BBQ Product Design

[JTerry]

Thank you very much for the input everybody, stuff like this is really helpful as it means I won't charge off and spend a lot of time working on an area that doesn't really matter that much to users.

I agree that the heat of the BBQ is enough to kill bacteria on the grill. However, I'm wondering if the look of a charred and lumpy grill can be off-putting to people who aren't confident in the safety of barbecued food. It's like you were saying, Steve; a lot of people don't treat the barbecue in the same way they do regular kitchen tools. However, if it's possible to sort the grill out, so that people aren't forced to use one which is 'dirty', I can't see why that'd be a bad thing. Given the choice, would you rather use a sparkly shiny grill, or a blackened one with flakes of old food attached to it? I think people have simply gotten used to the idea that a BBQ grill is 'supposed' to look dirty, and make allowances for this, when there's really no reason it needs to be any different than something you'd use in the kitchen.

Currently I'm toying with the idea of a disposable grill - maybe a roll of mesh or something - so the grill is new each time. No cleaning up required, simply chop off how much you've used and chuck it in the recycling. Also, this would solve the problem of food falling between the bars of the grill (although you wouldn't be able to sear the grill lines into the food any more). What do you guys think of this?

Failing that, either a modular grill surface which can be disassembled or maybe a flexible grill which can fit into the sink... the mind wonders!

I'm keen to get female input on this issue too. I've managed to get my hands on some market research data done in 2008 which states that only 13% of BBQ cookers are women, and that 46% of the women surveyed didn't like cooking on a BBQ. Obviously the female members here presumably like BBQing (otherwise they wouldn't have joined this site!) but maybe they could shed some light on why a lot of women aren't so keen in front of the grill. Is it a tradition thing (i.e. men have 'always' done the BBQing)? Is it something to do with the design of BBQs themselves which is off-putting? It seems to me that BBQs have come a little too far away from their origins - a fire pit that you can cook meat over. It's almost like we're designing more and more elaborate boxes for the fire, and, as a result, a lot of BBQs end up looking like complicated machines made of angular metal and welding. I'm guessing this might be intimidating to a novice BBQer who's interested in starting but doesn't have much experience.

Sorry if any of that comes off as patronising or condescending, hope I can get some useful info from everyone!

Also, would any of the posters object to me using their responses in my reports? I will omit names etc. so you won't be identifiable.

Thanks again for your help, it's proving really valuable.

JT

[Steve]

I agree with you on the too complicated thing, hence what I said about the Weber kettle, a true design icon.

To answer your question about grills, I'd rather cook on a blackened grill with no debris, just like I'd rather cook with a blackened wok or paella pan. The seasoning on the grill helps reduce sticking. HTH

[MadCow]

Well of the so called 'few women interested in BBQ' I am certainly one of them, I love cooking on my pellet cookers and prefer them to other heat sources.

As 2004 World Champion (Jack Daniels Invitational in Lynchburg Tennessee) I was one of the few women competitors, however, nowadays there are far more women teams competing and doing really well, so, whilst I hate to correct you in your opinion ... you're wrong !!!

[JTerry]

Sorry if I came across as narrow-minded. Obviously, I understand that a lot of women love BBqing. I'm just surprised by the results of this survey, and it sort of backs up my personal experience about who normally does the cooking on a BBQ. I'm just trying to get to the root cause of it to see if maybe there's a way to include/appeal to everyone.

JT

[JTerry]

Hi Doc,

I'll admit, I'm more of a hobbyist griller and by no means consider myself an authority on BBQing. However, I do enjoy having a grill on a sunny weekend in the summer, and it's this sort of person that I'm looking to target with this project. People like yourself with a lot of BBQ experience are obviously adept at using a BBQ to cook great food, but for the hobbyist BBQer, it seems like current BBQs present a number of problems that needn't be there. It can be very difficult for the average guy or girl to actually get a fire going without dousing the whole shebang in lighter fluid, and the food is often over or undercooked.

