Barrels of BBQ Fun

As we near the official start of the 2011 BBQ season we are getting a load of questions about Barrel BBQ’s. There is no doubt in my mind that were we forced to not use a Kettle BBQ we would go for a barrel style charcoal bbq.

The ones with the lids have always been a firm favourite of mine, largely because they generate a load of heat and ensure food is cooked thoroughly and quickly.

The lids also mean that, in theory, you can roast meat in there, maybe the beer can up the bum chicken, or even the herb crusted lamb recipes. The BBQ recipes for these two meals can be found in the, erm, BBQ recipes section of the site.

Anyway, in light of the questions from readers about Barrel BBQ’s, I have had a look across the web to find the best ones currently available.

At this time of year the choices are limited so I have stuck to Amazon as they are reliable, cheap and great quality.

First up is the Budweiser Barrel BBQ. It is the Landmann Budweiser Big Barrel Charcoal BBQ and it costs just £89.99. It has a massive 71x35cm grill, pimp my ride esque chrome grills and carries the famous Budweiser Logo.

Second is the Lifestyle Half Barrel Charcoal BBQ. This is a half barrell BBQ but it comes with a huge windshield meaning that the heat is kept in and your coals will cook for longer. Costing just £69.99Th this is a real bargain for a BBQ of such size and stature.

The third and final Barrel BBQ is a portable on called the Premier BC99035. A catchy title! Portable BBQ’s were all the rage in 2009 and two BBQ seasons on it looks like they are still in demand. A cute silver “desktop Barrel BBQ” that you can use anywhere that permits the grilling of meat. Costing just £34.99, this is a bargain BBQ.

Popularity: unranked [?]

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.

Popularity: 6% [?]

BBQ Tools

Lets kick the 2011 BBQ Season off with some back to basics information on how to make sure you have a successful BBQ by having the right equipment.

Before I start, I want to make it clear, BBQ’ing does and should not be expensive. Essentially, all you need is fire and meat. That being said, if you want to make sure that you don’t accidentally food poison friends and family then you need some basics.

I have grouped the below into catagories of “Essential” and “Nice to Have”

Essential:

A BBQ! Up to you whether or not you want gas or charcoal. Whilst I am charcoal all the way I can see the benefits of gas, especially if you have a large young family and you need to grill fast and hard. If you can though, always go for charcoal.

You then have the choice of a Kettle BBQ or a normal open top BBQ, usually a half barrel style. We use a Weber Kettle BBQ. Brilliant for cooking a wider range of BBQ Recipes. For example, the beer can up the bum chicken recipe and pizza recipe can only be done in a kettle BBQ. They enable you to reach a higher temperature.

Charcoal… there are heaps of ethical charcoal companies around, even the big stores like Tesco and B&Q source ethical and greener charcoals.

Long BBQ Fork. Essential for moving your meats around

Nice to Have

BBQ Baskets. I swear by these, no more need to hassle with tossing burgers and steaks. We whack everything in these, fish, burgers, steak, chops etc. Absolutely essential for us.

Heat Beads: Essential for pizza and hot temp BBQ recipes. (available from Waitrose)

Small Coal Shovel: (we actually need a new one of these). Great for moving coals around, positioning at the edge of the BBQ etc for the higher temp BBQ recipes. (try B&Q)

BBQ Mitt: We have gone through a few of the weber mitts and they are essential. I am trying a new brand this year, so I shall report back once we have given it the once over.

Foil trays: Great for catching the juices and stopping the coals setting on fire again during the longer BBQ recipes.

Pizza Stone: Another essential if you are wondering how to cook pizza on a BBQ.

Popularity: unranked [?]

How to Cook Pizza on a BBQ

After what seems like years of planning and a lot of research and reading up on the subject last night we finally made our first pizza on a BBQ. What we really love about this recipe and style of making a pizza is that all the family can get involved. Kids can have fun with the dough, and then even choose and slap on their own toppings.

Before we start, this is the basics of what you will need if you are to be successful: A kettle BBQ, a pizza stone, a pizza peel (not essential), Heat Beads, available from John Lewis and a couple of hours prep time!

Before you begin making the dough and topping, turn the oven on to a high heat and place the pizza stone inside to get it heated up.

