Buying a BBQ in Canberra?

trevar said :

The cooking is always the same, and is entirely inferior to cooking over a wood fire…

Amen.

As you can see Holden Caulfield, there are a lot of options out there for you. From what I know and what I have read from other rioters, you need to ask yourself some questions.

1. Built in or free standing?
Simple enough. Beefeater are the best for built ins (remember the clearance behind and beside the BBQ).

2. NG (Natural/House Gas) of LPG(Bottle)?
Almost all BBQs are set up for LPG, some can be converted (there will be a sticker somewhere on the BBQ with the valve sizes, pressure and outputs – if it doesn’t have a NG column it cannot be converted). The conversion will cost around $150 – so add that onto the price.
Caution – Some BBQs will not provide the same output once converted (check the sticker).
There are a few that you can buy as NG, but check the paperwork is right when you order it.

3. What are you cooking?
If you are just cooking steaks and snags you probably don’t need a hooded bbq, so you may look at a flat plate BBQ like the the heatlie 700, or beefeater clubman. (remember to oil the plate to prevent rust – stay away from full Stainless steel flat plate BBQs)
If you are going for an all rounder a Weber Gen320 – as Jivrashia stated they have 25years. It is very efficient in its gas consumption and can get up to 300 C (this is what I have).

4. How often are you going to use it?
If you are using it every day please spend the extra to get something decent (even if you need to put it on interest free – remember if they don’t say cash only when they quote you, they can’t up the price if you decide to pay this way). Stay away from Stainless steel unless you are going to clean it each time you use is. Weber don’t sell Stainless steel hood BBQs for a reason.

5. Side Burner?
Most people want them and never use them. If you do want to use it – check is MJ rating (the sticker will have it – don’t trust the salespeople). You want it 15MJ or above to cook well, 21MJ and three rings for woks (check the size of the wok in case it hits the side of the BBQ). I have found BBQs, over $2000 with 7Mj side burners so if you want it – check it.
You can get around it if the burner is shaped well – like the weber Gen series – but it is not a Wok burner.

6. Don’t get it from overseas!
It may be cheaper – but it is not certified under the australian standards. Not certified means that gas fitters cannot repair it (should something go wrong), your insurance will not cover any damages if it explodes/flares up, or injuries that it may cause. You will also have trouble claiming anything on warranty.
Secondly the world doesn’t have a uniform gas pressures / fittings. This means that BBQs bought in the states won’t work on our gas bottles / use our regulator hoses.

7. You get what you pay for – generally.
Look for long warranties (look at the breakdown as it is usually limited – 25 years but the plates are only 2). Cheaper BBQs tend to have hot and cold spots (the Everdure BBQ at work has this).

8. How are you going to clean it?
The weber have deep angled drip trays, most have near flat trays (get some fat catch) an some have strange set ups. Make sure that you can access them (the tray on some gasmates can only be removed from the back). Check the plates can be removed, as can the anti flares, heat reflectors etc.

9. Shop it around.
Find on you like, then look online – if you can get it cheaper, print it out (showing shipping) and take it in to the retailer that stocks the brand see if they can match it. It is easier to get it fixed if it local.

Hope this helps.

Choice recently did a review on barbies. The Webber won pretty convincingly IIRC, followed by the Beefeater.

Best barbecue I’ve ever had is the wire rack from an old fridge that I picked up from revolve for $1. It’s propped up on two stacks of bricks. A wood fire reduced to embers under it produces the most scrumptious T-bone ever.

Second best barbecue is on the other side of the patio. It’s a six burner gas number from Bunnings that cost about $300, which I use when I’m in a hurry or have a lot of people to feed. I’ve used a lot of other people’s gas BBQs and have never detected any difference between the pricey ones and the cheap ones, except in lighting. The cooking is always the same, and is entirely inferior to cooking over a wood fire, but just as good as frying in a pan on an electric stove, with slightly less control.

I also have a friend’s spit rotisserie in the yard at the moment, which is also great for a crowd if you’ve got a whole pig to put on it. I think she paid $200 for it. It’s just a very large basin for a wood fire with two uprights for the rotisserie and of course the rotisserie itself. Perfectly satisfactory.

I have one more outdoor cooking desire, which is a wood fired stone oven for bread and pizza, but I think that will have to wait until I retire…

I have “The Charnwood” model. It starts as an abandonded shopping trolley.

tommy said :

If you can somehow get one from the US, they are heaps cheaper over there (about half the price)…

That’s true but doesn’t work for propane as they have different fittings and changing them over is extraordinarily difficult. I bought a smoker cabinet from the states and ended up ditching the whole burner assembly and installing a wok burner which is a good deal for Canmberra winters.

