I've got a small and large local bbq. So far only used the small (weekly) with dried coconut husk. Anyone using the larger one? Wood? Coals? Just for barbequing chicken and steaks. Seems the way to go with the price of gas barbies!
I've also bought a grill plate to put on it for vegies. Hope to do some entertaining soon! All welcome! (once I get it right!)
The ONLY reason a local would use that BBQ is the price (ie; a real BBQ is way beyond what they can afford ) We all know a grill plate or griddle perched on top of 2 bricks or rocks with a burning peice of wood beneath it for heat - will do the job of grilling (only just ) ...........,
The reality of those BBQs are they are a pain in the ass to cook on , and its very limited in what you can cook on them .
Locals concentrate mostly on 2 dishes ,
ayam bakar and
Ikan Bakar . When they cook Ayam bakar , it is first boiled (cooked) with spices , so The BBQ is only re-heating the chicken and charring up the outside , plus constant basting in a spice infused oil and turning of the chicken pieces is also required ( so much in fact , that they use a grilling basket with wooden handles to cook with ) . With Ikan Bakar , the fish is butterflied ( to speed up cooking without drying out the fish ) and again placed in the grilling basket , and coated in a spicy and very moist paste (bumbu) to stop it drying out,and also to add flavour... , and this fish is also constantly basted (non stop) (like the chicken) while it is being grilled ,to stop it drying out .
When you try to cook like this , you may find that your beer will get warm and you wont have much time to socialize with friend while cooking as the BBQ needs ALL your attention , or youll burn or dry out your food ..., ie; unless thin steaks and sausages are all you intend cooking , and in Bali these are expensive .
Also you'd want to make sure that your home or entertainment area is not upwind from these type of BBQs as they create a lot of smoke . Plus the effort and time taken to get the flame started , then more waiting for a desired temperate (ie; let the fire die down to coals etc ) thats difficult to near impossible to keep at a constant temperature ...., then get some guest turn up late ( get the fire going again to the right temperature ) , or you may want to fire up again later in the night ........., when at the push of a button and the turn of a knob has you perfectly sorted on a gas BBQ .
If you want to enjoy your beer / talk with friends / sort out the kids etc while cooking , then you can drop the temperature on the gas BBQ ( you cant on the fire ) and pull down the hood to slow up the cooking process , while retaining moisture..
Now the real beauty of the Hooded gas BBQ ( and also the hooded coal webber type) is the ability to slow cook meats without drying them out , by using INDIRECT heat , where meats can be first sealed and charred over direct heat then moved off to she indirect heat and the hood lowered to finish off cooking . You can also add flavoursome smoking chips , & water bowls (for added moisture ) to the mix also . Thick NY steaks , whole chickens , whole fish , Roasts , Pizzas ..., you name it can be done this way to perfection ...., including ayam and ikan bakar indo style , but without the constant and non-stop basting as with the hood down , you dont need to do it as often ( wheres that cold beer -ahhh ) and .... anything cooked on an open grill is even better if the lid can be lowered at times during the cooking process.
When some people think of a BBQ ..., its nothing more than a steak on a hotplate . In reality ...., A frypan on a kitchen hotplate will acheive exactly the same as this . Do you wrap your fish in foil ? , this is like baking it in the oven, as the foil stops grill marks and the desired BBQ flavor . A hooded BBQ gives you all these options and more . My BBQ gets used about 4-5 times a week , and the gas is cheap , and I have a good view from my balcony where I cook , and if it was a wood fired BBQ , id never be able to use it where I do.
Its true , Gas BBQ are awfully expensive , but - they are super conveinient ! . Are we talking price , or practicality ? , Can we really afford one ? ...., well many off us expats live here and manage to support ourselves in doing so, does a good BBQ fit in with "living the dream " ? .
Some will still argue that for the price , you can employ a local to cook for 8 years ....., You probably can , but can you also depend upon them to consistantly cook you up the delectable delights you desire , or even turn up when you require them ................., me - personally ..................., I dont want a local hanging around (invading my private & personal home space ) at dinner time ....,
unless the locals (or anyone ) are invited guests of mine..., where Ill be the host and I will be cooking for them , while I show off my culinary skills for them (and myself ) to enjoy.
The other MAJOR reason why I cook , is I enjoy it , and my food turns out exactly how I like it , which very rarely ever happens when I eat out ................, and .............., I dont have to go out either .
" this is my 2 cents worth "
One last comment on price ..., after shopping around , The Chinese made 10 juta BBQs ive seen (on close inspection ) at troppical pools and spas use cheap components , and would cost you about AUD$ 300.000 to buy in Australia ( about 3 juta ) but spare parts may not be an issue with these overprice chinese BBQs ,as the thin low grade stainless steel fireboxs may rust out before you need them.
.......... , On the other hand ......., I found an (expensive top of the line ) BBQ for 17 juta which are now being imported at ACE manufactured in the USA by an established American company of over 20 years , who are dedicated to after service sales and spare parts, would cost you AUD$1200.00 (1.2 Juta ) in Australia ...., so therefore the price paid in Bali for the top quality version gave me a better bang for the buck . The budget priced BBQ,s here are ridiculously priced here in Bali ..., so you need to be serious about your BBQing if your going to spend up .
- If I didnt have a lot of cash , but I wanted a good all round BBQ , Id go with the hooded webber coal fired BBQ ...., the gas only makes it faster , cleaner , far less smokey, and easier by being so much more conveinient ..., and the gas is less trouble to source .
