G'day guys and girls

I'm going to be buying a BBQ this week, and as it will be my first I've being asking opinions and like noses every one as got one. Now I'm just more confused. I will be buying in the mid range price bracket. The BBQ will be left outside.

So should I go for stainless or cast iron? Or even iron/wood? Should I go for a hood with spit attachment or is that a feature everyone gets but no one uses? Should I get one that uses volcanic rock or not? Side burners, useful or a waste of needed work space?

The great BBQ debate begins here......and of course you are all invited to try out the winning choice. :D

i dont know much about bbq but i wish you all the luck mate [img]smile.gif[/img] and have fun making steaks when you get a nice bbq grill .. mmmm.. im getting hungry now. :D

[ 08-24-2003, 06:45 AM: Message edited by: Harkoliar ]

Questions, Quest..

Gas is hotter, faster, and easier than charcoal. Volcanic rock.
Charcoal makes for a better taste, and a longer slower cook plus soaked wood etc.. options..

Never seen a cast iron one before. But have used a few stainless, and one not so stainless. Gas = Stainless. Charcoal = (powder coated) steel. Wood trim does get hot, and will dry and crack fast if not taken care of weekly. Go for spacers to put a little air pocket between the wood and metal.

Side burners are great for side dishes, especially when it's hot out, and your significant other does not want to fix anything at all.

Go for the swing down vegtable basket, you will find many uses for it. Corn on cob, vegtable kabobs etc..

Our grilling season should be comming to an end soon, but with this weather, I think we have at least 4 more weekends of prime grilling.

Happy Cooking

wellard, going off my experiences, and knowing Sydney, I'd go a stainless steel gas bbq.

Reasons -
stainless won't rust like cast iron will;
lighter to move around;
no wood to crack after long weeks sitting in Sydney summer sun cause you can't be buggered moving it the two feet back undercover;
gas is quicker - better for those sunny days that turn rainy real quick;
being quicker, you don't drink so much beer before your food is ready, that you have no room left for said food...

I may have more later...

The wood thing is on two cheaper BBQs i've seen with wood side shelves, and I agree I don't think they are a good idea.

As for the cast iron and rust V the expence of the stainless. that is one of the great debates I have heard. If you spray oil on the cast iron ones regulary it will prevent rust, and stainless is easier to clean [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img]

What about hoods?

I don't see the necessity in hoods. They're good for slow cooking; but of much more value I think, is an enclosed cooker section - like a smaller bit with a hood/cover - makes great roasts...

Well'Ard

You need a hood - cooking at the right temp is not going to happen if
you can't cover it.

Gas is easiest and fastest and always ready. Won't add as much of the bad
burnt stuff to the meat that causes cancer (you can always add water soaked
wood chips if you like!)

Stainless is rustproof - and the paint won't be chipping - it is still all a beatch to clean but stainless is easier and what I have after the 5th one!

Side burners - still don't use them. I do use a basket that stuff doesn't fall
thru on the grill for veggies and stuff. I have a rottisserie - probably should
use it! (Dogs kept unplugging it!)

We use ours all year round. If you have the cover and the gas then you will appreciate it more in February! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/a0/rottease.gif

I think my advice is similar to the others you've recieved. Get one that won't rust or that you can rustproof, has a cover/hood to keep heat in while cooking and I'm partial to gas grills- less mess, faster heat up.

I agree with Mysti, the side burners aren't all that great. My dad's rarely works right (the gas is uneven. I didn't bother with one on our new grill, figuring I can cook things inside if I need a burner.

The argument against a hood is

1) everyone stands there and chats to keep an eye on the meat anyway, so by covering up you are missing out on a great BBQ ritual [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

2) no one uses the spit to roast anyway


sooooooo does any one actually use the hood to cook a roast? and does stainless BBQ actually prevent rust because some people say in the act of cleaning, the surfaces get scratched and rust anyway?

My own experience (having purchased and still using one grill)...

Skip the side cookers. Unless you plan to actually cook five or six things at a time on the grill (and manage the whole process), they won't come into play. I have never seen anyone who has them use them.

Avoid the neat little window that lets you see what's cooking. If you want to see, you'll open the top anyway, and it's an engineering weak spot in the design. What happens when the little pane of glass breaks? It's not like you can run down to your local convenience store to pick up another one :(

Do get one with readily available replacement parts. Seriously. Last week, I replaced the burner assembly on this one for the fourth or fifth time. The cooking grill itself, the burner, the lighting mechanism... they all will age, and rather ungracefully. It's amazing how metal can corrode, even when it's not directly exposed to the elements.

True, but the heat is spread around and you can roast things evenly (no rotisserie needed). I use the hood to cook everything! Steaks, hamburgers, sausages, chicken. Even heat and it keeps the heat in longer. Our grill doesn't use lava rocks either. Newfangled design disperses heat with metal bars built in.

I got something like this.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

It's been almost 2 years since i last used it though.

Side burner-
I use mine when I want to pan fry fish and do not want to stink up the house ;)

Spit-
I use mine a couple times a year when I want to do a leg of lamb, or roast on the bbq.

Also I saw an interesting program on the food network that was of the opinion that charcoal vs gas made zero difference in taste. As the BBQ 'taste' is caused by the fats dripping from the meat, vaporizing in the flames and then getting redeposited on the meat. Also with gas you never have to worry about getting the lovely lighter fuild taste on your steak [img]smile.gif[/img]

<font face="Verdana" size="3" color="#00FF00"> This is a great time to buy a BBQ since summer is almost over and prices drop. You can now pick up that $400 or $500 BBQ for like $200.

Great time to buy BBQ's.</font>

[ 08-25-2003, 01:09 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

All you need is a load of bricks, some wood and a grill rack. You build four walls using the brick, preferably on a stone surface, get a fire burning inside and once it's died down you bring out the rack and start BBQing.
You can leave the bricks outside all year around, no need to worry about rain, and building a fire is always fun regardless of the weather.
Roasting things evenly is overrated, you don't do that with a wok either. You can adjust temperature by shoving the meat about until it is in a cooler or warmer spot, and by adding or removing layers of bricks you can easily more the grill closer to or further from the fire.
Take no substitute [img]smile.gif[/img]

Just bought a new weber gas grill(looks just like the one in a post above).And I love it! Even for me alone I come home from work and can have it warmed up and ready to cook before you could open a bag of charcoal!!It cooks even and cleans quickly ,and the weber is all stainless steel inside so it won't rust and it has a very good warrenty!I paid 350 for it but they should start to go onsale pretty soon now...

Unless of course you are Wellard who is just emerging from the southern winter into the peak BBQ buying season ;)

Ok, so show us a pic of the new bbq!!! We want to see it! Send food, send plane tickets so we can all share in the barb-ee-cue-ing! :D

You know, this used to be a great Aussie tradition - build your own bbq - we had one in half a 44 gallon drum.

But now it's illeagal to have a fire in the backyard (bushfires), gas or coal/rock etc only...