It still ended up cheaper thank local though.

We got our Weber Genesis Gold from Burning Log. The pricing seems to be set by Weber themselves as I haven’t seen much variation in pricing in Australia. It’s been really good as a product though.

If you can somehow get one from the US, they are heaps cheaper over there (about half the price)…

We recently bought our Weber Q200 from BBQs Galore in Fyshwick to replace our old KMart Jackeroo.

Very happy with it indeed.

The only minus was getting the hard sell from the BBQs Galore guy for a brand we’d never heard of and didn’t want. Heaps better than the Weber, apparently. Was a bit upset when we insisted on the Weber.

If you do buy a Webber keep in mind that the method of cooking (top down) is very different to the usual BBQ. In particular things cook MUCH more quickly and the first few steaks will probably over cooked (unless that is just me…). Also they need cleaning more often as they dont use ‘hot rocks’.

My previous BBQ was a Beefmeaster and it lasted 15 years outside with no maintenance, until various parts started to rust and replacements cost more than the BBQ.

Keep in mind a marketing trick very prevalent amongst BBQ manufacturers. They make high end ones with everything and then some, dials and knobs and turning bits and side burners, not because they expect you will pay $2000+ for a BBQ but because you will then look at their $400 version and believe you are missing out of lots of essentials. You then look at their $800 – $1500 version and go for that. Of course, 95% of the time you just need a hot flame and a hot grill (or hotplate), and the cheapest models usually do that just as well as the mid/upper level models (give or take a roast, in which case you need a hood and a thermostat).

So consider carefully your actual needs and dont get seduced (too much…). My biggest tip is to look at the coverage provided by the burners – many burners heat up say 15cm directly above them, but that can results in cool spots in between the burners as they are 20cm apart (which may or may not be useful to you)

I’m personally not convinced about side burners – does anyone actually use them? (well, if you have an electric stove I can see the benefit, but if you have a gas stove then I dont see the benefit)

Be wary of the cheaper gas barbies from Bunnings/Magnet Mart et al. They work fine, right until the salt and fat in the food rots the metal of burner assemblies. I’m not sure how you ensure you get one that doesn’t do this, I guess buying from a proper BBQ shop and keeping your receipt just in case. Or talking to the sales guy and seeing if he knows about it. It’s bloody annoying!

Costco had a fantastic range of barbeques at the start of the warm season, from a Kamado Egg through the smaller gas ones right up to a full outdoor kitchen with a sink, but they’re letting the summer range dwindle before they bring in their next range of “seasonal items”.

get a 4-burner Jumbuck from Bunnings for $147. Can’t go wrong.

rosscoact said :

Weber is the best on the market and their aftersales service is legendary. I have a charcoal portable which has to be 30 years old and still churns out the best gai yang this side of the south china sea. The shop near the ONA coffee shop, BBQ galore? stocks weber IIRC.

Even a $400 Q220 will cook better and last longer than a chinese made Bunnings, Aldi etc knockoff. You can get a gas E320 with 25 year warranty for $1500.

No affilliation, just a happy customer.

+1 for the Weber. Wifes family has 3 or 4 of them and 1 is still going from 30 years ago, actually might be better than my newer one. Burning Log have some decent knowledge, questionable pricing though. You can get smoker boxes and a pile of accessories for the weber gas grills too. Did some amazing ribs last weekend!

mp2615 said :

I bought a 4 burner, hooded, on a wooden trolley from the shed at Mitchell. Tightened the frame, clean, fit a gas bottle and away you go. noice. $30. I have a charcoal weber, great for roasts and smoking but it’s hard to beat gas for convenience, until the gas runs out. Is it just me or does anyone else think that cooking bbq on stainless steel is not as good as on cast iron ?

Yep, I do. The Beefeater ones look all nice & shiny in the showroom but they will soon get crappy if not looked after (not worth it IMO). The stainless transfers the heat faster which means that while it heats quicker it cools quicker & the heat is less stable.

I went with the coated cast iron & they work a treat. I can cook a whole fillet on the low setting or I can frazzle the crap out of a marinated minute steak.

I also looked at the expensive barbies with the minsdet on getting a good quality one & then settled on the Red Centre one for under $500. It will at least last me 10 years & if it is buggered by then well I still have some money left to go & buy another but with my experience with the Jackeroo I think it will last longer than that.

Weber is the best on the market and their aftersales service is legendary. I have a charcoal portable which has to be 30 years old and still churns out the best gai yang this side of the south china sea. The shop near the ONA coffee shop, BBQ galore? stocks weber IIRC.

