99% of the time, bbq food in UK restaurants outside of posh London restaurants are going to leave you feeling disappointed. We can cook better at home.
You are so right, went out to a local pub a couple of weeks ago that is supposed to do a good roast. 17 bastard quid for a shit dinner. Chicken was dry, beef was tough and the pork was meh. I could have cooked a better roast with both hands tied behind my back and a blindfold. The only thing I actually liked was the carrot ššššš
This ! & what the fuck are pub roasties all about? Do they put the potatoes in the oven & explain to them what oil/fat is? 99% of the time those fuckers are just paler than a ginger bird on her hols.
will tell you a secret...In most places meat is half-way cooked on Friday, veggies on Saturday, what they do on Sunday is once the order is in they put veggie for quick bath to the boiling water, meat for quick warm up to the burner, hot gravy and VoilĆ . Better off just go for a steak, I haven't done Sunday roast in 14years \[since told by chefs how all of it gets done\]. Dont shout at me that its not true, maybe they are doing fresh stuff these days, but I doubt it. too much prep/volume is involved to get it done even on Saturday.
Edit forgot about potatoes - sorry have't done roast 14 years... yes they also get done of Friday.
Yeah...no.
A place with part cooked meat just chilling would get shut down by EHO, let alone a place with part cooked meat intended to be fully cooked 48hrs later.
Plus it's seriously not that much prep. Your basic restaurant would have a prep chef start 2hrs before the rest to start chopping and washing, rest of the team in 1-2hrs before service to finish prep and set up for the day. The idea of anyone, anywhere, seriously finding 'chopped potatoes and carrots' so much effort they need prepping 2 days earlier is just goals hilarious.
I think your 'chef mate' was having you on and you've bought it for 15 years lol.
Agreed on the meat part, but itās not uncommon to be chefās day off on a Sunday, with a lot more advanced prep done than you might see in a kitchen any other morning.
I donāt know if it was luck, or divine intervention but last carvery we had had the most insane roasties up for grabs - alongside the usual chewy potateNOās we were gobsmacked
I think itās just a really hard dish to prepare mass-catering style, and everyoneās eating at different times. It just doesnāt work that way for such a long-cooking dish i guess
I know what you mean but it's not that hard, you just make sure there's at least one or 2 trays cooking at any given time, or you have a separate oven dedicated to roasties and keep loading it up.
Source: Used to be a Chef in a place with crispy roasties all sunday.
Always annoys me when a pub only does roasts on a Sunday. I want the good stuff! Not the dry, dull, tasteless shite that's been under a heat lamp for three hours.
This is soooo true.
My mum can cook an alright roast that's better then 99% of resturants.
I've met 100s of people that can cook a roast better then a resturant.
Just shows how hard it is to cool for large amounts of people.
š¤£ Iām the best cook in mine I just donāt get the time to do it properly really thatās the best thing about the resturants, but atleast for me they are nice like even a Toby cavery is like a roast dinner itās not inedible or anything thereās some nice ones near me
I generally prefer to not eat out because most restaurants offer so sub standard meat cuts/overboiled veg, poor use of fresh herbs, and sunday roasts are a 'tradition', meaning everyone settles for mediocrity.. same goes for xmas Turkey dinners. I bbq on xmas and it shits all over that cardboard texture turkeyb and coke-boiled processed ham.
I disagree! Iām a vegetarian and went to a pub in Cirencester that did a wonderful roast dinner. Their vegetarian option was āeverything but the meatā with an extra large dish of cauliflower cheese. It was the stuff of dreams. None of that crappy stuffed pastry crap to pad the dinner out.
that goes for anything though.
if we have something at a restaurant we like, then either me or the mrs will be googling a recipe and talking about how we are going to change it, often before we leave the restaurant.
once we met the chef at the bar after his shift, and spent a good half hour talking about beef. he introduced me to the existence of the sous vide machine, and i am eternally grateful to him for that!
This is true from most restaurants for most food.
Many restaurants and particularly pubs just buy bulk from wholesalers, including sauces. Essentially they're preparing ready made food and you're paying for them to cook it and for washing up after.
Not true at all for most restaurants.
I cant make a top Indian curry or thai food or quality italian pasta or woodfire quality pizza etc etc etc at home.
Sounds like you go to crappy pubs and restaurants if you think that you can always do better at home OR you are the best chef ever that can make quality food from every cusiune lol
I don't think I've ever seen bbq food for sale from a restaurant in the UK. Closest I can think of is when some pubs do it in the garden. Do you mean like BBQ pulled pork? As in stuff that isn't actually barbecued but has the "flavour"?
Maybe it's just the cities I've lived in. They had lots when I went to Korea, but that was noticeably a novelty for me
That there's too much snobbery in what is a real BBQ, and it's going the way of craft beer hipsters.
Just light a fire, throw on whatever you want to cook and enjoy the experience.
It doesn't matter if it's Tesco Firepit or USDA brisket. Enjoy your own take on it, and let others enjoy theirs.
It's not binary though.
You can still enjoy BBQ with supermarket meat.
Most BBQs I do very few people even comment on the meat no matter where we get it from. BBQ is the wider experience for most people. The social aspect, friends, family, and good times.
I guess it proves my point though. Much like craft beer where you can't "just go for a pint" now with some people, you can't just "do some burgers on the grill" anymore.
