Best Portable BBQ

With the Royal Wedding and the rise in music festivals and places where you can take a BBQ we thought it was about time we updated our Best Portable BBQ’s Blog Post so here goes.

We have had a play on all 5 of these and really like them. If I had to choose though, I would probably go for the versatility of the Weber portable kettle BBQ or the very nice looking tripod BBQ from Landman.

1. Weber – Smokey Joe Original Portable BBQ £44.99 – Amazon

A nice looking, super versatile BBQ from the BBQ masters at Weber. With it being a kettle BBQ you can do far more on it than the usual open top BBQ’s. It won’t pack as flat as some of the other portable BBQ’s but you get better back for your buck with this one than many of the others. Oh yeah, it also comes in silver, what more could you want?

2. Large Portable Bucket BBQ – £9.99 Amazon

Portable Bucket BBQ

We all loved this retro and funky looking portable BBQ. The wooden handle is a nice touch meant that you can move it easily and not have to wait for it to fully cool down. Not the biggest portable BBQ out there but possibly the cutes and it feels incredibly sturdy.

3. Hotspot Notebook Portable BBQ – £21.99 Amazon

This was quite a controversial BBQ that we promoted in 2009 and then had a flood of complaints because the metal warped after heating and it would not go flat again. The new design is much better and we had not problems whatsoever with it. One of the most portable BBQ’s about… very impressive.

4. Portable Barrel BBQ – £19.99 Amazon

Another portable BBQ that we really love. It looks brilliant and the two barrels means that you can have a hot grill and a medium heat grill. Ultra portable and very stylish, you will look the star of the party if you rock up with one of these.

Oh yeah, we also love that this one is on offer at Amazon at the minute, reduced from £35.99 to £19.99.

Tripod Portable BBQ

5. Landmann Tripod Charcoal BBQ £25.99 Amazon

Possibly the best looking portable BBQ out there and it will certainly get people chatting to you on the campsite, beach or park. Looks like an olden days cowboy BBQ but it built to high modern standards.

No doubt about it, this is one of the iLoveMyBBQ.com teams fave BBQ’s.

So, there you have it, our Top 5 Portable BBQ’s. We have a popped a few more in the below carousel that shows a the ones we love and recommend.

Top 5 Best Gas BBQ's

We are getting more and more questions about which BBQ’s are the best, gas or BBQ, which is a whole new post in its own right but I thought it was about time we reviewed our Top 5 Best Gas BBQ’s as the last one we did was 2009! Wow, how time flies.

As I frequently say, we are massive fans of charcoal BBQ’s but I can see why so many people favour gas BBQ’s. If you have a big family, use BBQ’s multiple times per week and need your food grilling fast, then BBQ’s are probably best for you and your family.

That being said, we have twins on the way and I don’t think this will make us switch to gas, but never say never!

Moving on, based on our experience and having had  a play with many gas BBQ’s, here are our Top 5 Best Gas BBQ’s for 2011.

1. Weber Q220 Black line Gas BBQ & Stand (Amazon £289.00)

One of the new 2011 range of Gas BBQ’s from Weber. Why does it get the number one spot, well, it has everything! The Q220 Black Line BBQ from Amazon has a huge 206 inch grill, cast iron lid and cooking grill and is possibly the nicest looking gas BBQ currently on the market. At £289.00 it is for the serious griller or those who want a BBQ that will last them for life. If you have a large family to grill for, this is the gas bbq for you.

2. Outback Omega 250 (Amazon £144.00)

A great entry level BBQ for gas fans but it is also built to last thanks to it carrying the well resepected Outback branding. The cooking area is 50×36 cm and it even has a side burner. A real bargain in the gas bbq world.

3. Australia 200 Series 3 Burner Roaster Gas BBQ (Amazon £249.99)

I picked this one for a couple of reasons. One, I had a go on an Australia Gas BBQ as part of a testing day and found it to be one of the easiest to get going (in terms of fiddling about) and secondly, it specifically has tools for roasting joints.

A 64 x 49 cm grill space is also a bonus as are the three burners.

4. BillyOh Gas BBQ Tasman 300 (Amazon £63.90)

A nice, affordable and cheap entry level gas BBQ from BillyOh. This gas BBQ does the job, has two burners and I picked it because it comes with the kit.

It comes with regulator and cover and as I say, is a nice affordable piece of kit.

5. Outback Excell 300 Gas BBQ (Amazon £149.99)

Another new season BBQ and this one is from Outback who make great gas BBQ’s. A 50 x 38 cm grill means that this is not the largest gas bbq on offer but in my eyes it is the prettiest.

Don’t be worried about the eye catching modern design though, it is still a very powerful gas bbq and will do brilliant for the average sized family.

6. Weber Summit S670 Gas Stainless Steel BBQ (Amazon £2849.99)

Ok, so this one was more of a giggle but… if you have won the lottery and have watched MTV Cribs, this is the Gas BBQ for you!

So, there you have it, our Top 5 Best Gas BBQ’s… And here they all are (below) in one easy to see widget (courtesy of Amazon).

BBQ Meat Thermometer

A quick shout out for our BBQ Gadget of the week, the Kitchen Craft Meat Thermometer from Amazon, just £3.99.