Even a $400 Q220 will cook better and last longer than a chinese made Bunnings, Aldi etc knockoff. You can get a gas E320 with 25 year warranty for $1500.

No affilliation, just a happy customer.

MightyJoe said :

Aldi. I bought mine there and it was easier to put together than my previous one and is waaay better in terms of quality.

+1. Bought one from Aldi about 4 years ago for $200, 4 burner with a hood, still going strong.

I bought a 4 burner, hooded, on a wooden trolley from the shed at Mitchell. Tightened the frame, clean, fit a gas bottle and away you go. noice. $30. I have a charcoal weber, great for roasts and smoking but it’s hard to beat gas for convenience, until the gas runs out. Is it just me or does anyone else think that cooking bbq on stainless steel is not as good as on cast iron ?

KB1971 said :

1. What are you after?
2. Much do you want to spend?

1. Gas all-rounder, nothing too specific just yet
2. $1000-1500 seems to be the going rate for something that will last a good while

Jivrashia said :

BROFIST.jpg

Was brought up on a Webber that ran on charcoal beads.

These days BBQs are either fuelled by propane, or has such a shoddy frame that you wouldn’t trust lighting a candle on it.

But what really irritates me are people who don’t know how things cook differently between a gas BBQ and a charcoal BBQ. (hint: water molecule produced in burning of propane gas causes food to be partially steamed)

My parents’ webber is still going strong after 25 years, but you can’t find similar fine sturdy BBQ these days. I have looked in BBQ’s galore but none of them appeared to be as good as when they built them back then.

I bought a little weber smokey joe a couple of years ago I’ve been very happy with.

Before that I had cast iron hibachis of varying design, they wear out but for $40 a couple of years isn’t a bad run.

Thanks for the replies so far. Should have mentioned I’m after a gas BBQ at this stage.

If you are after a gas BBQ, have a look at the Red Centre range at Rodneys at Pialligo: http://www.redcentrebbq.com.au/ProductList.aspx

Mine is a cracker & pretty efficient on gas.

What are you after?
Much do you want to spend?

I bought a Jackeroo from K Mart 15 years ago for my parents & its still going stong, good value for money.

Also, scope your local Aldi. They had them before Xmas & of all the people that I have spoken to that have one they are extremely happy with them. Last time I looked the Aldi in Lanyon had one.

In the BBQ world there are a lot of people who say you need nothing less than a Weber (I have a charcoal one but dont use it for steaks) when there are a lot of cheaper stuff out there that will do the job just nicely.

Also, look at Magnet Mart & Bunnings. bunnings have a huge range.

johnboy said :

as a coal guy

BROFIST.jpg

Was brought up on a Webber that ran on charcoal beads.

These days BBQs are either fuelled by propane, or has such a shoddy frame that you wouldn’t trust lighting a candle on it.

But what really irritates me are people who don’t know how things cook differently between a gas BBQ and a charcoal BBQ. (hint: water molecule produced in burning of propane gas causes food to be partially steamed)

My parents’ webber is still going strong after 25 years, but you can’t find similar fine sturdy BBQ these days. I have looked in BBQ’s galore but none of them appeared to be as good as when they built them back then.

Rays Outdoors in Fyshwick has a reasonable range.Become a VIP and get 6.5% off. No idea if their pricing is any good as I havent been shopping for one recently. Bunnings at Tuggers have a fair number on display too. I havent been back to BBQs Galore since I went in there to get a gas bottle filled but instead got a lecture about them being too busy for small stuff like that and I should go to the servo.

You need to do your research before buying a BBQ as a lot of BBQs look the same, have the same features (number of burners, etc…), but they cook entirely differently.

If you’re looking at gas, I can recommend the Beef Eater brand, they can get very hot on full gas, so you can get a really good char on your food. Most of the other gas BBQs I’ve used you always turn them on to the maximum setting as they just don’t get hot enough, with my Beef Eater I normally use about 50–75%.

If you’re looking at coal, it’s pretty hard to go past a Kamado Joe (or similar ceramic egg-shaped thingy). They are very versatile and have a wide range of temperatures that can be achieved (I’ve set mine to between 80–550 C). This means that you can smoke, roast, grill and even do pizzas on them. Expensive, but really good.

Personally I’ve found BBQ’s galore to have the best range *but* as a coal guy they don’t stock a lot of things I wish they would.

Aldi. I bought mine there and it was easier to put together than my previous one and is waaay better in terms of quality. My last one was bought at Rays in DFO and was more expensive that the Aldi one.