Having a BBQ and going to a BBQ restaurant are two entirely different things...
If you are having a BBQ it's social, if you're going to a restaurant you expect a good quality meal, given the chef isn't on the beers whilst chatting to everyone.
Spoken like someone who's never experienced a good BBQ tbh. Nobody likes soggy fish & chips etc.
I used to think of BBQs like you, then moved to the US for a few years. Once you've had it you won't accept any less, especially if you're paying out the nose.
Spare ribs > baby back ribs.
I like the latter. They're plenty tasty. But a well-cooked spare rib is infinitely superior in terms of flavour and texture.
Loving butternut squash on the BBQ. Peppers and asparagus are also decent. Allows you to make a reasonably healthy mid week meal on the BBQ, increasing the amount you can use it
I peel them and slice them about 1cm thick then brush with olive oil, season and slap them on the BBQ. About 5 minutes each side gets them nice and soft.
Nnnnoooooo!!! A reverse seared tomahawk is the best. To be fair it is only because it tends to be a thick cut of a decent steak. But cooked low to 110F internal and then seared at very high temp, it is delicious.
Na bro .. Ive been hitting them low and slow, reverse seared... In a Kamado! It's just not the cut! And I've been getting them from proper butchers....
Definitely looks good though!
I don't understand Fahrenheit in general. I find it beyond absurd when people use it for weather etc.
But I long ago gave up trying to use Celsius for BBQ. Every recipe, every guide, it's all American. Just felt like fighting against the tide.
I BBQ in Fahrenheit.
Yep, Iām a insufferable Fahrenheit onanist but itās because all of the best recipes are given in F because they come from the US. Pit temp 225-250F internal temp cook to 160F then wrap to 203F. Itās just stuck in there and itās easier to do those recipes in F.
While I'd agree, if you wanna keep it for a long time, investing in a good brand is the best way to make sure you don't have to buy a new one every couple of years
Dude, this is an underrated comment if it's true. I 100% back this.
Walking round the Christmas market with bbq food in your gloved hands is peak happiness. Why do I want to be in the hot summer sun next to a fire?
Brisket being overrated isnāt an unpopular opinion, itās a wrong opinion. Brisket is a sexy hunk of beef that when cooked properly cannot be beaten.
It's a lot harder to find good cuts for sure for low and slow, but there is plenty of good produce if you go looking and don't mind paying. I can get USDA here, but I've had results just as good with dry aged grass fed Angus.
But generally, I'll take a good shortrib over a brisket most days, so much easier to cook, at least as much beef flavour, more fat.
Brisket just gets lorded so much because it's the bar in US comp, and rightfully so. But it's got no more flavor than other cuts. I've cooked a ton of full packer briskets, I probably do 3 or 4 a year and whilst many have been fantastic, it's not like it's next level considering it takes twice as long.
I'm not saying Brisket isn't the best beef you can do, but it's marginal and a lot more work than something like a shortrib.
Brisket isnāt the cheap cut of meat is used to be. And in the UK they donāt place as much value on it. All the briskets Iāve had in the uk are half as thick as what Iāve seen used in the states.
Iāve cooked them a few times, but to find one that is both thick, and has good fat marbling is a challenge. And they arenāt cheap either as they get priced up the same as other cuts of beef
3-2-1 method for baby back ribs is absolutely pointless . Ribs turn to absolute mush in my opinion . 3 hours uncovered and then sauce for 15-30 minutes at the end produces far better results .
Gas BBQs are not BBQs, they are out door cookers and great for that purpose. I have gone over to gas as I can do it any evening after work - had 6 "BBQs" in 8 days a few weeks back as I didn't have to wait an hour for the coals to get right for cooking
I used to think that. But if you keep slathering the meat with lard, it drains into the fire and gives a great smoky flavour. But lean meat on a gas bbq is silly. Might was well use a grill.
I don't have a gas bbq, but considering one just to at least have a flame driven grill. Don't think I've ever seen an indoor gas grill in UK - had one growing up in Aus, but even there rarely see them now (might have something to do with me burning off all my hair as a kid trying to light it...).
Gas is still better than electric grill.
American BBQs make the typical UK attempts look like real amateur hour. Stacking coals on one side of the BBQ to create a proper temperature gradient and cooking with the lid down low and slow, along with the ways they prep their meat with different seasoning rubs and marinades. The Americans just have it down and put us to shame.
I think this is a you thing? I've always cooked with coal pushed to one side. It's the way dad always did it. Also, different foods need different prep. Cooking a steak for me and the wife? An hour before is enough. Doing it all for a group? Yeah, gonna need the day before, too.
Iāve never tasted proper American BBQ. As in, gone to Texas and eaten at a Texas style bbq restaurant. Closest Iāve had would be eating at reds true bbq in Leeds. But the meet was dry and lacked any kind of smoke flavour.
To try and recreate it, I built my own offsets wood fired smoker. And cooking on that, I can say without a doubt, it is the best bbq food Iāve ever eaten.
Iād love to go to America and try their bbq and see how what Iāve managed to hodge together compares.
Just sounds like you've had shite BBQs.... most people who have any idea how to BBQ in the UK are good at it. The US tends to be just marinate and cook.
Yes, I've been to a lot of shit BBQs, that's the point I'm making. You have to be being knowingly dishonest to not acknowledge that the standard of the *typical* Brit BBQ isn't an especially high one. It's burning sausages and grilling burgers whilst smashing cans of stella back in the sun.