As I said before, this is a university project for my final year and I thought it would make sense to ask people with more experience than myself to make sure that anything I come up with is grounded and actually appeals to real people. There's no point in designing something for a target group of people without talking to them, right?

From chatting to you guys, I've already picked up that most people are content to simply burn off the grill gunk and so I needn't explore that route much further. Any comments from real guys and girls that love to grill are really helpful as something which is obvious to you guys, I might never have thought of.

Once again, thanks to everyone for their comments, this is producing a lot of useful input.

JT

[Chris__M]

I understand your questions and have a few thoughts to share but it appears that you are not an avid BBQ/smoking sort of person judging by some of the questions you bring up. Most people that spend time on the grills aren't very concerned with 'how to clean a grill' as experience has already taught them ie burn it clean rather then spending the day scrubbing or using caustic chemicals.

To be fair to JTerry, they said they were a "frequent BBQer", by which I assume they are in exactly the same position as I was about a year ago. When I arrived here I had just progressed from grilling to attempting slow cooked BBQ on a charcoal grill, and I was also preoccupied with how clean my grate should be kept - I seem to recall it was one of the first questions I asked. I had been grilling regularly for a good couple of years, and even so it was something I wasn't sure about.

Are you here to look for a financial in into the BBQ world

As mentioned in JTerry's first post, this is for a fourth year project in a Design and Technology course.

I'd suggest the best approach would be to try to come up with an innovation that addresses just one aspect of BBQ design, rather than try to reinvent the whole thing. How about a design that makes it easy to add more charcoal without having to remove a food-laden grate? Perhaps a charcoal chute at the rear of the cooking grate, together with a rotating charcoal grate (either manual or motor-driven) to ensure it is added evenly. (Weber's hinged grate was a step in the right direction, but I have still had ash on food disasters in the past)

[clairbare]

I think if you are looking to help the average summer bbq'er, I am not sure there is much you can do to improve the experience. As the Doc says, if you are not a serious q'er you are likely to go out a buy a cheap-ish bbq, use it for the summer and leave it to rust for the winter - if you are lucky you get a second season from it.

As a newbie to the low and slow cooking - I have fresh comments/experience of being the above

My husband always cooked on the bbq - this IMO is just the way it worked best for us - me sipping pimms, wine or whatever the tipple of the day was, and man cooking in the great outdoors (well the garden!)
Due to the weather in this country it was usually an unplanned, thrown together with whatever was left on the shop shelves (cos as soon as the sun comes out everyone has the same idea to bbq) event - inviting family and friends last minute etc
Get the old bbq lit and burn off the previous remnants - (not sure this is the most hygenic way, wouldn't do the same with my pans in the kitchen, but it works and we never suffered any illness)
Now hubby is very particular and NEVER put the food on until the coals were white, i think the main reason people get it wrong and burn stuff is they can't wait to get the food on, it is just technique.

For a novice, I would say having a bbq that you can move up and down is a must, you need to have some control over the heat. The other problem that a summer bbq'er has is, in the kitchen they would know that a sausage cooks quicker than chicken, but seem to think on a bbq you can put it all on at the same time and take it all off at the same time (either one is burnt or one is undercooked)
Almost most of the time, adding more charcoal is not an issue due to the throw it all on technique that most people use, therefore the cooking experience does not last as long as it could.
Sorry if i have rambled on a bit. I am not sure there is any need to improve the average bbq'ing experience it has worked ok for everyone for years

Now the smoking side of bbq'ing is a different matter and one that I, as a woman, have found more interesting and have got a lot more involved in.

[JTerry]

Hey Doc,

Yeah I stumbled across those whilst I was doing some research the other day. Haven't seen them in the shops though, do we get them much in the UK? Seems to be quite a cool idea - reduces a lot of the emissions and waste materials and is great for people who want to BBQ on the go. I'm wondering how they work out price-wise? I'm guessing they're about as economical to run as disposable BBQs, and would provide similar sort of performance.

