Choosing a BBQ

Alfresco dining is one of the highlights of summertime – enjoying a relaxed dining atmosphere with your closest friends & family. Choosing the perfect BBQ is a must. Follow these quick tips to ensure you choose the best BBQ for you:

Size

BBQs come in all sorts of sizes, so you need to decide what you want to cook on a regular basis & for how many people. A small, circular BBQ is ideal for cooking those traditional burgers & sausages, but if you’re planning on cooking more elaborate things like fish or joints of meat, you’ll need something a little bigger. Gas BBQ`s are very often catagorised by size into 2 burner 3 burner barbecues etc. But also look carefully at the actual grilling area size as some manufacturers cram too many burners into small barbeques at the end of the day grill area is what matters.

Type

BBQs come in all sorts of types from charcoal, to gas. If you want the whole experience of lighting charcoal, fanning the flames and waiting for the ideal cooking temperate, the charcoal BBQ is for you – providing the unique charcoal taste associated with summer delights. Now also available are dual-purpose chimineas & fire pits which allow ‘over the fire’ cooking and also extend your outdoor experience by taking the chill out of those summer evenings.

However, for those who want less time-consuming cooking, the gas BBQ is the ideal solution offering consistent & controllable heat – ideal for cooking anything.

Gas BBQ`s do in fact also give a fantastic barbequed taste it is wrong to think that this can only be achieved by a charcoal barbecue, this is becuae it is the vapourisation of the burnt meat residue falling onto the barbecue that creates the "flavour".

Budget

BBQs come in all sorts of styles & specifications, from the cheap disposable BBQs from as little as a couple of pounds, to the full scale catering BBQs for a lot more. Decide how much you’re able to spend – this will depend a lot on how you’re going to use your BBQ.

Durability

There is a lot of wear & tear associated with outdoor dining, the weather will take its toll on your BBQ as well as your garden furniture. Look for durable, sturdy metal construction with corrosion-free finishes. If your BBQ is going to spend the majority of it’s life outdoors, protect it from the elements with a BBQ cover – a must for unpredictable English weather.

Cleaning

A major consideration in increasing the life of your BBQ – you need to think about how to keep it clean. Warm, soapy water will get you a long way but there are also some amazing solutions & cleaning kits on the market these days too which not only restore the gleam of your BBQ not also take the elbow grease out of your day.

Look for a barbeque with and easy to remove cleaning tray for the fat deposits.

Grill type

Cast iron grills on a barbecue are generally thought to be the best solution as these retain the heat and distribute it evenly reducing "spot burning". If you are choosing a larger BBQ then try to buy one which has both a griddle and grill griddles are ideal for "frying" food griddling steaks and burgers or even cooking an egg.

Grills can be porcelain coated or not this does not really make a huge difference being largely marketing hype. However the porcelain grills are easier to clean when the BBQ is new.

Lava Rock or Flame Diffusers?

Many gas barbecues use lava rock but the newer models generally use flame diffusers or flavouriser bars. Flame diffusers catch the dripping fat and vapourise this creating the same effect as lava rock but without the maintenance . Lave rock does need periodic replacement every couple of years ideally.

Stainless Steel BBQ`s or Other Materials?

Clearly stainless steel is best but be carefull all barbecues that claim they are stainless are not neccessarily all stainless steel. The best barbecues are the stainless steel barbecues where they are a "range kitchen bbq" and both the barbeque hood AND the trolley  AND all the fixings and screws are stainless steel.

Gas Type?

If you are choosing a gas bbq most will run on either propane or butane gas subkect ot having the correct gas regulator. Propane is cheaper and burns slightly hotter so this is the best choice these days. Regulators are universal in fittng most gas suppliers bottles but look for the more modern clip on 27mm fitings. These are easier to change and becoming the de facto standard.

www.alfresia.co.uk/barbecues.html