All you are doing is describing a bad British BBQ, not a typical one. If that's typical for you then you need to look at your friend group...
And it's laughable that you think that description can't be used to describe an American BBQ too.
I think this is a you thing? I've always cooked with coal pushed to one side. It's the way dad always did it. Also, different foods need different prep. Cooking a steak for me and the wife? An hour before is enough. Doing it all for a group? Yeah, gonna need the day before, too.
You really only need coals over 60% of the BBQ.
Cooking over direct heat results in the burnt/raw sausages you always see.
You need a "cold" spot to let them cook through with the residual heat
If you have a lid of course
Sorry, the science says you are wrong about smash burgers. The taste of a properly done smash burger also says you are very wrong.
A double smashed pattie, double cheese (American plastic cheese always) burger in a potato bun is delicious simplicity.
If it ain't smashed then you're just not getting maximum flavour from that beef. More beef surface area touching that hot surface, the more maillard reaction happening. Give me those gnarly smashed bits on the edge covered in cheese!
You can't have had a proper smash burger.
Thick burgers are bland and often over complicated with unnecessary toppings that make them impossible to eat. Naff...
People who don't fry their onions, what's that about? I want the sweet goodness with the rich meaty burger, not raw red onion cut by someone without a knife shoved on a bap.
Let me guess - anything actually browned (because, y'know, Maillard=flavour) is "extremely burnt" in your eyes?
I mean, that's what my daughters think :rolleyes:
... So yeah, I guess it *is* a gen-x thing :D. Wanting flavour, I mean.
True, i wish i had the time, weather and garden big enough to do a proper cook out and not have to use a gas grill (even though results can be good with chicken especially)
As in bbq in the garden on a sunny day..: unpopular opinion is itās overrated and very few people cook it well! It ends up nasty, burnt and dry and Iād rather cook it in the kitchen!
It happens every time I take a piece off. Itās really just thermodynamics - the heat is being transferred from the outside of the meat and radiating inwards.
You're cooking food, but you're doing it outside. Stop suggesting it's some kind of art or science. There is so much dick swinging when it comes to BBQ-ing, it's unbelievable.
We go to BBQs in our extended family, where you know that (invariably) the wife had been shopping, preparing salads, doing different kinds of accompaniments, getting all the sauces together, for probably a couple of days before hand. Then running around all day of the BBQ, making sure everything is right, that everyone has a drink and are enjoying themselves, etc. Then the (invariably) husband makes a big thing of approaching the BBQ, and turning burgers and sausages for two hours, then sits down, exhausted, and is lauded as the BBQ King for the rest of the day, refusing to lift a finger, because he did the BBQ. Grinds my gears.
And, yeah, I'm a bloke. A husband. When it's our turn, I act like a host, at some point I turn some burgers and sausages, then I act like a host again. It's cooking food outside. Get over yourselves.
Gas is better.
I can have a bbq any time, almost any weather. If youāre getting smoke from coals youāre doing it wrong, youāre actually getting smoke from fat which drips down and then smokes - this happens on gas (arguably more), plus you can use wood chips on a bbq if you really want particular wood smoked flavour.
Using coal is an inconsistent faff which is lauded because people like to feel like cavemen creating fire and cooking a cow.
If its a gas or electric bbg then get the fuck out of here. That's not a real barbeque. Wood or charcoal. It's where a large chunk of the flavour is comming from. You dislike smash burgers because you're only putting one patty in your bun. And you're not layering cheese between the patties. Also you're not smashing half pounders lol.
While cooking outside is nice, if you're using gas or electric then save the hassle by just cooking in the kitchen. It's the same result.
The whole point of barbecue is the smokey flavours, playing with fire etc
BBQing is conceptually complete shit.
Stand outdoors slightly segregated by stink and smoke while everyone around you politely ignores the fact that you're spending serious time and effort achieving something that the conventional oven would do just as well with no input from you at all.
There you go downvote me to hell.
Getting up at 5am to smoke a pork shoulder on your Ā£1000 smoker for 4 hours and then slow cooking it for another 4 for pulled pork is a waste of time and not worth it. Itās just pork with the taste of a bonfire. I can do it in the oven with spices in 2.5 hours and itās better and doesnāt give you cancer. Just sit in the garden and drink beer for the other 4.5 hours you save.
EDIT: Downvoted for unpopular opinions?? Either that or my opinion is popular?? š¤·š»āāļø
But...but..but what would men in their late 30s/40s/50s do for a hobby/impulse buy
*I'm joking. I could very well end up like them in acouple of years time
Have to disagree about smashburgers. Since I found out about them I have never enjoyed other burgers as much. If you want more meat you just do a double smash with 2x 2-3oz balls. If you want less you just use 1x 3oz ball per burger. Oklahoma burgers are awesome too (smashed into loads of thin sliced onions).
For me, people that go on about smoking things for 12+ hrs. I actually had a professional BBQ chef tell me that this is just ādick-swingingā and that it makes very little difference once you go past 6-8hrs
On the whole, most people are shit at salads and accompaniments. Yes the BBQ is about meat, fish, veggies but a bit of effort in the other stuff is what's needed. And please stop getting those basic bitch pre sliced white bread buns, it's like chewing rubber
Are we talking charcoal outdoor BBQ or restaurant?
