bbq - is it just me?

Iam64 - Result!

I need to report a close shave on the BBQ front. Youngest, her partner and their 17 month old called about four pm. Why don't we BBQ they said merrily, we missed lunch so shall we start now. I said a word I rarely use where my children are concerned - no. Luckily I'd put a posh pizza in the freezer in case of just this emergency. So, quick salad, pizza, strawberries and ice cream and off they went, happily.
I'm going to sit down now with a glass of wine and sigh of relief,

It was probably .....

Not I was - I certainly wasn't building in this heat

I was probably 'Righty Ho, I'm Off' and is busy building it right now

Ha Ha Jalima, We have a lot of bricks left over from a building project so I have just suggested to DH that he might like to build a dome shaped pizza oven.

Didn't quite catch his reply but I think the second word was OFF!

We've moved on from cooking over a fire outdoors. Kitchens are for cooking in. No BBQs for us.

I hate them. I've had food poisoning 3 times, due to men doing the cooking with one hand and probably scratching their backside with the other.

Swift change of mind merlotgran?
There are cheaper ones! But you do get what you pay for as DM always used to say.

While appreciating what some of you are saying about the smell and smoke , how many bbq days do we get in England? Just live and let live a little. So far this year I haven't been aware of one around me.

How much???????

Only A$2,099 available from Bunnings who have taken over Homebase - a snip!

HELP!

I don't know; DD has one but we haven't had a pizza made in it yet and some of her friends have outdoor ovens.

Re the dough - just chuck the ingredients in and take it out after the first rise I suppose. The Italian friends of DD were flinging it around a lot with some olive oil as far as I remember in the kitchen, putting on the toppings then their DHs did the clever bit of baking them and got all the applause.

I don't know if they are wood burners or what, I just watched and drank

I'm with all the other veggies who hate the stench of scorching meat. I also get queasy from the fumes of the fuel used, and am tired of having to close the windows and race down the garden to snatch in my washing to save it from the unsubtle aroma of "Eau de BBQ"!
I do think cooking outdoors in an urban environment is antisocial. Bah humbug!

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?

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!!!

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

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'!

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

What a brilliant idea Wheniwasyourage!

I hate them

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

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'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!

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!