bbq - is it just me?

I'm another anti-barbecuer. It's as Fireflies says - the women rush around like blue-a****d flies doing all the salads, accompaniments, while the husband pokes some chicken/sausages/burgers around, clad in a pinny and with drink to hand. Everyone praises the man, and he genuinely believes he has provided the meal.

It's the neighbours who barbecue right next to your fence and washing line I get irritated with, especially when they turn the music up loud so they can hear it at the bottom of the garden.

I've enjoyed going to many BBQs, but in these days of crowded housing, they can often be so anti-social.

Bah, humbug.....!

I love eating outdoors, I love fires, but no to BBQs. Every weekend and quite a few weekday evenings in the summer the gardens here fill with the stink of paraffin (because they are too lazy/unskilled to make a proper fire first), which lingers all day, and then the stench of burning flesh which as a veggy I find pretty disgusting, smells like a crematorium. Just bring a big bowl of salad, you barbarians.

And then the carousing into the small hours...

Tant pis, this is the joy of living in the city. Yes really.

Can't stand them, the smell makes me feel sick. The neighbours at the bottom of the garden have 3 or 4 a week in the summer. I have to guess when I might possibly hang the washing out and have to look out for the rising smoke so I can run and get it in. Next, have to go around the house closing all the windows. Sorry but the barby has never appealed to me. Also hate flies with a vengence, can't stand them buzzing about the food while trying to eat. Yuk

Just a word in praise of DD and SIL who hosted a barbecue on Sunday. SIL helped with all prep and cooked a lovely piece of lamb on the barbecue, it was tender and full of flavour, plus sausages and veggie kebabs. Berries for pudding, lollies for the children. 7 adults and 5 children had a lovely time. They do have a nice big garden and patio.

Not keen. DH insists on cooking & as it is only time he ever does it is always burnt. So much clearing up afterwards too.

Much easier to cook it indoors & carry it all out.

Haven't had one for years. DH not into cooking in any form! Sausages and burgers not a treat for me. I, like others, would rather do sandwiches, and other cold offerings. Useful to have cakes or cold puddings in freezer that can be defrosted fairly last minute - or just buy. Strawberries, meringues and cream will do.

I was invited to a beach barbecue when I was working in Turkey. We went down to the beach at 2 a.m. I sat and chopped the salad whilst the lads went into the sea with a long net and netted some fish, they then cleaned the fish and onto the barbecue it went. A bottle of Efes beer, freshest fish I've ever had, salad and freshly cooked bread, I'm definitely a barbecue fan.

i love a barbecue - although unfortunately haven't been able to have one for some time.
went with a group of friends down to a local beach a few years ago and, as we all took individual barbecues, we had a great time.
unfortunately my cast iron barbecue is broken and so i'm going to have to replace it. my little "bucket barbecue" isn't big enough for family cooking just for taking out in the country [or on the beach].
and i love the smell of other peoples' barbecues - even if it gets indoors.
although i just can't get any enthusiasm for doing anything outdoors in this ultra hot weather - i just don't do hot.

We used to have one about twice a year, many years ago. Realised what hard work and how expensive it was to do a family get together. Haven't bothered for about 15 years despite the bbq my OH built still being in the garden.

Our horrible neighbours have them from the first opportunity each year, sometimes three or four a week, smells disgusting. Plus they cannot manage to be outside without music blaring away. Cannot see the point of cooking cheap sausages and burgers outside.

I've been wondering about getting a pizza oven like Deedaa

My concerns are:

It won't get used once the novelty's worn off.

DH won't be interested because he's the barbecue king and doesn't 'do' pizza.

I'll be the one making loads of dough.

Can just as easily make pizza indoors and sit outside to eat it.

Goodness, didn't rate myself highly as a hostess BUT now I realise how awful I am. BBQ for me is mixed bag of meats for self service on the grill with pile of rolls awaiting buttering by the consumer. Finger licking with kitchen roll is the order of the day. Sweet is a huge tub of ice cream with scoop - again self service.
Have to assume friends and family are okay with it because they keep coming back and haven't yet brought any additions other than ketchup.