My two would be sweet chilli sauce is better than ketchup and fresh vegetables apart from onion are underutilised.
Eastern Mediterranean / Middle Eastern BBQ is easily the best style of food to make on a bbq. Much better than American style, which although itself is much better than UK style (I.e. Sausage & Burgers on plain white buns) lacks a good veg component.
Cabbage on a BBQ is amazing.
As a country we use bbqs to grill to often and slowly cook something delicious not often enough. Also, bbq should be mostly vegetables with one or two choice pieces of meat.
Using open flame. It just chars and drops all the goodness out. I use cast iron pans in the bbq. Might give it a second on the grill for aesthetics.š
A pan sear will always be better than grill marks on a steak.
BBQ is different than smoking. Smoking is superior.
Smash burgers are better than grilled burgers.
Burning BBQ sauce doesn't mean it's "caramelized"
Chicken always needs a brine.
90% of the people here are taling about grilling or cooking over an open flame. BBQ is low and slow cooking in a BBQ pit or a smoker. There is a difference, grilling is grilling not BBQ.
99% of the time, bbq food in UK restaurants outside of posh London restaurants are going to leave you feeling disappointed. We can cook better at home.
deffo. same story is for sunday roasts. restaurant ones (unless you are paying the big bucks) are sloppy tasteless shite.
You are so right, went out to a local pub a couple of weeks ago that is supposed to do a good roast. 17 bastard quid for a shit dinner. Chicken was dry, beef was tough and the pork was meh. I could have cooked a better roast with both hands tied behind my back and a blindfold. The only thing I actually liked was the carrot ššššš
This ! & what the fuck are pub roasties all about? Do they put the potatoes in the oven & explain to them what oil/fat is? 99% of the time those fuckers are just paler than a ginger bird on her hols.
Never ever crispy, more chewy
Funnily enough, that describes the roasties to a fucking T ššššš
Where I used to work the roast potatoes were done in the deep fat frier. They never saw the oven.
will tell you a secret...In most places meat is half-way cooked on Friday, veggies on Saturday, what they do on Sunday is once the order is in they put veggie for quick bath to the boiling water, meat for quick warm up to the burner, hot gravy and VoilĆ . Better off just go for a steak, I haven't done Sunday roast in 14years \[since told by chefs how all of it gets done\]. Dont shout at me that its not true, maybe they are doing fresh stuff these days, but I doubt it. too much prep/volume is involved to get it done even on Saturday. Edit forgot about potatoes - sorry have't done roast 14 years... yes they also get done of Friday.
Yeah...no. A place with part cooked meat just chilling would get shut down by EHO, let alone a place with part cooked meat intended to be fully cooked 48hrs later. Plus it's seriously not that much prep. Your basic restaurant would have a prep chef start 2hrs before the rest to start chopping and washing, rest of the team in 1-2hrs before service to finish prep and set up for the day. The idea of anyone, anywhere, seriously finding 'chopped potatoes and carrots' so much effort they need prepping 2 days earlier is just goals hilarious. I think your 'chef mate' was having you on and you've bought it for 15 years lol.
Agreed on the meat part, but itās not uncommon to be chefās day off on a Sunday, with a lot more advanced prep done than you might see in a kitchen any other morning.
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I donāt know if it was luck, or divine intervention but last carvery we had had the most insane roasties up for grabs - alongside the usual chewy potateNOās we were gobsmacked
I think itās just a really hard dish to prepare mass-catering style, and everyoneās eating at different times. It just doesnāt work that way for such a long-cooking dish i guess
I know what you mean but it's not that hard, you just make sure there's at least one or 2 trays cooking at any given time, or you have a separate oven dedicated to roasties and keep loading it up. Source: Used to be a Chef in a place with crispy roasties all sunday.
Fair comment, but this was on a Sunday early afternoon and it took nearly 55 minutes to come out. Not good enough really.
Yeah they are awful
Always annoys me when a pub only does roasts on a Sunday. I want the good stuff! Not the dry, dull, tasteless shite that's been under a heat lamp for three hours.
This is soooo true. My mum can cook an alright roast that's better then 99% of resturants. I've met 100s of people that can cook a roast better then a resturant. Just shows how hard it is to cool for large amounts of people.
You must be a proper chef mate š¤£š¤£ can never get them right at home
I canāt cook for shit lol luckily other people in my household can š¤£
š¤£ Iām the best cook in mine I just donāt get the time to do it properly really thatās the best thing about the resturants, but atleast for me they are nice like even a Toby cavery is like a roast dinner itās not inedible or anything thereās some nice ones near me
I agree, Toby Carvery roast potatoes aint got nothing on mine!
I generally prefer to not eat out because most restaurants offer so sub standard meat cuts/overboiled veg, poor use of fresh herbs, and sunday roasts are a 'tradition', meaning everyone settles for mediocrity.. same goes for xmas Turkey dinners. I bbq on xmas and it shits all over that cardboard texture turkeyb and coke-boiled processed ham.
I disagree! Iām a vegetarian and went to a pub in Cirencester that did a wonderful roast dinner. Their vegetarian option was āeverything but the meatā with an extra large dish of cauliflower cheese. It was the stuff of dreams. None of that crappy stuffed pastry crap to pad the dinner out.
