Choose your ideal BBQ and it’s accessory in 6 points

You want to become a BBQ pro, but your barbecue is getting old, or maybe you don't even own one? Here are some tips from Ghislain, coproprietor at BBQ Labonté, to choose a BBQ and accessory which will fulfill your needs.

1. Find out what kind of combustible you'd like

Gas BBQ

To cook quickly without much difficulties, a gas BBq is right for you. It's ignition is quick and temperature is easy to control with simple buttons. However, heat is more dry and adding few accessory may quickly change a simple grilling into luxury roast!

Charcoal BBQ

It's the favorite of our expert! Polyvalent, it may be used as an oven, a smokehouse and a grill. It procures a more moisty heat than a gas BBQ which gives great flavors and tenderness to your foods. Furthermore, types of charcoals are almost unlimited. It'll gives an excellent taste to your roast.

Pellet BBQ

This kind of combustible allows to get a woody charcoals flavors and works just like a conventional oven. It's heat is moist and the BBQ gives a stable heat all over. However, it's often limited up to 400°F and do not allows to roast well meats between  550°F et 650°F like our expert advise us.

Electric BBQ

If it's forbidden to own a gas or charcoal BBQ st your habitation, for exemple if you stay in a condo, electric BBQ is what you need. It works in a conventional electric input, but it's power is still limited, as well as it's roasting cooking. It's a great portable BBQ.

Smokehouse

A smokehouse can be with gas, charcoal, pellet or electric and cook foods a low temperature to smoke for hours. To master well all techniques, Micael Béliveau from Maître Fumeur may give you lessons at BBQ Labonté. You'll learn everything about hot or cold smoking, salting, brining and much more!

2. Priorise a well made barbecue instead of it's BTU

The number of BTU (British Thermal Unit) is solely a formula to calculate the amount of gas spend by the burners in 1 hour. This number is often calculated in fonction of how much surfaces you have to heat. A great number of BTU doesn't mean success! Before focusing on it's power, better choose a well made and strong appliance. We're verifying :

Thickness of the material and it's tank and lid insulation

All appliance are either in painted steel, aluminium fusion or stainless steel. A thicker material

Exhaustion chimney 

It's necessary to avoid BBQ from overheating and break, but shouldn't let out too much heat quickly.

Airway circulation

Deflectors shouldn't be too near the burners. For heat to be steady all over, air must be able to circulate easily.

3. Evaluate your needs towards BBQ burners

Principal burners

Must cover as much surfaces possible. You always cook for only 2 persons? A BBQ with only 2 burners is enough. Depending on how much burner you have, you may do different types of cooking :

• 2 burners : direct and indirect cooking
• 3 burners or more : direct, indirect and convection cooking

Lateral burners

It's a useful accessory if your always cooking outside. It's perfect for a mushrooms and almonds sauté, but not too cook a douzens of corn or lobsters.

Back burners

Combined with a rotisserie, back burners is ideal to cook a meat piece such as a méchoui.

4. Chose types of BBQ grills based on your budget

When it comes to grills, there's 3 main materials. Each has different benefits and disadvantages. Everything depends on your budget!

5. Exploit your BBQ potential with these 3 essentials accessories from our expert

Cooking thermometer 

For perfect roasting all the time, it's an indispensable accessory! Numeric, with a wire and a sonde, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi conected to your intelligent cellphone, there's for all kind of taste and budgets.

Cooking plate

No matter what material, it allows to stop hot air and keep marinades, spices and cooking juice to keep foods more tasty and juicy. Afterward, to get good looking quadrille marks, a little turn over the barbecue grill and there you'll have good looking foods!

Smokehouse case for gas BBQ

To transform your gas BBQ into a small smokehouse, a smokehouse case is a great choice to add based on our expert! It allows to smoke your meat and get out of it a great taste of smokehouse!

6. Tools yourself with complementary accessories for your BBQ

Set of utensils

Spatula and BBQ tongs are unavoidable. Be sure they're enough rough to support heat and the weight of your foods. BBQ tongs should offer all control needed. You don,t want to drop your chicken, leeks and bacon mini-skewers on the floors while turning it over 😉

Protection cover for BBQ

A good quality cover made of a water repellent cloth and garnished with a air vent will allows to protect adequately your BBQ. Avoid covers made of vinyl with a doublure ; it won't evacuate humidity and will let your barbecue rust.

Cleaning brush

If the steel brush is still the most used one, other kind of brush are present on the market. For exemple, a wood scraper will perfectly fit into your barbecue grill and will clean with efficacity. A nylon brush offers another choice, but resist less well to heat. In all cases, a brush made by great BBQ makers will be tested, conform and resistant. If it starts to be a bit damaged, it's time to change it!

Brushes to oil grills

A silicone brush may be used to oil your BBQ grills. However, it won't resist well to high temperature. Our expert advice instead to use your tongs garnished with paper towels absorbed with oil.

Propane tank gauge

Scared to lack propane while cooking hamburgers for the entire family? Even if there's gauge to verify the aproximate amount of propane in your tank, the best tip is to have 2 propane tank to always have one under the hand in case the other one falters!

For personalized advices to chose a BBQ, a smokehouse, accessories or to chose one of our 200 types of hot sauce, barbecue sauce or spices, we invite you to visit our friends at BBQ Labonté!