Charcoal Kettle Barbecues

Buyers guide to charcoal kettle barbecues

Charcoal kettle barbecues are the iconic BBQ shape and still hugely popular, often the first grill newcomers to outdoor cooking opt for as they are fairly straightforward to operate. Charcoal is the fuel of choice for barbecue purists who claim that other fuels such as gas, electric and wood pellet don’t give you that authentic smoky flavour. Click here to read the blog and watch the video where we compare burgers cooked on 3 different grills; charcoal, gas and electric. Our barbecues are all sourced by The Barbecue Shop manager, Ian Hodgett, who is a fanatical barbecuer, owning grills of every fuel type and using them throughout the whole year, even using them for cooking the Christmas dinner. Click here to read the blog and watch the video showing how to cook the Christmas turkey on the Weber Master-Touch. He has worked at Hayes for the whole of his career so is well aware of the standards our customers require, which is why we only stock barbecues from the most respected manufacturers such as Weber, Kamado Joe, Traeger and OutdoorChef. Once you have mastered the different heat zones (click here to watch the video where we explain the various heat zones) you can cook almost anything on your kettle barbecue that you can in the kitchen. The Weber Master-Touch which features the GBS (Gourmet Barbecue System) allows you to really expand your range of recipes as there are a selection of accessories which enable you to cook dishes which you can’t cook on the grate. The Dutch oven can be used to cook casseroles, warming winter stews and pot roast joints or chicken. If you thought BBQ food was mainly meat based and unhealthy then the GBS wok can change your mind and enable you to cook delicious stir fries; try this quick Kung Pao chicken cooked on the Weber Master-Touch. The GBS griddle can enable you to cook delicate fillets of fish that would otherwise be impossible to remove from the grate, it is also essential for an al fresco great English breakfast. The charcoal kettle range include the Weber Smoeky Joe portable BBQ allowing you say goodbye to soggy sandwiches on your picnic and embrace fresh cooked BBQ fare. The disadvantage of the charcoal BBQ is that disposing of the ash can be a bit messy and if you are on a picnic you must wait until they have gone cold. We have lots of BBQ videos on our Youtube channel featuring Ian and top BBQ chef Richard Holden showing you the tech tips and hints to help you make the most of your grill and also recipes showing you how to cook the standard BBQ fare and other dishes you may not associate with barbecuing; the things they have in common is that they are all easy and delicious. The charcoal kettle barbecues can be the best option if you are not sure you will use a barbecue very often. Once you have got the hang of barbecuing and are starting to become more confident cooks and catering for larger parties then you can invest in a larger gas or wood pellet grill and confine the smaller charcoal BBQ to being the grill for the veggies in your life. Click here to read the recipe blogs and watch the videos and hopefully you will feel inspired to try something different from the standard bangers and burgers. We regularly hold BBQ demos and hands-on workshops at the store so please keep an eye on the Events page for our next event.