BBQs

Cooking outside on a beautiful day is one of life’s great pleasures. For many Australians, an outdoor barbeque is a great way to enjoy delicious meals and socialize. If you’re shopping for a new BBQ you probably already have some idea of what you can cook, but you might be curious if there is a wider range of cuisine to help you get the most out of your new cooker.

There are a variety of healthy meals that can be prepared on a BBQ. Lean cuts of meat are even tastier when barbequed and the process will help excess fats and oils drip away from the meat.

A lot of antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables are delicious when grilled on the barbie. Onions, capsicum, asparagus, corn, garlic, chilis, mushrooms, apples, pears, pineapple, zucchini and much more can be grilled up for a healthy meal with a delicious char. Unlike many meats, grilled fruits and vegetables do not form carcinogens when charred.

BBQs come in different varieties depending on the fuel source. Gas BBQs are the most popular type in Australia with Charcoal and Electric models also available. Whilst there is no clear ‘best’ option each has different strengths to consider.

Gas BBQs provide instant adjustable heat using burners under the hot / grill plates. Most often they will run off LPG which can be purchased in portable gas bottles to swap out when empty. Gas BBQs can also be run on Natural Gas which is less expensive to use long term but will require the BBQ to be plumbed into a mains gas connection.

Charcoal BBQs give food a smoky char flavour but require patience and skill to cook with. Some Gas BBQs include an additional infrared heating element that is designed to replicate the searing and charring effects of a Charcoal BBQ.

Electric BBQs will always run if there’s an outlet nearby, but they don't have the same charring temperatures or controls that other BBQs have.

The simplest way to maintain your BBQ is with regular Cleaning. If grime and food residues are left on a BBQ they can become cooked on, damaging hotplates and causing carcinogenic compounds to build up that can pose a health risk.

When you first use a new BBQ, it's important to remove all protective film and clean off remaining residues using stainless steel cleaner and polish. Marks and fingerprints should be wiped away before the BBQ is first heated to prevent permanent marks. Then turn on the BBQ at a medium high temp for around an hour to evenly cure the surface before a first cook.

When it comes to keeping a BBQ clean, it is recommended that you clean after every use. For optimal results, use a grill brush to clean whilst the BBQ is still warm (but not hot) to prevent fats and food residues from drying out and cooking on to surfaces.

Every 6 months it is recommended to disassemble the grill, do a deep clean and check for signs of rust while deep cleaning.

When deciding on a new BBQ one of the first factors to consider is size. Larger BBQs can easily feed lots of people and will allow cooking a variety of foods at once with more burners and plate options. They are also more expensive to buy, will use more gas during a cook and require more space, so it's worth considering how many people will usually be cooked for and how much space is available in the outdoor cooking area. Larger BBQs also tend to be more complicated to set up.

Portable BBQs are compact and easy to transport for camping or cook outs at a picnic. These models generally have one to three burners and are much easier to clean and maintain. BBQs with 3 - 4 burners are great for cooking for 6 - 8 people and are easy to set up and move around, but will lose some of the portability of smaller models.

BBQs that are split 50-50 between hot plates and grill plates are recommended for greater cooking versatility.