This is a brilliant and very handy gadget, especially for the larger joints of meat and more complicated BBQ Recipes that you plan on grilling on your BBQ.

We found it to be essential for the likes of the Beer Can up The Bum Recipe, along with the Leg of Lamb from last season. It is brilliant for the first time BBQ’er as well, because you can even use it on smaller portions of meat that you may be barbecuing such as chicken breast, chicken thighs and even sausage and beef burgers.

At just £3.99 this is a real bargain and with it coming from Amazon, you know it will arrive quickly and be fully guaranteed.

So, hat’s off to our gadget of the week, the Kitchen Craft Meat Thermometer for your BBQ from Amazon and at an amazingly cheap £3.99.

BBQ Tips and Tricks

The previous weekend saw us going for an “away-day” BBQ at Cotswold Park and Beach. Being tasked with BBQ’ing comes with enough pressure when you do it on home turf, so doing it away from home adds extra pressure.

Remembering the essentials is pretty easy, i.e. Charcoal, Meat and some BBQ Tong’s but it is all the silly BBQ gadgets and gizmo’s that make a BBQ go smoothly, so here are the iLoveMyBBQ.com Top 5 Essential Gadgets, Tips and Recipes for away BBQ’s.

Top 5 Tips

- Make sure you take matches or a lighter. The Park and beach we went to last weekend did not sell matches or lighters for Health and Safety reasons. Mad I know… luckily (given our group are all none smokers) one of our friends had a blow torch in the back of his 4×4 (I don’t know why either, you will have to ask him).

- Take a BBQ Mitt (Weber, £9.70 Amazon). When using someone else’s BBQ or an industrial BBQ you never know how it will work or what will need moving at a crucial point. Having a BBQ Mitt nearby can prevent any nasty food burns and also enable you to “work the grill” a little easier.

- Have a bottle of water nearby. This is an essential one for a number of reasons. 1, to immediately apply to any rogue burns you may endure. 2, To prevent any rogue sparks or bit of charcoal causing the nearby grassland or woods to catch alight. 3, it gets hot!

- Take a Kilner Jar with some Cajun Rub in it. Some away-day BBQ’s call on visitors and guest to bring their own meat. Whilst you should never be so rude as to just shake some of your rub onto their plain meat, you may want to encourage them to have a bit of extra flavour. BBQ’ing is about sharing remember

- Don’t forget a sharp knife. Now, I don’t really know the laws about driving around with a kitchen knife in yiour boot, but I am sure that if the police see the rest of your BBQ equipment they will apply a bit of common sense. A sharp kitchen knife is essential to make sure food is cooked and to (as funny as it sounds), cut up people’s strings of sausages! ps, a simple veg or pairing knife will do. Avoid the Crocodile Dundee knives!

Those are my Top 5 Essential Tips for BBQ Away Matches… why not share yours below in the comments section.

Cotswold Country Park and Beach

Wow, what a day! A bunch of us went along to the Cotswold Country Park and Beach today for a day out and to try their BBQ pitches that you can hire and we all had a great day.

There were six adults and three kids and we all got their for the peak lunchtime slot.

First up, it is really easy to find and very clearly signposted once you get off the A419 (if coming from Gloucester way it is the turning after Circencester). There are some amazing new lakeside homes being built in the area and you can see why the likes of Brad Pitt are rumoured to have bought one of the new builds.

Anyway, we got there and we were under the impression that you could hire one of the BBQ’s that are dotted around the place. You can’t, officially!

When we asked about them at the hire place we were told they were £50.00 to hire (wow) and were meant for parties of 50+ people. Instead though they sold us some disposable BBQ’s.

Lesson number one though, bring your own lighters as the shop on site does not sell lighters or matches. Luckily one of our friends had ways and means to light the BBQ in his car.

Cotswold COuntry Park and Beach.

When we found a pitch to set up in it was next to one of the big BBQ’s and we were fine to use it, no charge.

For the disposable BBQ we went for Chinese Pork, Lamb Kofka’s and traditional bangers and it all tasted awesome. I am not sure how good the disposable BBQ’s are, they seemed to lose heat very quickly.

All in all, we had a great day and cannot recommend Cotswold Country Park and Beach enough…

We have an OXO BBQ Set on offer for one lucky winner, all you have to do is share your own BBQ tip or recipe in the comments section of this blog post. Could it be any easier?

Up for grabs are: Oxo Good Grips BBQ Fork, Oxo Good Grips BBQ Turner, OXO Good Grips BBQ Tongs, all in all, with a RRP of around £25.00.

The OXO BBQ Gadget range are fantastic, durable, long lasting and look very slick (for BBQ gadgets).

A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday next week. Remember to keep checking back to see if you have won!

Win Free BBQ Gadgets

Top 5 BBQ Books

BBQ’ing is all about sharing recipes and I make no secret of the fact that we have hundreds of books that we use to get ideas and inspiration from.

With this in mind, here are my favourite, Top 5 BBQ Books…

1. Blistering Barbecues (£12.71 Amazon)
By Kate Weatherell, Nigel Tunnicliff and Time Reeves. I love love love this book. This is the book that introduced me to BBQ Pizza’s! The people behind this book have their own Pro BBQ Cooking Company.