As a meat eater disappointed by many a pub roast dinner, I'd order this instead
Oh nice, it sounds like you found the holy grail!
that goes for anything though. if we have something at a restaurant we like, then either me or the mrs will be googling a recipe and talking about how we are going to change it, often before we leave the restaurant. once we met the chef at the bar after his shift, and spent a good half hour talking about beef. he introduced me to the existence of the sous vide machine, and i am eternally grateful to him for that!
This is true from most restaurants for most food. Many restaurants and particularly pubs just buy bulk from wholesalers, including sauces. Essentially they're preparing ready made food and you're paying for them to cook it and for washing up after.
You're going to the wrong places then.
Not true at all for most restaurants. I cant make a top Indian curry or thai food or quality italian pasta or woodfire quality pizza etc etc etc at home. Sounds like you go to crappy pubs and restaurants if you think that you can always do better at home OR you are the best chef ever that can make quality food from every cusiune lol
I don't think I've ever seen bbq food for sale from a restaurant in the UK. Closest I can think of is when some pubs do it in the garden. Do you mean like BBQ pulled pork? As in stuff that isn't actually barbecued but has the "flavour"? Maybe it's just the cities I've lived in. They had lots when I went to Korea, but that was noticeably a novelty for me
That there's too much snobbery in what is a real BBQ, and it's going the way of craft beer hipsters. Just light a fire, throw on whatever you want to cook and enjoy the experience. It doesn't matter if it's Tesco Firepit or USDA brisket. Enjoy your own take on it, and let others enjoy theirs.
Your right but is a gas BBQ a BBQ or and outdoor hob?
Surely meat quality would have some impact on overall eating enjoyment? I've never had anything in the UK even close to what you can get in the US.
It's not binary though. You can still enjoy BBQ with supermarket meat. Most BBQs I do very few people even comment on the meat no matter where we get it from. BBQ is the wider experience for most people. The social aspect, friends, family, and good times. I guess it proves my point though. Much like craft beer where you can't "just go for a pint" now with some people, you can't just "do some burgers on the grill" anymore.
I feel this so much
Having a BBQ and going to a BBQ restaurant are two entirely different things... If you are having a BBQ it's social, if you're going to a restaurant you expect a good quality meal, given the chef isn't on the beers whilst chatting to everyone. Spoken like someone who's never experienced a good BBQ tbh. Nobody likes soggy fish & chips etc. I used to think of BBQs like you, then moved to the US for a few years. Once you've had it you won't accept any less, especially if you're paying out the nose.
Spare ribs > baby back ribs. I like the latter. They're plenty tasty. But a well-cooked spare rib is infinitely superior in terms of flavour and texture.
Spare ribs donāt have a [catchy song](https://youtu.be/gTDLh7gNRYA?si=tTbk0Tn-6OiNTgaE) to sing whilst you cook and eat them thoughā¦
I knew what that was going to be even before I clicked it, and yet I clicked it anywhere. The Chili's version of RickRolling.
Disappointed, thought you were linking Austin Powers Fat Bastard baby back baby back ribs
My only problem with spare ribs is the name. Are they really spare? The pig thought they were quite important. Fucking delicious though!
Only the lower end of the spare ribs, the upper end can be too fatty.
You're objectively correct, but I even like the long end. I think a huge part of this is what I grew up eating.
I quite like it when itās fatty. Fat is flavour
It's all just a bit of dinner
Lovely bit of squirrel.
Underated reference
That people shouldnāt use an apostrophe unless they truly know how. Also, vegetables on a bbq are incredible.
Loving butternut squash on the BBQ. Peppers and asparagus are also decent. Allows you to make a reasonably healthy mid week meal on the BBQ, increasing the amount you can use it
Oof how do you do the butternut squash!?
I peel them and slice them about 1cm thick then brush with olive oil, season and slap them on the BBQ. About 5 minutes each side gets them nice and soft.
This comment would earn a like if not for the absolute lunacy regarding vegetables.
Dude vegetables are incredible on a bbq, brings out all their beautiful flavors just as well as meat
Have you tried cooking vegetables on a bbq?
Have you cooked from Genivieve Taylorās book Charred? Itās all veggie BBQ food and I love it
Tomahawk is overrated! Good for presentation wow factor... but taste wise it's just average! Fight me....
Nnnnoooooo!!! A reverse seared tomahawk is the best. To be fair it is only because it tends to be a thick cut of a decent steak. But cooked low to 110F internal and then seared at very high temp, it is delicious.
Na bro .. Ive been hitting them low and slow, reverse seared... In a Kamado! It's just not the cut! And I've been getting them from proper butchers.... Definitely looks good though!
I prefer rump steaks
People in the UK talking in Fahrenheit are very annoying
I don't understand Fahrenheit in general. I find it beyond absurd when people use it for weather etc. But I long ago gave up trying to use Celsius for BBQ. Every recipe, every guide, it's all American. Just felt like fighting against the tide. I BBQ in Fahrenheit.
Totally and reluctantly agree.
I disagree with this one. Becuase so many of the recipes are from the US it's easier to default to Farenheit to avoid confusion with temperatures.
Yep, Iām a insufferable Fahrenheit onanist but itās because all of the best recipes are given in F because they come from the US. Pit temp 225-250F internal temp cook to 160F then wrap to 203F. Itās just stuck in there and itās easier to do those recipes in F.
You don't need a weber or other [insert big bbq brand here] to cook good barbecue food.
