Outdoor cooking - Barbecues, Barbecue, BBQs, BBQ, Smokers, Grills. And Ribs.

Lots of reviews out there, most negatives seem to be about damage in delivery rather than in longer term usage.

@Soul May have one?

I got mine a couple of weeks ago. See result of first cook here.

Mine arrived in perfect condition. I would say that it's excellent value for money. Quality is surprisingly high, the thermometer is only off by about 3-5 degrees over a 300 degree range (vs a Thermpro) and a 5 hour cook resulted in a temp that fluctuated no more than 3 degrees whilst using no more than two handfuls of lump wood charcoal.

Would highly recommend.

Aldi egg sounds like a good option if you can find one.

If not, hard to go wrong with the ubiquitous Weber kettle. I have had Webers for decades. They last well, they are simple to use and do 90% of what you want from a grill.

The only real negative is lack of insulation means really long slow cooks are not as easy as with a ceramic egg or purpose built smoker with fan control.

If you want to go more upmarket, these could be worth a look:

https://prosmokebbq.co.uk/products/pk-grill-pktx

I have a weber kettle, happy with it so far. I'm very much amateur hour but it seems to draw a nice line between slapping some stuff on the barbecue and going for longer cooks.

John Lewis are doing the Master-Touch for £299 currently if you do want kettle.

Amazed how much Webers cost now. Seem to have gone up by £100+ in the last 5 years or so.

I've bought 3 in the last 20 years, of which I still own and use 2. Pretty sure 1st one was under £100 and next two were definitely under £200.

They've got that thing where there are multiple models with just enough extras to tempt you into the next model up.

My first one had the simple plate shape ash catcher and no thermometer.

Now have thermometer and the saucepan shaped ash catcher which I do think are worthwhile additions.

Its definitely something you want to buy towards the end of the summer when they are discounted.

Apologies if you've detailed elsewhere, but what is this grill/style of grill called please?

It's by a company called country fire kitchen based in Wiltshire. He sells all sorts of combinations of grills, fire pits, asado crosses and other accessories, this is the home type version he has created that can be set up in lots of different ways called the portico home. He kits out lots of restaurants with custom set ups, it's a great way of cooking and the results are amazing.

https://countryfirekitchen.com/products/portico-home

Good spot. Really drawn to the idea of either stainless or cast iron cooking grilles as I've had enough cheapo plated or enamelled numbers that just flake and rust.

Yeah I know what you mean, spend your life trying to keep them in good nick. I have a Masterbuilt 560, and it has cast iron grills, they are great for searing as they hold the heat so well.

Bit rich for my amateur tastes. I think that Master-Touch is the sweet spot of "ooh, shiny new toy" and "not too many features I won't use".

Yeah, didn't recommend it as figured it was slightly out of budget!

It's great for low and slow and controlled cooking, but does have limitations, such as no way of doing dirty steaks.

It looks absolutely amazing! Saving it for a treat next spring once I've done the work on the house I want to and got the garden lay-out sorted. Cheers!

Have a check what extra stuff comes with it. Different variations come with different accessories. I'd say the hinged grate is pretty useful as are the charcoal baskets.

I would fully recommend, the build quality is amazing and it will last forever. You have to be more attentive than when using kettle or ceramic bbq’s but the flavour is amazing and it’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Worth a look at Napoleon kettles as well, they seem to be a similar quality and feature set to the Webers but with the bonus of a hinged lid

Thanks for the suggestion. They do look similarly specced and priced. Wondering about the relative merits of porcelain covered cast iron vs stainless steel as a cooking grate though. Any ideas?

i've only had stainless but this looks pretty robust:

https://thebbqshop.co.uk/BBQs/charcoal-barbecues/napoleon-rodeo-pro-22k-leg-charcoal-bbq

I really want a Big Green Egg.

Are they always just silly money?

I found a 2nd hand one on the Putney local group thingy (not facebook).
It was good enough that it made sense in my already mortgage ridden head at that time point.
I've used it every week since. Worth every penny.

It's between that and the Weber Master-Touch E-5755 GBS Kettle Charcoal BBQ, 57cm, Black from John Lewis currently.

Sizeable enough purchase that I may need to run it past the internal auditors.... they might not have the same priorities as me