I have never understood why people spend many thousands on a decent kitchen then delight in eating food badly cooked over some kind of fire, cos it's so much better outside somehow
It's cultural. Ask xen, he knows.
So you guys don't have grills and have cook outs? Food cooked on a grill tastes great! And that's the only point you need to have one.
Yes, we do. In fact, we had one in the mountains only yesterday. And therein lies the point: we build the fire with wood, although briquettes are a suitable alternative if you're BBQing at home.
If I want to cook with gas, I'll go into the kitchen.
Ah, I see what you're saying. And I agree, charcoal is much better. We still use that from time to time but usually it's just the gas grill because it saves so much time.
I am slowly being converted to the idea of a gas-fired bbq in addition to a charcoal one.
They're not the same as simply using the grill in the kitchen, they often have treated wood or whatever to impart a bit more flavour. And cooking the meats outside means that even if you're eating in, the fats and smoke and whatnot is not being deposited all over the inside of the kitchen. And when the coal runs out you can still use the gas grill. Unless you run out of gas.
Not sure what joncooper's complaint is, seems to me that bbqing badly is easy to do but so is cooking badly indoors!
bbq is almost always done badly, and almost always done within 100ft of a perfectly good kitchen
Barbeques allow /everyone/ to be outside socialising, instead of one or two cooks being confined to the kitchen for large blocks of time.
They also work when out camping, where your "kitchen" is a small calor gas stove and a cool bag, and you don't have oven/grill facilities.
Exactly, BBQs are more of a social thing. From my experience and BBQs that I've been at, it's been a case of people often cooking their own food (people bringing their own beer and meat) when they want it and how long they want. With a gas BBQ it makes it much easier to just be at cooking temperature whenever you want. Also makes it easier to turn the BBQ on later in the evening if people get hungry again.
I like the idea of cook your own food. (Even though I've not got a clue myself, sowould need help - but that's actuallly a good thing).
Also, the main reason some/most people confine barbeques to their garden is lack of imagination - generally, I suspect there's no reason they can't go to a local park or similar.
My brother and his friends will often all go down to the beach for one - I suspect mainly because they all still live with parents and both can't have a bunch of friends invade and want to get out of the house themselves.
Although they probably also waste money on the disposable supermarket things, rather than having a decent barbeque.
People tend to make barbecues meat-fests, but I think many vegetables benefit hugely from chargrilling - corn-on-the-cob, skewers of cherry tomatoes, onions or shallots, mushrooms, chunks of courgette & cloves of garlic. Stuffed baked spuds can be finished off in foil. And there's no risk of food poisoning.
Council-run parks tend not to allow BBQ, but the principle is true enough.
you're going to the wrong barbecues for point 1, and for point 2 see my previous post to truffy plus the social point others have made.
Ooh yes, Halloumi good. Halloumi with chilli.
At this point I feel I should mention Australia (especially Brisbane/Queensland) where there are public electric barbeques in all the seaside parks. They're only electric - I assume because Australia has a few issues with open fires - but someone from the local council goes round and cleans them every morning. Brilliant idea.
wow! I didn't see any of those in WA. What a great idea!
I agree that a gas BBQ is not the same as a kitchen gas grill, but the difference is pretty insignificant in terms of the flavour, social/smell stuff aside. You get all that with a proper BBQ, plus a different flavour, plus plus PLUS ... playing with fire. It's the stuff of manhood!
And chicken and sausages too! Don't forget those!
Get to America where you belong!