Large Electric BBQ

[dazzler]

Hi

has anyone ever come across a large electric BBQ, similar in size to a 4 or 5 burner gas hotplate type

Fire restrictions

[Cliff Rogers]

Electric
Long seen as the poor cousin of barbecuing, the electric barbecue has become increasingly popular in recent years.

Pros Cheap to run Well-suited to small spaces

Cons Don't get as hot as gas barbecues May not be suitable for large-scale barbecuing

[Honorary Bloke]

Well, if Barbeques Galore don't have them, who will? Just get one of those nice Turbos and fasten an electric cord out the back to impress the neighbors!

[Gumby]

Cooking on a hot plate (gas or electric) is not BBQing in my book. You may as well cook inside.

A true BBQ is done on the grill with lots of nice smoke

[Grunt]

What Gumby said. An electric doesn't get hot enough to do anything other than stew the meat.

You could get a couple of portable induction cooktops. Ebay
They are just fantastic to cook on. We wouldn't get anything else after having lived with one for 4 years.

[journeyman Mick]

The mother in law had one and they're worse than useless. (Electric barbecues that is ) You'd be better off trying to "barbecue" in a pan on the stove over a low heat. Result wouldn't be any better (or worse), but at least you'd save yourself the money and aggravation. Unless it ran on 3 phase power it'd be a complete waste of space and money.

Mick

[Ashore]

Try 2 or 3 George Forman grills ( the large size)
They will cook quicker better and cleaner and drain the excess fat away , can be used inside without a 30 minute clean up after , trouble is they don't look like a barbie , there is no barbie tonge's pecking order, you can't poke the sausages while you drink a beer or a glass of red , can't pour a bit of red onto the steak to make it taste better, and theres no barbie smell , there is no special hot spot (that only you as the owner of the barbie knows about) to sear the meat, cooking onions and tomatoes or mushrooms is a disaster and if you have meat of diffrent thicknesses espically "T" bones and sausages you have trouble, but other wise they are the best electric way of cooking meat.

Now theres only the two of us I usually use the forman grill but every chance I get I fire ( though it's gas ) up the barbie and drink an extra red while the meat is cooking , usually burn a bit , but get to triumohally carry the cooked ? meat to the table , to go with the 3 or 4 side dishes SHMBO has prepared , and then be able to claim that I cooked tea

Rgds

[bitingmidge]

We installed 80 of these in a project last year. A barbecue on every balcony meant too many dangers and management issues with gas.

Despite what's been said above, they generate enough heat to burn steak in about 30 seconds if you crank them up.

The resort operators provided a nifty little black bit of paper the size of the plate, which turns out to be a sheet of teflon which only needs to be thrown in the dishwasher after use and completely no-stick cooking. The meat get's cooked in it's own effluent, so the taste is terrific, and I can even get a genuine charred effect!

Why not book a weekend and try the barbie before you buy!

Cheers,

P

[Harry72]

Cooking on a hot plate (gas or electric) is not BBQing in my book. You may as well cook inside.

A true BBQ is done on the grill with lots of nice smoke

Not in my book... thats a yanky BBQ it goes with the shrimp and hamburgers!(and nats #### beer)

Here we use solid BBQ plates and eat prawns and lamb chops'n'sausages spuds'n'onion (drinking real beer), you dont see any old aussie made BBQ's with grill's do you?
Just imagine the typical aussie BBQ 20~30 years back, chisel or angle's crankin few brews about... and someone announces "anyone for a shimp off the grill" , probably cop a slappin and get called a bloody poofta!

[Rocker]

Midge,

Sorry about the digression, but couldn't you build a retirement complex like that with a communal workshop for retirees from Sinny and Mexico, who are sick of the neighbours complaining about the noise their router makes on a Sunday morning? There could be guest visits from famous woodworkers, who could show off their plane collections, demonstrate box-making techniques, or whatever. The possibilities are endless

Rocker

[Honorary Bloke]

Here we use solid BBQ plates and eat prawns and lamb chops'n'sausages spuds'n'onion (drinking real beer), you dont see any old aussie made BBQ's with grill's do you?

Harry, maaaaate! I've a solid plate cooker over here, but it's in the kitchen and called a skillet. I'll give you solid plate for spuds 'n onions, but I'll have a grill for snags and prawns, thank you.

[Gumby]

Not in my book...

perhaps you should get a new book

Cooking anything on a hot plate is the same whether you do it inside, outside, in the dunny or where ever. My trusty 20 year old hot rock gave up the ghost recently and I had to replace it with one of those new fangled jobs with a hood etc. The only thing I cook on the hot plate side is onions and eggs. The meat gets the grill side where the fat drips off, sizzles, makes a flame, smokes and gives it a BBQ flavour.

[bitingmidge]

Midge,

Sorry about the digression, but couldn't you build a retirement complex like that with a communal workshop for retirees from Sinny and Mexico, who are sick of the neighbours complaining about the noise their router makes on a Sunday morning? There could be guest visits from famous woodworkers, who could show off their plane collections, demonstrate box-making techniques, or whatever. The possibilities are endless

It's on the books!

(but you'd have to get rid of one or two chairs to fit in!)

cheers,

P