Charcoal Kettle Barbecues

Charcoal Kettle Barbecues
Charcoal kettle barbecues are the iconic shape for a traditional grill, one which the purists favour. You can still get great results from gas and electric, watch the video on... Show more

Charcoal kettle barbecues are the iconic shape for a traditional grill, one which the purists favour. You can still get great results from gas and electric, watch the video on our Youtube channel where we compare burgers cooked on gas, charcoal and electric; we came to the conclusion that there was barely any difference between the three. Prices start at £67 for the portable Weber Smoky Joe, which is ideal if you like grilling on a day out to the seaside or countryside, up to the Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Centre at almost £1,900, but it is the crème de la crème of charcoal barbecues. It’s unique features include a gas ignition, enabling you to easily light the charcoal or briquettes, side table and storage. It also incorporates the Gourmet Barbecue System (GBS) enabling you to insert a wok, Dutch Oven, Waffle Maker and a host of other accessories, making it much easier to extend your grilling repertoire to encompass the recipes you would normally cook in the kitchen. We regularly hold BBQ demos and workshops in the store here at Ambleside so if you would like to improve your grilling skills and repertoire of recipes why not pop along; just go to the Events page of our website for details.  

Show less

Charcoal kettle barbecues are the iconic shape for a traditional grill, one which the purists favour. You can still get great results from gas and electric, watch the video on our Youtube channel where we compare burgers cooked on gas, charcoal and electric; we came to the conclusion that there was barely any difference between the three. Prices start at £67 for the portable Weber Smoky Joe, which is ideal if you like grilling on a day out to the seaside or countryside, up to the Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Centre at almost £1,900, but it is the crème de la crème of charcoal barbecues. It’s unique features include a gas ignition, enabling you to easily light the charcoal or briquettes, side table and storage. It also incorporates the Gourmet Barbecue System (GBS) enabling you to insert a wok, Dutch Oven, Waffle Maker and a host of other accessories, making it much easier to extend your grilling repertoire to encompass the recipes you would normally cook in the kitchen. We regularly hold BBQ demos and workshops in the store here at Ambleside so if you would like to improve your grilling skills and repertoire of recipes why not pop along; just go to the Events page of our website for details.  

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Charcoal kettle barbecues buyers guideCharcoal 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... Show more

Charcoal kettle barbecues buyers guide

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 Smokey 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.

Show less

Charcoal kettle barbecues buyers guide

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 Smokey 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.

FAQ

Ian Hodgett. Ian is a passionate barbecuer and owns several grills from the various companies. He stars in the videos on the Hayes Youtube channel
alongside top BBQ chef Richard Holden. If you need answers to your BBQ questions or just some tips for easy delicious recipes then The Barbecue Shop in store is the place to head to. He also organises the many hands-on BBQ courses held here in store.

What are the charcoal kettle barbecues most useful for?

If you are new to barbecuing and not sure whether you will take to it then the kettle barbecues make the ideal starter grill. If you do start to embrace the al fresco dining experience then you can move up to a larger gas or wood pellet grill and use the kettle grill to separately cook any veggie dishes.

What are the advantages of a kettle grill?

They are budget friendly so ideal if you're not sure about outdoor cooking. Cooking over charcoal gives you the authentic smoky BBQ flavour and is the only type of grill used by purists. They are small enough to take on a picnic instead of the normal pork pie and soggy sandwiches.

What are the disadvantages of the kettle grills?

They only have a limited grill area so ideal for cooking for up to 4 people but if you regularly cook for larger parties then you need a larger gas or wood pellet grill. They are slower to come to temperature then the gas grills but this can be speeded up by using the Weber Chimney starter. Disposing of the ashes can also be a problem if you are on a picnic as you have to wait until they are cold.