Is a gas BBQ cheating?

[Desmo]

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 And that for me is part of the fun.

[Will]

Originally Posted by lostkat

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.

Originally Posted by Pheebs

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.

Originally Posted by Desmo

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 And that for me is part of the fun.

I love you the most.

[Psymonkee]

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 ) and over an hour to get usable whilst we stood around chatting rubbish and drinking - this was a real BBQ!

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

Kept going from like 6.30 -> 2am as well - marshmallows GALORE

Pics of post BBQ madness to follow though

[Danny]

Originally Posted by lostkat

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

[NokkonWud]

We got a BBQ for £85 from B&Q yesterday and it's brilliant. Had a cracking BBQ yesterday with it.

[divine]

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.

[Belmit]

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.

[divine]

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.

[Will]

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.

[Feek]

Originally Posted by Belmit

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?