Wherever you've been blessed with living in this vast country must be magical because that is not a barbeque around here, perhaps the American barbeque as I know it is just a sad and depressing Washington barbeque. The "barbeque" as I have known and experienced (from here on referred to as a BBQ to differentiate it from what you're talking about) is not such an awesome festival of food. As far as I have known a BBQ: -A grill may be called a BBQ. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say you were getting out the BBQ for the weekend, or that you'd just bought a new BBQ. -Food for a BBQ is chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts, ribs, grilled veg, sometimes steaks, potato salad, potato chips, etc. -There is no strict method of preparation for this food. You might marinade it, you might slap BBQ sauce on it right before grilling, or you might just put meat on the grill. All of these foods have been BBQ'd. Some people do go to the lengths you describe, they are BBQing just the same. -The only requirement for an event to be called a BBQ is food being grilled outdoors, and more than one person being present. -Tacky napkins and paper plates with stars and stripes optional. I could buy a couple packs of hot dogs, buns, and pre-formed hamburger patties and invite people over to a BBQ. You can see why this might bring about some hate for "BBQs"!
You are not alone. And those descriptions of what a BBQ is supposed to be did not really help to cure the hunger I think everyone has their own tradition related to to the word and therefore uses it for their 'cooking meat on fire' event.
Pap and Sous is one of the best "veg" to have with a proper Braai. It's rustic, hearty, simple and tasty... all the things that a Braai should be.
Top tips: 1) halloumi cheese in burger. Has to be freshly done though, after about 1 minute of cooling it doesn't taste as good. 2) Always make your own burgers and add herbs. Jamie Oliver has an excellent recipe out there. 3) Also get yourself one of these if you're cooking more than about 4 burgers. They're amazing because you can quickly make 10+ burgers the same size so you can cook them evenly really quickly. I did 24 burgers the other day from it. And because you have little grease proof disks for them you can store/freeze your burgers for another time. 4) Chicken always needs to be skin on. 5) Hot plates are amazingly versatile. 6) Banana - cut down the side, stuff with marsbar/morobar/general chocolate tot of rum, put back on bbq (not too hot). Cook until black on the underside, scoop out insides with spoon and eat. Real tasty bbq dessert.
Never been a fan of gas. Coals all the way for me. I've cooked for ten people using a £15 aluminium bbq I got two years ago. Doing the usual pyramid stack of coals and a couple of firelighters it's usually ready to cook in 15mins, during which time you can prepare food. Can't see me ever going gas tbh. Every time I've been to a 'gas' bbq party, they run out of gas and it's cooked in the oven!
I do love and prefer a good coal bbq. But having cooked everyday on a gas BBQ you can be sold on it. I would personally have both for a good bbq party. What do you tend to cook?
reading this thread makes me want to buy one of these http://www.toolbox.co.uk/landmann-1...gleBase&utm_medium=GB&utm_campaign=GoogleBase at the moment I use my gas bbq to slow cook / smoke pork butt and brisket. I just put soaked wood chips into a foil pocket with a few holes in on the lava rocks with the burner on underneath on low on the left side of the BBQ and the meat on a rack with a drip tray on the right close the lid and watch the read out on my meat themoeter untill it's cooked about 6-8 hours later.
You guys making me drool..not been to a barby this year so far. Going to one Sunday but the weather goblins are going to make it rain! NOOOoooooooo! suppose it wouldn't be a bank holiday weekend without rain...sigh
OMG!!! Now im hungry! Decided to buy a charcoal BBQ to go with my gas one as I want a little more flexibility when I am cooking, especially bigger bits of meat. Will be breaking it out in a couple of weeks for my first "big event" of the summer!
Am in a flat with no garden. There is a communal roof garden, but there's something about the serenity of your own garden with friends.
^ I thought that when I saw it had been revived... I WANT TO BARBECUE SO MUCH..... I genuinely got excited when I saw this yesterday *prays real good*
