What BBQ?

[Joust]

Which does this?

My first one was a cheap little box bbq like this

You could have the grill as in the photo, or vertically with a wall of charcoal trapped behind it and then a chicken on a skewer that rotated in front of it.
Something like this

and a £5 battery powered rotating skewer like this dude

It made such tasty chicken.

You'd just setting away and have a few beers and then you'd have a perfect crispy chicken

 

[uDicko]

What's 'best' depends on lots of things these include:

-Do you want to grill, smoke or both?
-How many people you will be cooking for?
-Your budget
-Do you have time for charcoal?

Grill (hadn't considered the smoke)
Between 5 to 10adults in a sitting
Undefined. I'm thinking 4-500 is healthy budget?
No time for charcoal

 

[MikeB.]

I’m a big fan of the Weber kettles, as most have mentioned they’re pricy but built to last. Mines coming up for 6 years old and still looks as good as when I bought it

 

[Villan]

Holy moly! You got a large family??

That was for my son’s 18th a few years ago! It can feed a few people. I’ve not shared my smoker yet!!

 

[Villan]

View attachment 44318
Archway BBQ, Got one myself, love it, based on a Cypriot bbq.
I've also got 2 different Webers, a wood fired oven and a hot smoker, they all get used regularly, but my favourite is the Archway.
We use the smokey Joe Weber the most, it's a tiny Weber that's great for the 2 of us, I just put the lid on when finished and the fire goes out saving the charcoal for the next time.
But did I mention I love my Archway.

That’s the one! I’m of Cypriot descent so by law we have to have one of these

 

[Villan]

I have both a gas bbq (B&N) and a offset smoker (Aldi £60). At some point I'd like to upgrade and my money will be going the offset smoker direction. It is so much fun building a little fire in the firebox, it feels like a totally different experience to the kitchen.

My daughter keeping it topped up.

View attachment 44320

An offset smoker for £60? That’s a serious bargain.

 

[hughjamton]

That’s the one! I’m of Cypriot descent so by law we have to have one of these

You'll know what cooking here then?

 

[Cestrian]

I’m a big fan of the Weber kettles, as most have mentioned they’re pricy but built to last. Mines coming up for 6 years old and still looks as good as when I bought it

I had a gas BBQ. charcoal is just so much more fun. Man make fire! Ugg! Something primeval!

The Weber kettles look great! Might get me one of those!

how do they compare to the Aldi kamado?

 

[Cestrian]

View attachment 44364
You'll know what cooking here then?

We went to stay with a friend in Cyprus in the early 80s. He was married to a Cypriot girl. We went to a christening up in the hills north of Akrotiri, which went on all day. The old guys outside the church were setting up a BBQ like this and I asked my Dad “where’s the meat to go on the BBQ Dad?”
A truck pulled up the dusty track and 4 live goats got off the back.
That was quite a shock for 10 year old me! But the food was amazing and it gave me a good appreciation of where meat comes from!

 

[Oneflewover]

I love cooking outdoors, but didn't do enough of it last year. I've got a huge homemade (not by me) drum BBQ that I only use when we have lots of people over, a couple of cheap grills that I use for kebabs and slouvaki, and a Weber mastertouch that is my go-to. It's all been said above about the Weber.

Also just bought an Ooni pizza oven, but yet to use it. The original plan was to build a wood fired oven, but I've resigned myself to the fact that it won't happen this year because I've started building a summerhouse that is going to take up most of my free time

 

[VW911]

If it ain't charcoal, it ain't a barbeque...

 

[Alastair70]

My kids tell me they are going to get ‘Food tastes better when it’s cooked outdoors‘ put on my headstone.
Another vote for 57” Weber kettle. You pay more for the enamel finish on the bowl, but that essentially makes it indestructible. Mine is approaching 15 years old and every few years gets a major clean up and ends up looking almost like new again. The range of both Weber and third party accessories is excellent. A chimney starter will get lump wood charcoal up to temp as quickly as gas.
If you’re willing to invest a bit more check out the various kamado grills. I picked up a new Monolith Classic 5 or 6 years ago for less than a grand. It get used all year round, is an awesome BBQ when you take out the heat deflectors, but excels at low ‘n’ slow and smoking.
Here’s both in action at the same time last spring. (The lawn has been cut since then).