For the pizza dough you will need (to make 3 large ones)

400g strong white bread flour

10g fast action dried yeast

400ml warm water

tsp salt

tsp sugar

For the tomato topping (that you smear over the top of the pizza) you will need:

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 large onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 good sprig of thyme

How to make the Dough

Placing Pizza on a BBQ

Mix your yeast with 100ml of the warm water and sugar, cover with cling film and leave for 15 mins

Mix your flour and salt in a bowl

Once the yeast has risen, whisk and then mix in with the flour and salt and remaining water

THE MESSY BIT – mix it all together with your hands or with a blender wthat has a dough mixer

The mixing is a nightmare and very messy and sticks to your hands loads. Keep going though, mix for 15 mins and if it is still sticky add more flour

Shape your dough into a ball, place back in the mixing bowl and cover with a damp tea towel for 1-2hrs (1 is fine if time is tight) GO AND FIRE UP YOUR BBQ NOW SO IT IS READY TO COOK ON IN AN HOUR.

The dough will rise after you have left it so knead it back down again, shape into 3 balls and set to one side – now make your topping

How to make the topping:

Fry the onions and garlic over a medium heat for 5 mins

Add the chopped toms and thyme and any other herbs you fancy

Bring to boil and leave to simmer for 10 mins – add water if it goes too dry

Choices of Toppings

We used a simple topping on our pizza, some already cooked chunks of chicken breast, pineapple, very thinly sliced cheese and some rocket and spinach leaves.

How to Prepare Your BBQ for Cooking a Pizza

Cooking Pizza on a BBQ

As we said from the outset, you will need a Kettle BBQ and ideally lots of charcoal and Heat Beads. The Heat Beads are a good idea so you can get the temperature high enough. As an example of how much charcoal is needed, we used four of the small easy-light charcoal bags on our Pizza BBQ and once they were lit and burning nicely, added around 20 heat beads.

It will probably take around 1 hour to get the BBQ up to temperature. Once the coals are glowing white the BBQ is at its hottest and this is where you need to move the coals around the edge of BBQ and place the grill shelf on as normal. When you have moved the coals to the edges of the BBQ and put your grill shelf on as normal, then transfer your pizza stone from your hot oven over to the grill shelf on the BBQ.

If you light the BBQ when you BBQ pizza dough is rising (see above) then by the time it is ready the pizza will have risen nicely and be ready to go.

How to put everything together

Step One – Make sure your BBQ is at its hottest, your coals are around the edge of the BBQ and your pizza stone is set in the middle of the grill shelf.

Step Two – Take one of your three dough balls and flatten with your hands or a rolling pin until you have a very thin pizza circle (make sure it is not bigger than your pizza peel or whatver you are using to transfer the BBQ pizza onto the grill. The thinner the better

Step Three – Smear some olive oil on the top of the pizza and then scoop some of your tomato topping, or tomato puree if you have not made the topping onto the pizza. Remember, less is best when it comes to the tomato topping or puree topping. The more you put on, the soggier it gets!  I always go for a light smattering so you can still see the pizza base clearly through it

Step Four – Add your normal toppings, as i said, we used some pineapple, thin slices of beef tomato, chunks of pre-cooked roast chicken and the some wafer thin slices of cheese and a few rocket and baby spinach leaves

Step Five – Dust your  your pizza peel or whatever you are using to transfer the pizza to the BBQ with flour – Do not be tempted to use oil! It won’t work as well

Step Six - Transfer onto the hot pizza stone in your kettle BBQ and then close the lid and cook for approx 3 mins

Pizza that was cooked on a BBQ

Step Seven – Leave to cook for at least 3 mins before lifting up the base a tiny bit to make sure it is not burning – if it is burning, remove from the pizza stone for a few minute and leave the lid open. If the base looks cooked and the cheese is slightly melted and the leaves wilted, it is ready!

Have you tried cooking a pizza on your BBQ – if so why not share your experiences below in the Comments Box? Better still, why not send us your pictures to Andy@Petoba.com

Popularity: unranked [?]

Weber Kettle BBQ Montage!

One of the greatest things about the BBQ world is the fact that there are not hundreds of brands all jostling for position and you can more easily spot the companies to look out for. Weber is one of thegrand-daddies of the BBQ world and is probably the subject of 50% of all the emails I get, asking if their products are really worth spending the extra money.

The answer, in short, is yes!

We have always found Weber products to be the best that the BBQ world has to offer. We have had a few of their Barbecues, only ever changing as we needed bigger ones or they got damaged whislt moving.

We are now using a Weber kettle BBQ which was purchased a few years ago and will probably be replaced next year, but it is a fantastic bit of kit. The attention to detail is the first thing I noticed, as is the high level of build quality.

Anyway, given that Weber is one of the brands that iLoveMyBBQ.com fans seem most interested in I decided to pick out some of my favourite Weber Charcoal BBQ’s that are curently available.

