Quote: Originally posted by force ten on 13/8/2010
you dont have to spend a lot of money on a BBQ that you are going to use for camping, the one that we use was just over £11.00 from argos and at the end of the camp i just take it apart an pack it back into its original box
We got a decent size BBQ from Lidl for a fiver! Bargain that was. We've used it camping several times, and it also comes out of its box to use at home. Just the ticket.
ok its gas for boiling the kettle and fry up in the morning cant stand waiting for my first coffee. and charcoal for the evening meal cant wait for our next trip
and a couple of fire logs for good measure
At home we have both charcoal and a gas bbq. Camping we have a small portable barrel bbq we bought from Woolies years ago and we love it. We too use a fire log afterwards for the heat - it's brilliant. I too prefer cooking over coals or wood. We tend to use the gas bbq at home if we're having large get together's as it's quite big and we also use it for brekker's as it has a flat griddle plan so fried eggs cook up a treat! But I do love the smell of a charcoal bbq being lit. Can't beat it!
I wouldn't touch most charcoal sold in the UK with a bargepole. The majority of it is imported and a lot comes from dodgy operations in south east Asia where there is wholesale and uncontrolled destruction of natural forests to be planted up to grow oil palms. There is also a thriving market here in re-bagging cheap imported charcoal to make it more attractive to UK customers.
I use and sell charcoal made by a traditional coppice worker operating in the woodlands of the Lake District restoring ancient coppice woodlands and managing others. It's about as different to "garage forecourt" rubbish as you could possibly get. You don't need lighter fluids or other unpleasant petrochemicals to light it, just some scrunched up newspaper and a bit of a draught. It's ready to cook on in about ten to fifteen minutes flat and produces WAY more heat than the imported stuff, and much less smoke due to the better methods employed by UK charcoal makers, which convert more of the wood to carbon. The usual conversion rate for UK stuff is around 90%, as opposed to just 60% for the imported stuff.
There is a small network of traditional charcoal producers around the UK - check www.localcharcoal.co.uk to find your nearest supplier. Yes, it may be a little more expensive than forecourt/DIY store stuff, but it's streets ahead in terms of quality and performance, and it's also helping to ensure the future of our own native woodlands, rather than supporting the destruction of woodlands in other countries.
Charcoal briquettes are even worse. These are made from the fines and rubbish that can't be sold as lumpwood. A whole cocktail of ingredients are then added to make them into a material than can form a briquette. These include borax, various nitrates, cement, coal dust, sawdust and so on. I wouldn't eat anything cooked over the fumes from that little lot! Self lighting charcoal is just soaked in petrochemicals to get it to light - no thanks - I can do without paraffin fumes in my burger! Good quality charcoal will light faster than petrol soaked stuff with just a bit of paper.
Crackle logs and the like are in the same bin as self lighting charcoal for me - just full of chemicals to make them burn. The thing is - you can use a 100% natural product like firewood briquettes, which contain ABSOLUTELY NOTHING other than wood, and get a better fire, with more heat, less fumes and smoke, and longer lasting for less money! I really can't understand why people would buy anything else!
Campers by their nature appreciate the great outdoors and fresh air - I just think it's a pity that a lot of them are prepared to fill that air with chemical fumes from "synthetic" fires and BBQs, when they could use eco-friendly alternatives AND get better results by doing so!
Lumpwood charcoal for me, failing that I will use real wood and cook over the hot embers. I always top the hot coals afterwards with a few generous sized logs, great for toasting marshmallows and nothing beats sitting in a field watching the glow of a fire.
Lumpwood charcoal for me, failing that I will use real wood and cook over the hot embers. I always top the hot coals afterwards with a few generous sized logs, great for toasting marshmallows and nothing beats sitting in a field watching the glow of a fire.
If you are looking to get a new bbq try the Outwell Cahors, I know that it's twenty five quid, but when you have finished cooking take the grill off the top and you have got a mini fire pit, it's low so its very stable, we got one earlier this year and it's one of the most popular things we take with us!
------------- Steve
Look into my eyes, not around my eyes but into my eyes
We have used both,but the last few years we have used charcoal ones.
But...we are returning to gas next year.I do agree that food tastes better using charcoal,but after using one of those fold up ones this year(which was taken back for a refund)we decided no more.There was not adjustment on the griddle which meant food burnt to easy(I know they are aren't all like that) and it always seemed to start raining just after we had lit it.lol.
------------- Sue & Phil
--------------------- I Love My AeroBed
we use charcoal, toast marshamallows and crumpets on it and also stick the kettle on to washup and to fill the hot water bottle. The kids love to find dry wood to stick on once we've finished cooking.
We've got a small one that I got from Sainsburys a few years back, in fact got 2 when they were selling off at the end of the season and the unused one sits in the shed waiting for the first to rust away. It's amazing how they hold the heat too.
Charcoal for us. We use a small folding BBQ which gets stuffed back into a tiny box after each trip....hate emptying it tho and the dirty hands that follow!
Great pics force ten.
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Topic: gas or charcoal BBQ?