At the moment I'm playing around with the idea of a BBQ that starts off in a vertical configuration like a charcoal chimney, then when the coals are ready to cook on the BBQ changes shape (folding, rotating, magic...) and presents the coals for cooking on. This would make lighting the fire as easy as using a charcoal chimney, and remove the need for all that lighter fluid and paraffin cubes. It would also help to get the coals suitable for cooking much faster and require less attention than building the fire in a traditional way (so the BBQer can hang out with his friends without spending all afternoon fanning a fire).

Does anybody have any thoughts on a design like this?

Maybe the dirty grill issue is a bit of a red herring - I guess burning off the gunk is a simple and hassle-free solution to the problem. I'll have a rethink.

Thanks again for all the input guys and gals.

JT

[Banjo]

Hi JT,
FWIW, here's my thoughts:

When I worked for a well known Garden Tool manufacturer, we spent a lot of time on Market analysis.
The Market research guys roughly divided our Customers into three main groupings. In size order they were:
the grudging gardener - spends as little as possible, doesnt look after his tools. Buys solely on price.
the amateur - very much price conscious, but wants something better. Expects tools to last.
the keen gardener - buys the best available and looks after his tools.
(This is very much an abbreviated resume )

So it is with BBQ/Grilling.

There will be the largest group that will be happy spending £4.99 on a cheap grill (or more likely, buying disposable bbq's as required). They have little or no interest in the finer points and will generally be cooking the Ready-to-grill prepackaged food from the local supermarket. No matter what the latest innovation, they will not be bothered.

The second group will be the ones who want something a bit more robust, anything from the better charcoal grills upto the higher priced gas grills. These are usually influenced by gadgets and the latest must-have accesories.

And finally the BBQ enthusiast - the people who are really into their grills, with the pinnacle being the proponents of Low n'Slow. These are the people who really know how to get good results from their equipment. They will spend a lot of money (and time) ensuring they get the best equipment, meat, charcoal etc.

As I said, this is very much a simplification

Are you still with me, or have I bored you rigid??

The upshot of all this........

Unless you can come up with a cheaper alternative to the disposable bbq, you will not gain market share from the largest group.

The middle group would be the most susceptible to be swayed by 'the latest thing' gadgetery, and these will probably be your target market. BBQ's with fold up legs, self emptying ashpans, cook-faster stripes, all will appeal for a short while.

The 'top' group will only be swayed by a demonstrably better product (which would have probably been trialled extensively and therefore would have high development costs).

So, coming back to my starting point - the humble garden spade has remained unchanged for thousands of years for the simple reason that it is the best design. Cooking over hot coals has probably been in use for even longer and for exactly the same reasons!

Sorry if this sounds like pretentious claptrap!

Best wishes!

[JTerry]

Hey Banjo,

Thanks for that post, it's really informative and sort of reinforces what I was beginning to expect. I also think you're right in terms of where I'll be aiming my product:

I'm not going to be able to come up with something cheaper than a disposable BBQ. People who buy these products are only concerned with price, and it's difficult to see how I could pare down the BBQ experience further than existing disposable BBQs in a cost saving exercise. At the same time, I won't be able to come up with something that revolutionises the BBQ aficionados' worlds. The people who really love high-end barbecuing are looking for premium performance, which I would suspect would be beyond my ability and the time scale of this project.

The middle group are thus likely to be my target market. Luckily, this market is pretty robust right now, and is expanding at an increasing rate. With the recession, home cooking has really taken off, and people are improving their homes (and gardens) rather than moving. Sales in BBQs up to £300 or more have increased dramatically at the same time that the whole BBQ market has increased, so I can see a prime market to aim at. Not sure if this link will work but here goes! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/5330239/Expensive-barbecues-fly-off-shelves-defying-recession.html

I'm itching to start chatting about some of my ideas, but unfortunately have been advised to keep a lid on it in case I decide to apply for intellectual property protection later down the line, which is very frustrating!

If anybody else has any comments, please don't hesitate to post. As I've said before, this is all great information!

JT