There are two mainstream national online retailers for Weber Charcoal BBQ’s, these are Homebase and B&Q.

Homebase stocks two Weber Charcoal Barbecues. The first is the Weber One Touch Gold and Green Charcoal BBQ that costs £169.99 and can feed up to 8 people. It comes with a 10 year manufacturers guarantee and has a chrome plated grill. One of the things I like most about all of the Weber Kettle Charcoal grills is the fact they look a bit more egg shaped than the normal kettle grills and I always think this makes them stand out that little bit more.

The second Weber option from Homebase is the slightly more affordable Weber One-Touch Silver Kettle Charcoal Barbecue which costs £99.00. It is exactly the same size as the Gold and Green version, Dimensions: Height 98cm x width 64cm x depth 57cm and so the slightly lower price can only be down to the change in colour.

Once again the One-Touch Silver can cater for up to 8 people, has the 10 year guarantee and a chrome plated grill.

Weber Gold and Green Kettle BBQ

Browsing on over to B&Q and their website they appear to have the identical Weber BBQ’s but they carry a different name and more importantly, are significantly more affordable than Homebase.

The B&Q Weber equivilent product to the One-Touch Homebase range is called the Weber 57cm Bar B Kettle Charcoal Barbecue (catchy) and costs just £89.98. It comes with a slightly lesser warrantee (5 years) but apart from that looks exactly the same.

Its sister product, the Weber 47cm Bar B Kettle Charcoal Barbecue at £79.98 is identical apart from the fact its grill is 47cm in depth as opposed to the other B&Q offering which is 57cm in depth.

At the minute, as I say, these are the two most well known national stockists of Weber Charcoal Kettle BBQ products and if I was you, I would stick with B&Q!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Charcoal Chimney Starter

I am quite often asked, “how do I keep my BBQ going” and the answer could not be easier, use a Charcoal Chimney Starter.

The Charcoal Chimney Starter is great when you are cooking something that will need longer on the grill than your charcoal can last for.

When this happens you need to light up some more charcoal in your Charcoal Chimney Starter and once they have reached the white-hot stage and are ready to cook on, then you pour them into your existing BBQ that is beginning to cool.

We found this fantastically affordable Dancook BBQ Chimney Starter at Amazon for just £15.99, the cheapest we have found one online.

Hope this helps you the enxt time you are thinking, “How do I keep my BBQ going”.

Happy grilling people…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Beer Can up the Bum Chicken

Some time ago we tried a recipe I had read loads about on American based BBQ websites called, “Beer can up the bum chicken”, ok, it sounds a little odd but it is actually really good fun, a great talking point for any big social occasion you are planning a BBQ for and best of all, tastes funking awesome!

You WILL need a Kettle Style BBQ for this.

All you will need for this is (based on catering for 6)

2 x medium sized chickens

1 xWeber Charcoal Chimney Starter

1 x Weber Large Drip Pan

Plenty of charcoal

2 x Cans of Lager (I think the stronger it is the more flavour it adds to the chicken – but we used Fosters)

4 x Tbsp of Cajun Rub (optional)

The Plan:

1. Light your charcoal and let it get itself to temperature

2. Rub the Cajun Rub over your chickens

3. Take a swig out of the cans of lager/beer. Just one swig from each mind, and no monster gulps either!

4. After making sure there is nothing in the carcass of th chicken, place the can into the hole (on both chickens)

Half way through cooking BBQ Beer Can up the Bum

5. Go back to your coals and if at the right temperature (white hot and glowing), push to edges of Kettle BBQ (see pictures to see how we did it).

6. In the middle of the BBQ (0n the same level as the coals, place your Weber drip trays to catch the fat and juices)

7. Place your grill above the coals as normal and then balance your chicken (with can up the bum) on the grill

8. Close the lid, cook for 2 hours for large chickens or a bit less for smaller ones. Your coals will cool after about an hour and you will need new ones so use the Chimney to prepare some new coals and then place in the Kettle BBQ after an hour of cooking.

9.  To check if the Can of Beer up the Bum Chickens are cooked, prod a knife into the thickest part of the chicken and it clear fluid comes out it is done.

10. Tuck in!

Why not let us know how you get on with your Beer Can up the Bum Chicken BBQ Recipe? Maybe had a great variation on this or did something to make it a bit different? let us know by leaving a comment (no need to register or any of that).

Starting point for Beer Can up Bum BBQ Recipe

Popularity: unranked [?]

Our First BBQ!

One of the mad things about ILoveMyBBQ.com is that we are now over 2 years old as a website and what started out as a hobby site now not only gets referenced by journalists in newspapers and magazines but also gets heaps of groovy feedback from BBQ fans.

