Turnips Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 I am looking to buy my first BBQ. In the past I have used various disposables and supermarket special grills. Now that my wife and I have our own house and (soon to be completed) patio I am wanting to add a BBQ to my life. I would usually be cooking for two, but a family occasion would be six adults and two children - these numbers will increase when my wife and I start a family too... I have no preference about gas/charcoal/pellets but obviously as it's my first gill I want to be sensible price wise, up to £500 would be okay. I love burgers, sausages and all the staples of BBQ food, but would also like to try low and slow cuts, ribs, pork belly etc. I'm hoping there are some BBQ afficionados on here who will be able to recommend something suitable for me! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamG Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 (edited) Welcome to the forum Turnips👍 I think not having a preference about fuel type is a very good start. In my opinion its important to pick a grill based on your lifestyle, what types of cooks you want to do...and to a certain extent...your personality (do you find lighting charcoal relaxing/satisfying or is it a chore?/do you like to monitor your cooks or do you want to set it and come back when its done?). They all have their pro's and cons and focusing on the pro's that suit you will certainly outweigh the cons (the cons on my grill do not bother me at all but for others, they may be deal breakers). I don't have a great deal of experience with different types of BBQ's but I would suspect if you choose charcoal, a kettle grill may be a good start based on you wanting to do some hot and fast direct cooks as well as low and slow indirect cooks. They seem to be very versatile in what they can do. Hopefully some others with different types of grills will respond and give you their opinions😁 Are there any types of grills that have your attention? Edited June 19, 2023 by AdamG spelling 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turnips Posted June 20, 2023 Author Share Posted June 20, 2023 11 hours ago, AdamG said: Are there any types of grills that have your attention? I love the look of the pellet grills, but they are out of my price range! Perhaps in the future. I'd like to start with a charcoal grill. I don't mind spending the time learning how to use it, lighting it, and I can monitor the temps while I weed my vegetables and drink beer. I've been looking at Kettle grills like the Weber Mastertouch, and also the Weber Smokey Mountain - I'm not sure what to call this style of grill? What's the difference between these styles of grill? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamG Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 Between the mastertouch and the mountain, my impressions is that they are both versatile. The mastertouch will be great for direct hot and fast but may have a steep learning curve for low and slow. The mountain is basically the opposite, much easier for low and slow but maybe tricky to get good sears on steaks etc. Hopefully @Justin will give his opinions on these grills as his experience will be immeasurably more useful than mine😎👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U can do that again Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 A Pro Q bullet smoker is worth considering. Have the dis-continued Napoleon version, which can be used as a low to the ground kettle or if you have a suitable table a large table top kettle if you drop out the rings for hard & fast. Add the rings for low n slow. Just allows you to do both with one grill. Use mine for both until I got a kettle. Have had really great results using it both ways. It also can be used as a portable kettle 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittmab Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 I think my biggest BBQ regret was not getting a 57cm Weber kettle. I went for the 47cm version and despite there being nothing wrong with it, I just wish I'd got the bigger one. I don't think you can beat them on price for versatility, usability or reliability. They also come with one of the largest selection of add-ons, from rotisseries to planchas to the latest Weber heat controller. A kamado style grill offers you much the same but for a slightly larger price tag (for the most part). And I hear and see a lot of good things about PK grills. I didn't get on with my bullet smoker and got fed up scrabbling on the floor to adjust vent settings Good luck with whatever you choose, I'm sure you won't regret it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoogl Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 Costco just had their 24" Kamado on sale for £599. which I think is a great deal. The Aldi kamado is a great bargain at under £400 but isn't always in stock. I agree with size, I spent a few months debating the 47cm or 57cm WSM. In the end I went for 57cm and overall don't regret it. Some people say it isn't as fuel efficient due to size, but honestly I've not noticed as I only have the larger one. I do however love the extra size/space I have when doing a full side of Salmon and a big 3kg of Gammon at Christmas both on the top rack with a full rack below to use if I chose. The only Three issues I have with the 57cm The grates are a bugger to clean as they don't fit in my sink, on my Aldi Kamado I dont clean the grates as often as I regularly get them over 250c but as I use lower temps 125c-150c on my WSM I prefer to wash them (though this is more of a me thing than necessary) If you are using both shelfs accessing the lower shelf when the top is full of food is a bugger, as you need to remove it to do so then you have a big heavy