I have been in the Calor Gas business for over thirty years and have always barbecued using a gas barbecue, as you might expect! However, a couple of weeks ago we had a holiday in a Portugese villa and it had a built-in charcoal barbecue (pictured above).
In one week we had to buy 2 x 5kg bags of charcoal at 4 euros each. The charcoal lumps were often enormous and needed breaking up to make them usable, a filthy business! Each barbecue ignition required half a pack of firelighters at 3.50 euros per pack. Placing them made my hands reek of petrol and so I had to wash my hands again before putting the food on.
Unlike gas, control of the heat was a nightmare, as we could adjust the height of the food grid (3 positions) and that was all. When the barbecue was ready for the food about 40 minutes after ignition (unlike gas where it is 5 minutes) the temperature was far too hot. It was virtually impossible to turn the food with tongs owing to the heat (I lost most of the hairs on my hand in the process). I then tried to use the tongs with oven gloves but control was not easy and several pieces of food were sacrificed to the charcoal inferno below.
As always happens some food items were ready before others and there was nowhere to remove them from searing heat just to keep warm as you can on a gas barbecue. We also had a sharp rain shower and of course the barbecue lacked the portability of a gas barbecue to seek shelter.
So I continue to believe that gas barbecuing is the real answer. What do think folks? Let us have an on line debate on the subject. http://www.towler-staines.co.uk/shop/97-gas-barbecues
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