One of the most frequent questions is “what BBQ equipment and BBQ accessories do I need to get started on my own BBQ’s”. On top of this a friend of mine recently moved into a house with a massive garden and asked about the best BBQ equipment for him.

With all this in mind I have done a wedge of research and put together a BBQ Starter Pack. All the equipment is based on the assumption that you would start by cooking for at least four people.

All the prices are correct at the time of writing and I have stuck to one mainstream brand so you can either just pop into the store to get everything, or order online from a site you know is safe and secure.

Let’s start with the BBQ itself. I suggest someting cheap and cheerful for your first year, you can always get a bigger and better one the following summer.

My choice for the BBQ would be the Quebec Round Charcoal Barbecue which costs just £14.98. you will easily get four butterflied chicken breasts on the Quebec BBQ which is the best starting point.

Moving on to the next most important area, the charcoal, I would go for some instant lighting charcoal. It costs only £6.98 and should last you for 2/3 BBQ’s at least, depending on what you are cooking.

If you are just starting out you can probably get by without fancy accessories and instead use kitchen utensils but with one eye on safety, you really should get some long cooking tong’s, they are very handy indeed.

This B&Q Core 3 Piece Barbecue Tool Set is absolutely spot on and costs just £3.49! That is an amazing price!

Apart from a box of matches, you are pretty much done…

All in all, that is everything for just over £25!

The next post will be about the best BBQ recipe to get you started.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Cheapest Weber BBQ Chimner Starter

You know that the BBQ season is fully upon us when the big outdoor and DIY retail stores start stocking their BBQ ranges and this weekend saw B&Q really go to town.

We stocked up on the instant lighting charcoal and it also gave me a chance to have a look at some of this seasons new BBQ gadgets and gizmo’s, unfortunately there was not that much new stuff on the market, yet!

First up I had a look around the range of BBQ’s (dodging the gas ones of course!), and this new B&Q Bondi Charcoal Barbecue with trolley looks incredibly slick and even has a hot plate which is very handy indeed. The Boni Charcoal Barbecue with trolley is quite cheap and sells for £149.98.

A quite swish looking Ottawa Kettle Charcoal BarBeCue also looks very neat and tidy and has a very handy side table, something that it missing from our own kettle BBQ at home. The Ottowa Kettle Barbecue is oval in shape and only costs £89.98. Quite an affordable option and now I am converted to kettle BBQ’s one product I may have a look at myself once the sales start.

Before I converted over to a kettle BBQ I always wanted a half barrel Barbecue and this Edmonton Half Barrel Charcoal Barbecue looks very impressive and has the segregated sections which is very handy if you are cooking for vegetarians or need a coller area to rest your meat (so to speak!). I could not believe a BBQ of this size was only £69.98 cheap as chips!

I was gutted to see that B&Q no longer stocks the Oz coals in store, these were my favourite, instead is has Penbeads which are very similar but not quite as hot as the Oz Heat Beads, still, at only £4.99 the Penbeads BBQ Briquettes are good value for money.

Bondi Trolley BBQ

One gadget that did catch my eye and which I used quite a lot  when we did the chicken up the bum recipe is the weber charcoal chimney starter. This essential piece of kit is great if you are having long and fun BBQ’s as you can keep topping up the charcoal without having to stop cooking.

The Weber Charcoal Chimney Starter costs on £15.98 (bargain!) and you light the top up charcoal in it and then when they have reached the right cooking temperature (white) then you pour it onto your existing BBQ! Genius!

As and when we spot more BBQ gadgets and gizmo’s, or better still, cheap BBQ accessories we will keep you posted.

For now though, go and start your griddles, it is now Summer after all!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Australian BBQ Coal

10 years of BBQ cooking means that you build up a list of favourite things, from barbecue recipes and food through to the tools and utensils you use.

I would class myself as being from the “old-school” of barbecue grilling in that you give me some hot coals, a pair of cooking tongs and a slab of meat and I will rustle you up something nice to eat. That being said, I do have my own preferences on a few BBQ things.

When it comes to BBQ coals, I tend to stick to the bags that you can just set fire to and they take care of themselves. I then add some Australian Head Bead Coals on top of the charcoal because they are my favourite to cook with.

The Australian Hot Coals last for ages and burn at a much hotter temperature than the normal coals.

Once the hot coals are white (only ever start your cooking when the coals are white), I sprinkle on some smoking wood chips that I have made myself and hey presto we are ready to go.

Popularity: 11% [?]