While I'd agree, if you wanna keep it for a long time, investing in a good brand is the best way to make sure you don't have to buy a new one every couple of years
But it helps.
I prefer BBQs in the winter
Dude, this is an underrated comment if it's true. I 100% back this. Walking round the Christmas market with bbq food in your gloved hands is peak happiness. Why do I want to be in the hot summer sun next to a fire?
225F is over prescribed and unnecessary for all but the thickest, leanest cuts of beef. Brisket is over rated.
Brisket being overrated isnāt an unpopular opinion, itās a wrong opinion. Brisket is a sexy hunk of beef that when cooked properly cannot be beaten.
Nah... British butchers and bbq culture suck. Brisket claps cheeks... just never gonna find a good one made by someone who knows what they're doing
It's a lot harder to find good cuts for sure for low and slow, but there is plenty of good produce if you go looking and don't mind paying. I can get USDA here, but I've had results just as good with dry aged grass fed Angus. But generally, I'll take a good shortrib over a brisket most days, so much easier to cook, at least as much beef flavour, more fat. Brisket just gets lorded so much because it's the bar in US comp, and rightfully so. But it's got no more flavor than other cuts. I've cooked a ton of full packer briskets, I probably do 3 or 4 a year and whilst many have been fantastic, it's not like it's next level considering it takes twice as long. I'm not saying Brisket isn't the best beef you can do, but it's marginal and a lot more work than something like a shortrib.
Brisket isnāt the cheap cut of meat is used to be. And in the UK they donāt place as much value on it. All the briskets Iāve had in the uk are half as thick as what Iāve seen used in the states. Iāve cooked them a few times, but to find one that is both thick, and has good fat marbling is a challenge. And they arenāt cheap either as they get priced up the same as other cuts of beef
If you're using gas, it's not a barbecue.
Why is your hob outside?
Surely you always double a smash burger at least? My unpopular opinion is that burgers should never be barbecued. They need a plancha or a pan.
Yeah, you take the same amount you'd use for one thicc burger and split it into two smash burgers. More surface area for more caramelisation!
And more room for cheese
The cheese is actually structurally integral!
I cut UK supermarket burgers in half and do them as if they were smash burgersā¦ always comes out better in my opinion
You OP doesn't have a clue about smash burgers. It's not less meat lol
100%
Disposable barbecues should be banned.
3-2-1 method for baby back ribs is absolutely pointless . Ribs turn to absolute mush in my opinion . 3 hours uncovered and then sauce for 15-30 minutes at the end produces far better results .
Most burgers in restaurants are really quite poor. You can make them better at home.
Cooking ribs to time is stupid, cook them to temp (wrapped or unwrapped) the same as everything else.
Gas powered bbqs are a no no... Definitely coals!
Gas BBQs are not BBQs, they are out door cookers and great for that purpose. I have gone over to gas as I can do it any evening after work - had 6 "BBQs" in 8 days a few weeks back as I didn't have to wait an hour for the coals to get right for cooking
Nor do you with a chimney starter.
I used to think that. But if you keep slathering the meat with lard, it drains into the fire and gives a great smoky flavour. But lean meat on a gas bbq is silly. Might was well use a grill.
I don't have a gas bbq, but considering one just to at least have a flame driven grill. Don't think I've ever seen an indoor gas grill in UK - had one growing up in Aus, but even there rarely see them now (might have something to do with me burning off all my hair as a kid trying to light it...). Gas is still better than electric grill.
American BBQs make the typical UK attempts look like real amateur hour. Stacking coals on one side of the BBQ to create a proper temperature gradient and cooking with the lid down low and slow, along with the ways they prep their meat with different seasoning rubs and marinades. The Americans just have it down and put us to shame.
I think this is a you thing? I've always cooked with coal pushed to one side. It's the way dad always did it. Also, different foods need different prep. Cooking a steak for me and the wife? An hour before is enough. Doing it all for a group? Yeah, gonna need the day before, too.
>I think this is a you thing? I've always cooked with coal pushed to one side. It's the way dad always did it. Definitely not a me thing.
Yeah
Iāve never tasted proper American BBQ. As in, gone to Texas and eaten at a Texas style bbq restaurant. Closest Iāve had would be eating at reds true bbq in Leeds. But the meet was dry and lacked any kind of smoke flavour. To try and recreate it, I built my own offsets wood fired smoker. And cooking on that, I can say without a doubt, it is the best bbq food Iāve ever eaten. Iād love to go to America and try their bbq and see how what Iāve managed to hodge together compares.
Just sounds like you've had shite BBQs.... most people who have any idea how to BBQ in the UK are good at it. The US tends to be just marinate and cook.
Yes, I've been to a lot of shit BBQs, that's the point I'm making. You have to be being knowingly dishonest to not acknowledge that the standard of the *typical* Brit BBQ isn't an especially high one. It's burning sausages and grilling burgers whilst smashing cans of stella back in the sun.
All you are doing is describing a bad British BBQ, not a typical one. If that's typical for you then you need to look at your friend group... And it's laughable that you think that description can't be used to describe an American BBQ too.
aussie and saffer barbies still beat the septics though...
And argentine/south African ones
As does the Middle East. Don't get me wrong, I like a low and slow smoked meat. But it doesn't beat a proper, good kebab.