We used to live in a flat and all summer we had the stench of BBQ in our bedroom every weekend and quite often on weekday evenings as well. When I suggested politely, I think, that the grill should be moved down to the opposite end of the property the following summer, all the neighbours looked at me as if I were mad.
I explained that we could not have the window in our bedroom open because of the smell and as we lived in the middle of town with the other rooms facing a busy street opening those windows meant we were deafened by traffic

Strange to say, the same neighbours who had no objection to the smell of BBQ, as long as it was under OUR windows, not theirs, objected to my husband smoking in our own flat and wanted him to do so outside in all weathers .

There's nowt so queer as folk!

Totally agree about all the work involved. Love the idea of bbqs but hate the actuality. Food is never ready together, we eat in drive and drabs and everything tastes the same! Would sooner cook in the oven and all eat outside together.

BBQ's are lovely as a guest rather than the host. In my own garden I find them the most stressful way to cook and would much rather just cook in the kitchen and then eat outside. Our charcoal one is too small for more than a few people but DH won't think of having a larger or gas one. I also find it difficult to judge just when to bring out salads, dips bread etc to avoid them either drying up or being attacked by insects. So last night when we were also looking after three DGC I was running around like the proverbial, dishing out drinks, preparing salad while stopping two of them fighting. The third one came in to report that grandad was getting cross because the burgers were burning . Oh and I appeared to have bought the wrong sausages. Next weekend we have been invited to friends to eat - phew!

I'm going to show this chat to my family. They always take the mickey out of me as they all love BBQs and I'm really not a fan. So glad others feel they're a load of faff and hard work. I now just announce that I don't do BBQs. If they want them then they can do them and clear up after!

Actually this has reminded me of something in one of the Sunday supplements recently.....evidently home BBQs are passé - its all about the outdoor pizza oven now! so Lindajane you could just suggest they organised you one!

I do not like BBQs! I am vegetarian but do't like meat substitutes that taste like meat!

After reading this thread I would like to pay tribute to DH, who does almost all the cooking since he retired (he does it for fun; I used to do it because we wanted to be fed!) and hasn't suggested having a BBQ for many years, as he has more fun cooking something more complicated indoors. I am well aware that I am very lucky and that he is one in a million (even if he can't always work the lid of the laundry basket).

An outdoor pizza oven has proved to be a great success in a church in East Glasgow, where the youth group is using a polytunnel to grow their own vegetables and herbs and learning that pizzas can be made from scratch and don't have to be high-fat take-aways. Trendy and educational all in one!

I hate them

What a brilliant idea Wheniwasyourage!

Since when is standing on a poky bit of grass,eating anaemic undercooked sausages and greasy overcooked economy burgers whilst swilling down supermarket-brand lager from paper cups (and overshadowed by a neighbours full line of washing and their kiddies screeching & whooping whilst bouncing themselves silly on their garden trampoline) a social occasion of any description?

Ours are nothing like that .....
and I've never been to one like that either



but then, we can't see our neighbours' washing either

merlotgran you can borrow my seldom-used breadmaker to make your dough for the pizzas if you like

DH doesn't like pizza although he has eaten home-made-from-scratch ones made by Italian friends in an authentic pizza oven and said they were 'very nice'!

Exactly as OP describes in this household too. At least I do enjoy the taste though - and DH cleans the BBQ.

Our vegetarian son did great barbeque for us on Father's day. Loads of side dishes (all vegetarian) but "brilliant, juicy" (7yr old son's words!) chicken and chorizo kebabs. Grilled haloumi done on a disposable barbeque works and everything has a great flavour. We took doggie bag home with the left over kebabs which I did on Monday's evening on our "wee pail" barbeque. Don't think they were as tasty as his but we enjoyed them along with the other left overs (patatas bravas, coleslaw, etc). Unfortunately we are in the north of Scotland so don't know when the next one will be - last year we managed two!!!

Cheers, Jalima

Now....Does one batch of pizza dough make a pizza large enough to feed the hungry hordes? Do you have to keep baking more?

What happens if the temperature drops because there's not enough wood on the fire? Do you get a soggy bottom pizza?

Is it like an outdoor AGA?

Do I need to buy another table to prepare everything outside?

Do you roll out or shape the pizza dough or fling around hoping not to drop it?

Am I overthinking this?