Paul_Sengupta wrote:I don't understand the issue about using a Weber. They're just conventional barbecues and are as easy/hard to use as any other charcoal barbecue, surely? They're just a little better made than the cheap ones and don't rust quite as quickly.
I am not usually a brand-loyalty snob, but in the case of Weber barbecues I make an exception. I have, over many years, tried a lot of different brands but have never found one that can rival Webers. One or two came close, Outback being one that springs to mind, but never quite equalled them. The principle of the actual cooking is the same on them all, but the longevity of the Webers I have had makes them easily the best value for money, and mine get lots of use.They are not cheap but I have always found that you generally get what you pay for in life. Taking care of them properly also helps.
I now have both gas and charcoal, both Weber, and operate a policy of less than 30 minutes cooking I use the gas and more than that (joints, turkey, whole chicken etc) I use the charcoal. I use smoke chips with both and honestly have trouble telling the difference in taste of the finished product whichever one I use. I took a bit of persuading to try gas, but having made the leap of faith I have never looked back and both have their place. The gas is particularly handy for using under the covered veranda when raining because of the lack of smoke.
Those in the "barbecues are just for sausage and burger" camp can happily ignore all the above.
PW
PS: on topic, I changed my gas cannister last week and tried to replace the empty spare. Calor were out of stock and couldn't give an estimate for availability, so were all the nearby retail outlets, but I managed to locate a local online supplier who has some and is delivering it tomorrow on an exchange basis.