drippy/greasy grate to place down. I prefer to foil my water pan and use water in it. The foil keeps the pan clean but you then have a load of greasy water to get rid of. Many people either don't use the pan, don't foil it, use a cover/tray or use sand in place of water. (So this again is more of a me thing than necessary) I'd possibly buy a cheap (Supermarket) or second hand kettle the now and wait until the end of July/mid August as BBQ season for shops would be done so more likely to get some good deals. If you go with a second hand kettle you can get a great deal and as other have said can add to with accessories. Or get a decent Kettle, can do Low and slow cooks/high heat sears and maybe invest in a pizza oven. I saw Asda had a gas one for £150. I agree with what the other members have said, the only thing I'd say is different is once set I don't have to play with the WSM vents and I pretty much use the same settings but YMMV I also have mine on a cart that raises it 4-5" off the ground so easier to access vents. I noticed you said can drink beer/weed veg whilst cooking. A Kettle, Bullet (WSM/ProQ) or kamado can all pretty much be set and forget( (drop fuel in, once at temp can leave for several hours). A offset requires more maintenance (refuel every 20-30mins normally) but many people prefer that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turnips Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 Thanks everyone for the very helpful and detailed advice I think a Kettle style BBQ is going to fit my needs better. A bullet style seems risky with dogs and children running around, so I would have to get something to stand it on. I also like that the Weber kettles seem to have loads of extra accessories so that you can bake pizzas etc. At the moment I'm considering the differences between the Master-Touch 5750 and the Premium E-5770, at £299 and £349 respectively. Does an auto opening lid warrant the extra £50? Are there any important features I'm missing out on if I go for the 5750? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoogl Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 I recently saw a similar post re the two kettles and the prevailing thoughts are to go with the one without the fixed hinge as it will allow you to position the vent at what ever angle you want to suit the cook. A quick look and for the 5770 you'd be better to set up the fuel at front of the kettle as the vent is at the rear on the 5770. As it would force the smoke over your food and out the vent, but you'd need to either work from sides or reach across the fuel to reach food. Where as you could rotate the lid on the 5750 so the vent is at the front and place the fuel at the rear (or sides and rotate vent to opposite side) this would be more beneficial when opening the lid so you aren't being blasted by the heat and reaching over it, you'd also be able to adjust the fuel position to compensate for wind and meat size/shape and have the food closer to front so more accessible. As for the WSM I just use a couple scraps of old battens so the enamel of the body and lid doesn't sit on the ground but I don't have pets or kids running around so might not be the safest with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittmab Posted June 26, 2023 Share Posted June 26, 2023 Is the 5770 the one with the diffuser plate and charcoal ring? In which case vent and fuel placement would be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turnips Posted September 7, 2023 Author Share Posted September 7, 2023 Just to add a little closure to this thread... I ventured into town to assist the wife with some shopping yesterday, and we went into our local independent department store which has a big 'garden' section. The chap was just marking down an ex-display Master-Touch 5750 to £201. They didn't have the box and it wouldn't fit in the car so they sold me a brand new boxed one for the same price! Thanks everyone for the advice, I've been waiting a long time to be in a position to start barbecuing so that's pretty exciting for me. Very pleased, I assembled it in the afternoon and had delicious burgers for tea. I can't wait to try out a bunch of different recipes and styles of cooking. If anyone has any 'must try' recipes then send them my way! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamG Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 5 hours ago, Turnips said: Just to add a little closure to this thread... I ventured into town to assist the wife with some shopping yesterday, and we went into our local independent department store which has a big 'garden' section. The chap was just marking down an ex-display Master-Touch 5750 to £201. They didn't have the box and it wouldn't fit in the car so they sold me a brand new boxed one for the same price! Thanks everyone for the advice, I've been waiting a long time to be in a position to start barbecuing so that's pretty exciting for me. Very pleased, I assembled it in the afternoon and had delicious burgers for tea. I can't wait to try out a bunch of different recipes and styles of cooking. If anyone has any 'must try' recipes then send them my way! Since you say 'must try', I would highly recommend these chicken kebabs:- The recipe was given to me by another forum member @Monkeybumcheeks 👍😋 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turnips Posted September 7, 2023 Author Share Posted September 7, 2023 29 minutes ago, AdamG said: Since you say 'must try', I would highly recommend these chicken kebabs The recipe was given to me by another forum member @Monkeybumcheeks 👍😋 They look fantastic - I'll be giving them a go over the coming days 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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