked seconds after it was taken from the water isn't one of the most delicious things in the world) but it seemed to taste better because the whole experience was so enjoyable. My point is, it probably wasn't the fire itself that made the trout taste better, it was the whole process which made it taste better.
For me, catching and preparing one's own food and cooking it on a fire made from wood one has gathered is the most enjoyable experience. Next comes the "traditional" BBQ with the coals and stuff all bought from a shop and finally, the gas grill thing where one turns a knob and presses a button to start the thing and then cooks.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of modern technology and labour saving devices but part of me feels that we sometimes make life too easy for ourselves and we sometimes miss out on pleasurable experiences by insisting on taking the simplest and cleanest option.
At the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference. Some of us like to get dirty and do things the hard way, some of us prefer to stay clean and do things efficiently - different strokes etc.
I think there's actually only one way to solve this.
BBQ meet with a proper BBQ and a Gas BBQ and blindfolds.
(Well... this will resolve the whole does-it-taste-the-same-or-as-good issue because I have my doubts Gas BBQs taste the same)
This situation needs to be resolved :p
BBQ and blindfolds? That sounds dangerous! :p
Although I voted for the traditional version, I'm sure I'd be very happy with the results from either, but then I wouldn't be the one doing the cooking. ;D
TBH I have my 'outdoor grill' BBQs in exactly the same manner as you have described. Literally no different. I'm still preparing food throughout and having a beer as guests arrive. Actually I lie my mrs prepares everything thats not meat or going on the meat while I socialise.
Although I'm pretty organised though and all my homemade dips, sauces and marinades/rubs and even the burgers have to be prepared the night before. It would too long to make 50 odd homemade burgers on the fly.
Calling a gas BBQ an "outdoor grill" is disingenuous anyway like you've said you don't cook directly on the gas. Charcoal radiating heat/lava rocks radiating heat, it makes no difference to how the food tastes in the slightest. It's just as smoky and I still get plenty of flames from the fat burning itself if I'm not careful.
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