 

[Clint]

Even though my weekly required BBQ needs to be gas as I need the burner I'm thinking I should also get the Weber kettle for those days when I have the time to set fire to things...

 

[Alastair70]

Even though my weekly required BBQ needs to be gas as I need the burner I'm thinking I should also get the Weber kettle for those days when I have the time to set fire to things...

You’d struggle to cook a curry on one, but you can’t beat it for steaks and burgers. You‘ll be amazed how quickly a chimney starter and a wood wool fire lighter will get some lumpwood burning. It’s as quick as gas from ignition to cooking. Also, charcoal is similar to yeast, with different flavours being added from different base woods. I use a lot of this stuff. The hornbeam is my favourite.

 

[chrisbjones202]

Even though my weekly required BBQ needs to be gas as I need the burner I'm thinking I should also get the Weber kettle for those days when I have the time to set fire to things...

That's my plan Clint, I do enjoy cooking over good charcoal which i do on holiday but also the flexibility of gas as suits. Seen a few Weber around second hand on eBay

 

[Nicks90]

As we have built and outdoor kitchen, one of the things we struggled with was finding decent bbqs that didn't have integrated freestanding frames. We wanted 'table top' and it wasn't easy finding something decent in both gas a charcoal format

Ended up with a nexgrill 2 - full size bbq but on little stubby 6" legs. Really good gas bbq with an accurate temp gauge. Also goes hot enough to have a wood chip tray for smoking.
We then also bought a mini smoker charcoal bbq. Works great as an indirect hot smoker for smaller joints (up to 1kg) or as a regular charcoal bbq
We also have a pizza oven, which also doubles up as a super fast mega high temp steak oven.

 

[damienair]

I had a cheap Aldi or LiDL charcoal kettle BBQ for a few years and it did a fine job. Last year I was visiting my Sister and noticed that they had a brand new Weber Kettle BBQ with a thermometer on the lid. I asked where their old Weber BBQ was and my sister had it sitting around the side of their house ready for the skip. So I rescued it and brought it home. I cleaned it up and left it in my garage. I used it this evening for the first time. It’s really great, huge difference between it and my old BBQ which I donated to a neighbour. I used a charcoal chimney to start it and the temperature was fantastic. Huge improvement. Looking forward to doing more adventurous cooking on it over the summer. It’s about 8 years old and had sat outside for all that time. I’m keeping it in my garage. Free too, great bargain.

 

[Alastair70]

This is my other Weber. A Smokey Joe, just BBQ‘ed on Castlerock beach washed down with half a dozen Gamma Rays. Happy Easter!

 

[Alastair70]

I used a charcoal chimney to start it and the temperature was fantastic. Huge improvement.

Chimney starters are amazing. The one in the photo got some supermarket briquettes up to temp in under half an hour and I got 2 hours cooking out of it. I forgot I’d burned through a whole bag of Heat Beads last summer and had to go with what I could get locally. The heat beads would have burned cleaner, hotter and for longer. The Smokey Joe could have then become a fire pit and I’d still be on the beech.

 

[Wilfy]

You’d struggle to cook a curry on one, but you can’t beat it for steaks and burgers. You‘ll be amazed how quickly a chimney starter and a wood wool fire lighter will get some lumpwood burning. It’s as quick as gas from ignition to cooking. Also, charcoal is similar to yeast, with different flavours being added from different base woods. I use a lot of this stuff. The hornbeam is my favourite.

It’s not as quick though is it? My gas bbq gets up to 250C in five minutes with all burners on and the lid down.