Buying Hooded bbq advice.. please

I figure this is the best place to ask 'cookies' about bbqs.We will be replacing our earthquake crushed bbq sometime next year... and think we'll upgrade to a hooded.

Would love some tips and advice, before we buy... What have you found the best feature of your hooded etc?

Look forward to your posts

Hi charlieb...I have a 6 burner with a side element for a wok and a temp gauge in the hood.. for slow cooking you can wind up all six burners flat out with hood down and then place prepared food in the middle and turn off the 4 centre burners..Roast pork when all six going for 20 mins then turn down to outer two.. Get yaself a teflon sheet for the hotplate.. mushrooms, tomatoes, onions,eggs and the like... Hooded BBQ you can smoke in as well.. Make up double thickness tin foil parcels (x2) with fresh sprigs of rosemary thyme whatever herb you like with 1/3 handful of manuka sawdust.. small hole in top of foil and place over flames.. side wok for wok veges, saucepan or kettle for a cuppa..

I find that using burners numbers 2 and 5 are better ( a good size portion of meat over each burner) than using the two outside ones works best...... especially for rotisserie and roasting veges in a tray in the middle below the rotisserie.

Yes, a very good Hooded BBQ is the way to go as Fisher noted.... Better than a second oven.

Mine has a see through viewing panel within the hood, but the next best item is a " Meat Thermometer", only very minmal cost but very effective in checking doneness of meats - a must have.

Also buy an extra grill and/or plate, excellent when catering large numbers and can use to suit.

Oh, one other thought, if one has a battery powered unit on the rotisserie, find an ex Nokia Mobile Phone charger unit if possible, should read about 3.7v outage, bare the wires then staple onto a piece of wood about the size of two D Batteries and insert into BBQ unit with the wires making contact to Rotisserie unit, works great.

And another, (Fisher would know this) best also to buy at least two metal wood smokers as well for a more complete set up using hooded BBQ, great when it comes to hot smoking fish.

Cheers.

Thanks fisherman and valentino!

We already have a 'smoker' valentino, mr quite often does his freshly caught fish in it.

charlieb2, fisher has saved a link to the trademecooks on his website, in the Download section is the link, and there is a very good section on BBQ like hints, recipes and other thoughts given, be worth downloading this then fine tune to suit yourself.

The link;

http://www.e-ware.co.nz/downloads.htm

Cheers.

I swear by our Weber hooded bbq holds the temperature perfectly even on windy or rainy days.I haven't cooked a roast in out oven for years they all go on the bbq just have to turn off the middle burner and the top and bottom ones to medium and stays right on 180.We love ours and have a side burner as well which is great for boiling spuds, cooking eggs, fish etc. Easy to clean as well.If and when ours has had it we will buy another Weber without a doubt.Good luck!

Charlieb... yes I have a huge 6 foot smoker as well but those parcels I mentioned are for smoking INSIDE the hooded BBQ when doing say mussels...meats,steaks sausages,fish, vegetables and the like to enhance a subtle smokey flavour...

Second the Weber - built to last - those cheapo BBQs are just that - knobs come off, racks buckle and generally they aren't worth the savings.We got our hooded Weber about 10 years ago - cost an arm and a leg and I thought DH was nuts to spend that amount on a BBQ but it will probably be passed on to our sons!