The reason we are all here?

[Pecker]

Sorry if we're going a bit off topic, but does anyone else here mix it up a bit for their larger barbecues?

In the past I've started a shoulder of pork on the Weber for an hour or two, then foiled it and put it in the oven indoors. I can do this way in advance of arrivals, so it's not disturbing the 'theatre' part. I'm a typically crap bloke who can't multi-task, so keeping an eye on the temperature whilst doing everything else is a non-starter.

Then I like to cook chicken quarters, which is put on as people are arriving, as they take 30-45 minutes to do.

Then, when people are eating these, I do the quick stuff; the burgers and (depending of funds) steaks.

All the responses I've had from guests about the pork are great - they love the taste, and it usually all gets eaten up - but if I invited a few people over for a barbecue and the only thing they saw was me pulling it after unwrapping the foil, as the barbecue in the corner slowly cooled, they'd be a bit miffed.

Steve W

[RobinC]

I grill and indirect roast far more than I low and slow. But I love both and regularly mix both. I'm fortunate enough to have a reasonable arsenal of BBQ kit so I've never had to resort to using an oven.

In response to the "theatre" bit I find that people are more interested in the smoker and how that works than they are in the grills. They always seem to like the look of and using the bear claws (though I prefer forks personally)

[Clayfish]

If I've got guests the theatre comes from having three to four BBQs going at once, low n slow on the Smokey Mountain, planked salmon or starters on the Weber Go Anywhere, wings and/or moinks on the Mini WSM and anything that needs hot and fast on the kettle.



As long as I've got a beer in my hand it keeps me out of trouble

[Pecker]

I grill and indirect roast far more than I low and slow. But I love both and regularly mix both. I'm fortunate enough to have a reasonable arsenal of BBQ kit so I've never had to resort to using an oven.

In response to the "theatre" bit I find that people are more interested in the smoker and how that works than they are in the grills. They always seem to like the look of and using the bear claws (though I prefer forks personally)

I can imagine people wanting a good look at a smoker, especially if they've never seen one before, but I'm not sure that's what I meant by 'theatre' - sorry, I probably should have thought of a better word, entirely my mistake.

The bear claws - oh yeah, I can see everyone wanting a go with those - even the veggies! People like getting a bit 'hands on'.

Steve W

[FlashGordon]

Without grilling there wouldn’t be any lovely chargrilled steaks, or burgers cooked over coals - to lose those would be a tragedy. BBQ Chicken with crispy skin? Amazing I couldn’t live without it.

I think the attitude towards British BBQ is one sadly adapted to “most” British attitudes to food. Off the shelf and easy, so sausage, horse burgers, and pre-packed ribs and chicken.

There is just so much more out there, and luckily sites like this are slowly opening people’s eyes to food.

[keith157]

BBQ Chicken with crispy skin? Amazing I couldn’t live without it.

The chicken in the picture has crispy skin but I'm not sure how long you'd live with it
Good BBQ comes in all forms and sadly the picture (remember that?) shows the worst side of UK BBQ this is a comment I made on an earlier post:-

"Sadly we don't have a traditional BBQ season in the UK, mostly it's the first hint of hot dry weather like the last couple of days and people rush out to buy a new el cheapo grill, rush back because they forgot the charcoal & starter fluid, rush back into the supermarket to pick up a "bargain pack" of 50 pieces of "assorted bbq food for about 1/10th of what you would pay for good product. (Yes we had to go to the supermarket this morning not for any of the above I hasten to add)
They will burn the outside of the sausages whilst keeping the inside nice and raw, burn the frozen 2oz burgers nice and crisp, stuff them into a huge bun with an acidic greasy mayonaise based sauce with wilted lettuce and hard tomatoes They will scorch the skin of the chicken drumsticks and leave the middle nice and pink and give them to their children to "enjoy". They will then have a few beers too many, fall asleep in the sun, wake up with sunburn if their lucky, heatstroke if they aren't. Stagger into the house without cleaning the grill, allow it to fester and rust in the enevitable rain that will follow our 3 days of summer and tell all their friends that they had a wonderful time.

The next hot dry spell they will do exactly the same......now you know why we frequent this forum "

Having been at Asda earlier this week when the temperature reached double figures they were at it again.....

[FlashGordon]

With this country i completely ignore the weather - we'd get nowt done (northern twang)

I BBQ'd on Christmas Eve and loved it!

[keith157]

You'll find you are not the only nutter sorry enthusiast on here, we did ribs for Boxing day lunch.

On a non BBQ forum one of the posters was an ex-pat in Canadia and he was megga p'eed off as the temp had dropped to below -30c and his propane had frozen!!!! Long Live Charcoal (though you wouldn't catch me out at that temp ) We challanged him and he showed us pictures of the mid-week BBQ with a whole host of multi-coloured Michelin men lookalikes.

[FlashGordon]

I think at -30 he wins and defo deserves a solid salute!

[Chris__M]

Sorry if we're going a bit off topic, but does anyone else here mix it up a bit for their larger barbecues

I tend to cook my pulled pork a day or so before, and pack it into foil trays. I then normally reheat that on the top shelf of my grill, while cooking other stuff on the lower shelf. If I need the top shelf as well, the pork can just as easily go in the oven in the kitchen, but for theatre, it is better pulling it out of the grill.

In my opinion, the pork doesn't suffer from being reheated; if anything, it tastes better from being cooked early, and sitting in its juices in the fridge.

As it happens, I was tidying the freezer last night, and discovered two large boxes of pulled pork from months ago, that I had forgotten. I have friends coming round on Sunday, so I already know what I will be serving them as the main.