The Great 'cheap BBQ tips revisited' Hunt

Former_MSE_Debs · 29 April 2013 at 11:27AM

Great 'cheap BBQ tips revisited' Hunt

Admittedly the weather's been a little changeable, but we have seen some sunshine (hurray!). So we're looking for some new top MoneySaving tips on how to have a good BBQ on the cheap - from the best BBQs to buy, to cheap, tasty food and drink recipes to go with it.

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BNT · 1 May 2013 at 9:40AM

Most 'barbecues' here are actually grills where you cook using the heat from the charcoal rather than the smoke. But barbecues are expensive and grills are cheap. A cost effective way to get closer to a barbecue taste is to soak hickory chips in water and put them on the grill when it is ready for cooking. The food will absorb some of the hickory flavor as the water from the chips evaporates.

biggus_richus · 1 May 2013 at 9:45AM

My BBQ cooking was revolutionised when I got a good quality kettle bbq and properly learnt about indirect, lid on, cooking and temperature control. Add a bit of wood for smoke flavouring, and it's taken to the next level.

I'd recommend these two books: The Barbecue Bible and Weber's Complete Barbecue. I could probably happily live the rest of my life off the recipes in these two books and the Weber one goes into more detail about cooking methods.

Amazing Ribs is also an excellent resource.

Learning to cook low and slow with the lid on takes the weather out of the equation; it can be done in the winter, or in the rain. Just chuck the meat on and go and do something else while it cooks. If the weather's fine, I can still grill, but it's a world apart from the stereotypical burnt offerings.

Dicegirly · 1 May 2013 at 10:18PM

Sounds a bit weird, but you will never know the difference.
Also a great refreshing drink for those who are driving.

Pour 1 bottle of lemonade into a large jug.
Add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and stir well.
Add ice and chopped fruit & mint leaves, as you would for normal Pimms.

Chill and enjoy!

joedenise · 2 May 2013 at 6:48AM

Dicegirly wrote: »

Sounds a bit weird, but you will never know the difference.
Also a great refreshing drink for those who are driving.

Pour 1 bottle of lemonade into a large jug.
Add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and stir well.
Add ice and chopped fruit & mint leaves, as you would for normal Pimms.

Chill and enjoy!

I do this but I add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and plenty of ice. If there is only one or two people drinking it you can leave it in the bottle and just pour out one or two glasses over the ice and fruit, which is what I tend to do because it's usually only me drinking it and I don't like flat lemonade!

Denise

benjus · 8 May 2013 at 9:45PM

BNT wrote: »

Most 'barbecues' here are actually grills where you cook using the heat from the charcoal rather than the smoke. But barbecues are expensive and grills are cheap.

You seem to be referring to the southern US style of barbecue - but the word "barbecue" refers to several different cooking traditions, including cooking over the heat from the charcoal, so I don't think there's anything wrong with calling the things you get here "barbecues".

Anyway, in terms of cheap tips - I did a mini BBQ on Monday evening, and the only local place that was open to buy food was M&S Simply Food. I found that they were selling "flat iron" steaks at 3 packs (900g in total, IIRC) for £10. These were absolutely delicious when slow cooked over charcoal. I know that steaks aren't the cheapest thing to put on the BBQ, but I think it's really worth it, and using a cheap cut like flat iron makes it affordable. I haven't tried buying this cut in the local butcher or in cheaper supermarkets, but it's worth trying.

asparagus1968 · 8 May 2013 at 10:16PM

dicegirly -i am so glad you recommend this! I saw it on "Phil and Holly" the other week, it's gorgeous!
I've been telling all my friends but the think I've lost the plot.:)

juicylucym · 10 May 2013 at 11:49AM

I recently had a BBQ and got everyone to bring something - obviously with a touch of flattery added..."when we came to yours, you made this lovely dip, would you mind making some for my bbq?"

Liz_M · 31 May 2013 at 11:59PM

I'm trying to pick a barbecue at the moment and the comments on here have helped me to decide that I definitely want one with a lid, so thanks for that! I'm comparing 2 at the moment... a kettle and a barrel (both have lids).

It's unlikely that I'll be cooking for LOADS of people but I would like a nice amount of space so I can do things like chicken, steaks and maybe even a joint - these all seem to take up more room than just sausages and burgers. So I'm attracted to the barrel because it's a larger cooking area..but the main question on my mind is whether you can still successfully cook joints etc in a lidded barrel or do you really need a kettle for this type of thing? The lid of this particular barrel does have vents so I guess it is intended to cook with it and the lid isn't just for decoration!

lindseykim13 · 1 June 2013 at 1:53AM

Best thing we did was get a gas bbq, after many years of charcoal so glad we switched

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The Great 'cheap BBQ tips revisited' Hunt

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