2. The BBQ Bible (£23.94 Amazon)

By Steven Raichlen. one of the best Xmas present I have ever had. Worth it just for the BBQ rub recipes and more exotic meat dishes.

3. Weber’s Complete Barbecue Book (£9.43 Amazon)

Weber is a leading BBQ product and sauce company so having their book is a must have.

4. BBQ 25 (£8.95 Amazon)

Adam Perry and part of the Richard and Judy 2007 Book Club. A really interesting, back to basics BBQ book. As you can guess, it is 25 classic BBQ recipes.

5. Jamie’s America (£14.99 Amazon)

A brilliant book that you would not initially realise is a BBQ book. I absolutely love it and it is packed with unusual, but traditional, American BBQ recipes.

Charcoal v Gas BBQ's - Which Are Best

So here we go, our take on the Gas v Charcoal BBQ Debate and which is best. You will never get me to switch to Gas from Charcoal but I can see why some BBQ fans do love a Gas barbecue.

Here are my Top 5 Pros and Cons on Gas v Charcoal BBQ’s..

Gas BBQ Pros

1. Quick to heat up and get going

2. Easy to clean

3. Don’t have to keep buying coal

4. Can keep the BBQ at a consistent temperature

5. Easier to cater for large families or get togethers

Gas BBQ Cons

1. Not as good a flavour as charcoal

2. Gas can work out expensive

3. Typically uglier designs

4. Cannot cook pizza’s on them (need high temp)

5. They are basically just the same as cooking the food indoors!

A Selection of my Favourite Gas BBQ’s are in the Amazon Widget Below

Charcoal BBQ Pros

1. Much more flavour

2. Can do more adventurous recipes on charcoal BBQ’s (pizza, beer can up the bum chicken)

3. Can position the coals as you require (hot spots, indirect BBQ cooking recipes)

4. Designs are much prettier (Kettle Charcoal BBQ’s!)

5. Smell much nicer and you can use woodchips etc

Charcoal BBQ Cons

1. Messy

2. Tougher to clean

3. Hard to control temperature

4. Far more potential for eye brow removal

5. Seem to age/break more quickly than Charcoal BBQ’s

A Selection of my Favourite Charcoal BBQ’s are in the Amazon Widget Below

BBQ Hints and Tips

Sometimes you have a BBQ that is for more than just a few family members. For example we regularly cater for 7+ people and this can bring a few logistical headaches that over the year we have found ways of dealing with.

So, here are our Top 5 Sneaky BBQ Tips and Tricks

1. Bag Everything up to Save Space in Your Fridge

One of the biggest problems with big BBQ’s is fitting everything in the fridge. One of the easiest ways around this is to bag all your prepped BBQ foods up using a food bag. This can include your salads, meat marinading, potato salad etc.

You can then just pop them in their serving dishes when the time comes. Saves the hassle of balancing bowls on bowls in your fridge.

2. Get a job lot of the Weber Silver Drips Trays

These trays are a god send! You can use them for their intended use of collecting the juices from your BBQ’d meat (prevent the coals catching alight again) or you can use them as a serving tray, or even have them on your grill to store cooked foods and keep it all hot. (Amazon £9.00)

3. BBQ Kettle/BBQ Chimney Starter

These are great for those longer BBQ Recipes that need the coals to be topped up. Just place your new charcoal in one of these, light it and then 20 mins later you can pour the coals onto your BBQ. (Amazon £18.00)

4. Oven Glove/BBQ Mitt

Brilliant for quickly moving grills about or when you need to move coals about using a poker or alike. They allow you to get a bit closer to the BBQ… But watch out for the Chuck Norris Shave, i.e. when you get to close to the BBQ and you can feel your weekend stubble burning (Amazon £9.75)

5. Buy Bags of Ice!

You will be amazed at how quickly you go through so much ice at a larger BBQ! Supermarkets sell bags of ice for just £1.00 nowadays and it takes away a common headache!

Weber Kettle BBQ

One of the great things about the early BBQ season is the fact that all the new BBQ equipment is out earlier than normal. As regular readers of this blog will know, we are big fans of Kettle BBQ’s so it is great to hear that Weber has a new range out for 2011.

The first is the 47 inch, One Touch Weber BBQ. We have found the cheapest price for this over on Amazon at just £83.55.

The second new Weber kettle BBQ is the One-Touch 57 inch, again with the cheapest price being on Amazon at just £119.99.

Why do we love Weber Kettle Grills so much? Simple(s)… they come with a 10 year warranty, are so simple to put together that even I can do it, have reinforced handles so if you do need to move it when it is hot you won’t burn your fingers, has a rust free vent… well basically, we love them.

I also think they are the most flexible BBQ out there. You can roast joints on them, do simple burgers and sausages quickly and even do pizza’s as you can get the temp nice and high.

The other great thing about Weber Kettle bbq’s are that they have a great range of accessories like the BBQ Wok that costs just 29.99, and even a chimney starter (£16.71) that helps you keep your BBQ hot when you are cooking roasts.