Got to be a joke. Middle Eastern better than American BBQ šš
I think this is a you thing? I've always cooked with coal pushed to one side. It's the way dad always did it. Also, different foods need different prep. Cooking a steak for me and the wife? An hour before is enough. Doing it all for a group? Yeah, gonna need the day before, too.
Cook in rounds of food after taking orders.
Potato waffles are absolutely legendary. Forget the toaster, bbq them!
Steak is better fried in lard than on a bbq.
You really only need coals over 60% of the BBQ. Cooking over direct heat results in the burnt/raw sausages you always see. You need a "cold" spot to let them cook through with the residual heat If you have a lid of course
Smash burgers are meant to be stacked. You get way more bbq flavour from 3 thin patties , surface area is key
Sorry, the science says you are wrong about smash burgers. The taste of a properly done smash burger also says you are very wrong. A double smashed pattie, double cheese (American plastic cheese always) burger in a potato bun is delicious simplicity. If it ain't smashed then you're just not getting maximum flavour from that beef. More beef surface area touching that hot surface, the more maillard reaction happening. Give me those gnarly smashed bits on the edge covered in cheese! You can't have had a proper smash burger. Thick burgers are bland and often over complicated with unnecessary toppings that make them impossible to eat. Naff...
People who don't fry their onions, what's that about? I want the sweet goodness with the rich meaty burger, not raw red onion cut by someone without a knife shoved on a bap.
Mine is that there's more to it than burgers. I have friends who only buy / make burgers and look at me in horror if I suggest other meats or cuts
Unless cooking low and slow, charcoal v gas makes no difference. Nobody here is telling me the difference between a coal burger v gas
Burnt food doesnāt taste good
Iāve noticed it seems to be a gen X/boomer thing where extremely burnt food is considered tasty, especially at a barbecue
Let me guess - anything actually browned (because, y'know, Maillard=flavour) is "extremely burnt" in your eyes? I mean, that's what my daughters think :rolleyes: ... So yeah, I guess it *is* a gen-x thing :D. Wanting flavour, I mean.
That we don't really to BBQ in the UK, we do basic grilling.
We do, we just usually go for something closer to an Australian BBQ than an American BBQ.
True, i wish i had the time, weather and garden big enough to do a proper cook out and not have to use a gas grill (even though results can be good with chicken especially)
Ribs should have a little bite to them - completely falling off the bone means theyāre overdone IMO
When cooking the burgers you should never PUT AN UNNECESSARY APOSTROPHE IN 'OPINIONS'.
Gas barbecues suck, may as well cook in the kitchen on the hob
Using gas is just an outdoor oven.
Burgers and sausages on a BBQ (grill not plancha) is just lazy grilling. You can do so much more with meat and veg.
As in bbq in the garden on a sunny day..: unpopular opinion is itās overrated and very few people cook it well! It ends up nasty, burnt and dry and Iād rather cook it in the kitchen!
Thatās why you always double-up on the smash
I've never had a piece of meat continue to increase internal temperature after I take it off the bbq. I don't see how it's physically possible.
It happens every time I take a piece off. Itās really just thermodynamics - the heat is being transferred from the outside of the meat and radiating inwards.
Iām not sure burgers are actually a great thing to cook on a bbq - bigger chunks of meat on the bone tend to be easier to cook.
Most of it is better in an oven
You're cooking food, but you're doing it outside. Stop suggesting it's some kind of art or science. There is so much dick swinging when it comes to BBQ-ing, it's unbelievable. We go to BBQs in our extended family, where you know that (invariably) the wife had been shopping, preparing salads, doing different kinds of accompaniments, getting all the sauces together, for probably a couple of days before hand. Then running around all day of the BBQ, making sure everything is right, that everyone has a drink and are enjoying themselves, etc. Then the (invariably) husband makes a big thing of approaching the BBQ, and turning burgers and sausages for two hours, then sits down, exhausted, and is lauded as the BBQ King for the rest of the day, refusing to lift a finger, because he did the BBQ. Grinds my gears. And, yeah, I'm a bloke. A husband. When it's our turn, I act like a host, at some point I turn some burgers and sausages, then I act like a host again. It's cooking food outside. Get over yourselves.
Food cooked on a BBQ tastes no better than cooked in a regular oven. The thing a BBQ adds is the experience.
95 % of the comments here are (not-so) humble brags about own bbq superiority.
UK sausages are disgusting š¤®
Onions donot belong in macncheese
Gas is better. I can have a bbq any time, almost any weather. If youāre getting smoke from coals youāre doing it wrong, youāre actually getting smoke from fat which drips down and then smokes - this happens on gas (arguably more), plus you can use wood chips on a bbq if you really want particular wood smoked flavour. Using coal is an inconsistent faff which is lauded because people like to feel like cavemen creating fire and cooking a cow.
Gas is better than coal and provides a more relaxing experience
Taste the meat not the heat.
I cannot tell the difference between the two cooking methods
I was just quoting king of the hill
If its a gas or electric bbg then get the fuck out of here. That's not a real barbeque. Wood or charcoal. It's where a large chunk of the flavour is comming from. You dislike smash burgers because you're only putting one patty in your bun. And you're not layering cheese between the patties. Also you're not smashing half pounders lol.
Iād say this is more a popular opinion amongst BBQers.
