More easy BBQ ideas please

[doodles]

Don't go Amber, I just felt a little riled by the McDonald's comment and unfortunately not everybody is lucky enough to have famous five style outdoor space!

However, let's move on! We are a two bbq family (how's that for one upmanship ) we have a charcoal one which is fab when it's just the four of us and a huge inherited gas one which was absolutely fab and fantastic when we had a world cup party for 30 people and people were cooking on and off over a 5 hour period. It was pretty handy in the power cut too!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway who say salmonella is exclusive to charcoal and wood my DH can achieve a first class charred / undercooked chicken thigh combo on gas!

[Tinkers]

In our case, why buy gas when wood is free. But I'm with Amber, it need to taste as though it was cooked outside and food cooked on gas just doesn't taste right for me. Oak wood smoke is probably what makes the difference.

Besides I like lighting fires. (Most chemical engineers I know have pyromaniac tendencies)

We built a double brick BBQ, normally only use half, but can use two if we have a lot of people. I can adjust the rack height above the coals/wood.

I can see the benefit of a big gas one of serving loads over a long period of time, but normally it's just the three of us.

I also have a meat thermometer, so I can check food isn't going to poison anyone. Godsend if you are serving people who are a bit paranoid, which I have in the past.

[doodles]

Tinkers! A meat thermometer That's almost as bad as a gas bbq!

[Tinkers]

You grossly underestimate the paranoia of some of my guests. I'm talking about those who actually cook food in the oven first (just to make sure it's cooked) then put on the BBQ., which might of actually been gas.

Getting back on to topic

How about some of these

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday- ... o/camping/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Camping recipes but Think some will translate to BBQ.

Some of our friends bought us a potjie (south African cooking pot) and we have used that a couple of times to cook stews on an open fire. You can buy Dutch ovens (which are similar) and that will open up a whole new world of recipes, including baking etc.

[Snowdrops]

We don't cook the food in the oven first, but we do put it the oven afterwards to keep warm whilst the rest is cooking and we ALWAYS cook the chicken first so it has longer in the oven keeping warm (for that, read: making sure it's properly cooked).

[southbucks3]

He he....it's pretty hard to poison yourself on an under cooked veggie kebab....I always leave bbq parties with a smug feeling of confidence that I know is pretty much exclusive to vegetarians at such events.

[kittymum]

As an ex veggie (20+ yrs veggie) I used to have that self satisfaction but as dh and kids wouldn't turn veggie I'm back to chancing it with the BBQ.

Now we can top the 2 BBQ with a positive plethora of them - 1 massive Weber one, one portable Weber, an enormous gas thing with shelves, cupboards and the like - it is quite obscene! a pack of disposable ones and I'm pretty sure in one of the sheds an old gas one! In our defence dh works in a "garden" type of industry and keeps bringing them home!

Anyway, food! Halloumi and courgettes on skewers, grilled peppers (the long pointy ones), asparagus with a squeeze of lemon in tin foil parcels, leg of lamb - chuck it in the weber, put lid on and leave) also Waitrose 3 for £10 BBQ things esp the Thai chicken skewers and a BBQ pork one. Also asda do some really nice chicken in chinese sauce pieces. Sweet potatoe and butternut squash wrapped in tinfoil. Big prawns, shell on marinated in whatever you have to hand - chilli, garlic, coriander, lemon grass, lime, olive oil etc. lamb chops also fab.

[Peridot]

Ooh yummy, kitty mum. Give me more details about the sweet potato/butternut parcels please! Do you cook them whole or in chunks, and if chopped up do you mix them with anything before cooking, and cook for how long...?

[MSC]

I cannot believe there is a sizzling hot thread on BBQ in this forum!!!

Hope to join you all next summer! I will start a thread on...Curry..

[southbucks3]

Ainsley hariot presented a bbq programme one summer eyons ago, which was truly brilliant, that summer we had the best veggie bbq food ever, but sadly have now reverted to the norm. I think there was the inevitable accompanying book, not sure about DVD though, he really brought the whole thing to life. We deffo cooked sweet potatoes on bbq from then on, much quicker than normal ones.
We met him in a pub in high wycombe once, he was here to do panto, but went to the most studenty pub in town for a beer, he was very polite and very friendly.