Comments on: Food Snobbery 101. Episode 1, Barbecue

By: MIchael Hawkins

MIchael Hawkins — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:42:26 +0000

Hey Andrew, sorry I didn’t see this earlier. Yeah, I’d suggest holding off until you can swing $145 (tax in) for the Weber grill. There are cheaper charcoal grills but they just don’t have the proven design of the weber. I actually started out with a $60 charcoal grill from Kent and it lasted for only a couple of years before the ash-collector at the bottom rusted right off, forcing me to move up to the Weber. It was then I realized I should have bought the Weber in the first place. I got much higher temperatures for searing meats and the ample cooking area means you can put coals on one side and do indirect cooking (for slow and low cooking like with brisket or ribs) on the other side. As mentioned, it’s a design that’s been around for decades and for good reason. Get the good one. Weber 22-inch Kettle. Both Home Hardware and Home Depot have had them recently for $129.99 + tax.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:50:46 +0000

I saw a charcoal barbecue at the Sobeys here in Halifax and it was like $37, looks kinda like the one you have, though it obviously isn’t as nice. Would it be worthwhile for me to pick one of those up or should I hold off until I have little more cash and get a slightly more expensive one?

By: Michael Hawkins

Michael Hawkins — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:39:19 +0000

I actually do fire up the charcoal even if for the smallest thing as it’s usually the end product, not the speed that I’m going for. That said, I can have a chicken breast on a plate that was cooked over charcoal in about 25 minutes. That’s pretty fast.

I guess my point is that I don’t get why people need grilling to be fast and convenient. It’s like trying to make an afternoon at the park fast and efficient. Shouldn’t it be enjoyed? Isn’t it better if it takes longer? Barbecueing certainly is!

I’ve got four pieces of chicken on my barbecue right now. I could have fried them up inside about 15 minutes but I’m going to slow-roast them on the coals for about an hour and a bit instead to soak up all that flavour. Yum!

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:11:24 +0000

I love me a nice smokey BBQ. I prefer to use lumpwood charcoal, as I find it lights well and burns easily, however I don’t think that the only reason we use propane grills is laziness. A desire for a quick grill doesn’t neccesarily mean laziness; sometimes it is just efficient. As a single person I don’t light the coals for one chicken breast, but I will light the gas grill and get as close to summer living as possible!