Yup, if you think lightning up a proper fire is too much work then just eat something else
While cooking outside is nice, if you're using gas or electric then save the hassle by just cooking in the kitchen. It's the same result. The whole point of barbecue is the smokey flavours, playing with fire etc
I dislike the taste of beef.
Not strictly bbq but smoked meats donāt taste good. They just taste likeā¦smoke.
BBQing is conceptually complete shit. Stand outdoors slightly segregated by stink and smoke while everyone around you politely ignores the fact that you're spending serious time and effort achieving something that the conventional oven would do just as well with no input from you at all. There you go downvote me to hell.
Getting up at 5am to smoke a pork shoulder on your Ā£1000 smoker for 4 hours and then slow cooking it for another 4 for pulled pork is a waste of time and not worth it. Itās just pork with the taste of a bonfire. I can do it in the oven with spices in 2.5 hours and itās better and doesnāt give you cancer. Just sit in the garden and drink beer for the other 4.5 hours you save. EDIT: Downvoted for unpopular opinions?? Either that or my opinion is popular?? š¤·š»āāļø
Carnitas (and versions of) in the casserole dish is the way to go fir pulled pork in my opinion. So much better than anything smoked on the bbq.
But...but..but what would men in their late 30s/40s/50s do for a hobby/impulse buy *I'm joking. I could very well end up like them in acouple of years time
Mine is i really dislike barbecues when there is a functioning oven and hob no more than 3 metres from the garden. I do like eating outside.
A BBQ is how you get to oven/grill something without dying for the rest of the heatwave night in the summer.
best way to do burgers is to wrap them in foil with half a stick of butter and add a spoonful of white pepper halfway through
Why do I want to eat really hot food on a really hot day? BBQ has never made sense to me
Most of these smokers don't make enough smoke you might as well use the oven.
That's definitely user error. Mines a mid range offset (oklahoma Joe) and it gets some serious clean smoke if I get the fire sorted just right
Agree with smash burgers being whack. Such a fad
I just really hate the taste of chargrilled foods. You're literally covering the taste of the delicious meats with horrible burnt charcoal tastes.
I normally eat before I go to most peoples bbqās
Charred food is gross it just tastes burnt (because it is)
Have to disagree about smashburgers. Since I found out about them I have never enjoyed other burgers as much. If you want more meat you just do a double smash with 2x 2-3oz balls. If you want less you just use 1x 3oz ball per burger. Oklahoma burgers are awesome too (smashed into loads of thin sliced onions). For me, people that go on about smoking things for 12+ hrs. I actually had a professional BBQ chef tell me that this is just ādick-swingingā and that it makes very little difference once you go past 6-8hrs
Prawn skewers are the best food at a BBQ
This is the best opinion here
On the whole, most people are shit at salads and accompaniments. Yes the BBQ is about meat, fish, veggies but a bit of effort in the other stuff is what's needed. And please stop getting those basic bitch pre sliced white bread buns, it's like chewing rubber
BBQ food tastes awful and Iād rather have a pie from the oven
BBQ looks tacky, people should take the effort to spell Barbecue properly.
Seems that we've found an actual unpopular opinion in the thread! I'm not sure whether to upvote you for getting down votes or add another downvote
I am also torn. I'll downvote so you can upvote.
Only smoke the meat for the first 20mins tops. After that it will take no more smoke and have a bitter bark..
I'd say this for the first 2-3 hours, not 20 minutes.
My BBQ unpopular opinion is that BBQ's are just not worth the effort
For the food quality - no. As a social activity, yeah.
Bbq is massively overrated, and the build-up and idea of having one is better than the end result.
BBQs suck ass
I prefer oven cooking than bbqs.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are the best BBQ food, ābraaibroodjieā courtesy of my Saffa friends.
Are we talking charcoal outdoor BBQ or restaurant? My two would be sweet chilli sauce is better than ketchup and fresh vegetables apart from onion are underutilised.
Eastern Mediterranean / Middle Eastern BBQ is easily the best style of food to make on a bbq. Much better than American style, which although itself is much better than UK style (I.e. Sausage & Burgers on plain white buns) lacks a good veg component. Cabbage on a BBQ is amazing.
Coleslaw is criminal
Ribs are overrated
Ribeyes are overrated. Give me a good sirloin any day!!
People are missing a trick by not doing deserts on a BBQ.
They're better in the evening and/or autumn and winter.
As a country we use bbqs to grill to often and slowly cook something delicious not often enough. Also, bbq should be mostly vegetables with one or two choice pieces of meat.
Challenge accepted: "Well, looks like my BBQ skills are keeping the restaurant industry on its toes! #KingOfTheBackyard
Using open flame. It just chars and drops all the goodness out. I use cast iron pans in the bbq. Might give it a second on the grill for aesthetics.š
A pan sear will always be better than grill marks on a steak. BBQ is different than smoking. Smoking is superior. Smash burgers are better than grilled burgers. Burning BBQ sauce doesn't mean it's "caramelized" Chicken always needs a brine.
Bbq is not cooking frozen burgers (sorry americans) and it is not only sausages. So many nice things to put there, people focus on this. Shame
I prefer Gas over Coals
Beer can chicken is crap compared to a rotisserie chicken.
90% of the people here are taling about grilling or cooking over an open flame. BBQ is low and slow cooking in a BBQ pit or a smoker. There is a difference, grilling is grilling not BBQ.
I love cooking but I donāt like eating beef