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BBQ/ Braai Buying Guide

Styles of grills & BBQs

 

Whether you are looking for a portable BBQ to take away camping with the family, a big BBQ for the backyard, a smoker for that authentic smokehouse flavour or an electrill grill for small space and apartment living - there truly is a BBQ for everyone. 

Style

Benefits

Limitations

 

Portable

Lightweight design, cost-effective, plenty of add on accessories.

Compact, not a lot of grilling space, Gas only.

 

Electric

Easy to clean, compact, quick to heat up and cool down.

Not authentic BBQ taste, smaller grill plate, limited range of accessories.

 

Freestanding

No extra installation,  plenty of accessories and options, portable (with a cart on wheels).

 

Takes up a lot of space and can't be easily moved.

 

Built in

Various sizes, large plate and grill surface area, aesthetically pleasing, plenty of accessories.

Not portable, once built in cannot be moved, expensive to build in and convert to natural gas.

 

Smoker

Amazing flavour produced, aesthetically pleasing, can be portable on wheeled units, easy to clean.

Generally can't be used for hot and fast cooking, take up a lot of space, requires more wood than a standard BBQ.

 

 

BBQ Fuel

Different fuel for every occasion

There are a few different fuel sources for BBQ’s (Electric, l Gas, and Charcoal) and each has their benefits and drawbacks depending on your lifestyle, outdoor cooking area and also your confidence and skill with a BBQ. 

  • Electric - Did you know you can create char-grilled steak from the comfort of your kitchen? Running off a power source (240v wall socket) electric BBQ’s act like an indoor cooktop yet yield the results of their outdoor counterparts. Popular due to their size, their portability as well as the benefit of indoor use, these BBQ's are a wise choice for those without an outdoor entertaining area.
  • Gas - These are fast becoming popular especially in the freestanding range and come in a variety of different styles, shapes, and sizes, ranging from small portable units to the larger freestanding and built-in models. Gas  BBQ’s produce quality results with little skill or interference. The majority are easy to clean and maintain and once set up, require not much more than a regular clean to keep the BBQ good as new for years to come. 

     

  • Charcoal- This is the most popular Braai Stand in Zimbabwe. Having one of these in your backyard will not only have you BBQing like a pro, but you will also be the envy of all those downwind.

     

    The main two types of charcoal you will need to fuel these types of BBQs are:

    Charcoal briquettes- (essentially processed sawdust)

    Pros: Briquette's light quicker and most of the time burn hotter than lump charcoal. It's also easier to maintain a consistent temperature with briquettes, and are cheaper to purchase.

    Cons: briquettes produce more ash as it is a processed product. The wood flavouring through your food will also be significantly less, again due to the processed nature of the product.

    Lump charcoal - (the end product of burning wood in the absence of oxygen).

    Pros: This type of charcoal usually burns longer with significantly less ash residue than a briquette. Lump charcoal, which is unburnt wood, can be purchased in a variety of flavours all which will impart a unique character to your food.

    Cons: Usually takes a little longer to get going, is more expensive and less consistent.

    Both have benefits and drawbacks, and both have entirely different properties for your charcoal BBQ. So test out which would be best for your preferred style of cooking.

    Handy Hint: If possible try and use lump hardwood charcoal as opposed to charcoal briquettes as these will not only be more fuel efficient, but they will also give your food a stronger, more prominent wood flavour.

Accessorize your grill game

Maximise your grilling game with an extensive range of accessories available as optional extras. While not essential, we will highlight some of the leading accessories, their benefits and how to get the most from them.

Generally, accessories available for outdoor use are stronger and more versatile than indoor cooking utensils as they are exposed to higher and more direct heat. 

  • BBQ Cover - One of, if not the most essential accessory for any new BBQ purchase is a fitted cover. Made from heavy-duty PVC or vinyl these covers will not only protect your BBQ from the elements  but they will also keep vermin and pests from living inside, and keep the quality of your grill in pristine shape for years to come
  • Warming Rack - This accessory elevates your food from the grill grates or hot plate to help keep your cooked food warm while you finish off the rest of your cooking. 
  • Fire Gloves / BBQ Gloves - Protect your hands and forearms from the intense heat of charcoal, real flame fires, and BBQs. Charcoal BBQs require you to maintain and adjust the fire on occasion, which means you will need to get close to the heat and flames meaning protective gloves are essential. 
  • Trivet - This rack sits above your grill grates, elevating your food away from direct contact with the grills eliminating the risk of burning on the bottom. This will cook like a convection oven as the food will be surrounded by a heat source and cook evenly.
  • BBQ Light - Designed to take over when the Sun goes down, a BBQ light will clip onto the hood of your grill and project light onto your cooking surface. The majority of these will be battery operated so make sure you have plenty of spare batteries available.  
  • Pizza Stone - A ceramic stone designed to fit inside your BBQ whether charcoal or gas fuel source. Always ensure when using the stone, to heat it at the same time as your BBQ as this will prevent stress cracks and breakages.  
  • Probe Thermometer - A static or digital thermometer designed to be pierced into meat to check the internal temperature while cooking. They should be cleaned with hot soapy water making sure not to get any water in the digital parts. 
  • Chimney Starter - One of the easiest and most convenient ways to light the charcoal for your BBQ is to place firelighters or scrunched up paper towels at the bottom of the unit, then pour charcoal on top and light from underneath. The oxygen will pull the fire upwards igniting the charcoal. Allow 15-25 minutes for the charcoal to be at a point where you can use it to its maximum effectiveness.  
  • Smoker Box - For use with a gas BBQ where traditional methods of smoking and burning wood are unavailable - fill the box with your favourite flavour of wood smoking pellets or wood chips and place directly on top of or directly above your burner. Keep your product away from the heat source so the food will “smoke” - this is also called indirect cooking. After a few minutes, the wood will start to combust and start smoking - this is okay as it will stop smoking over time imparting your food with a wonderful wood flavour.
  • Cedar Planks - Designed for delicate foods that benefit from a little more flavour, such as fish, planks are a handy accessory to have in a BBQ arsenal. Soak them in water for about half an hour before use and place your product on top of the board and place in the BBQ over the grills - the plank will transfer a subtle flavour to your food while it cooks on top. 

Pre season your grill/braai stand

So you've decided on the perfect BBQ for you and the family, you've unpacked it and put it all together. Before you start grilling and entertaining just remember to "season".

Handy hint: If you happened to have purchased a stainless steel unit be careful not to touch the BBQ before you fire it up and season it as the oil from fingers etc. will cook into the stainless steel and are a massive nightmare to polish out.

  • Season Your Grill: One of the most important steps you can and should take with your new BBQ is to season the plates and grills before you start cooking for the first time. Doing this will eliminate the risk of any manufacturing oil or bi-product of the build phase from affecting your food.

     

    Use a high-temperature oil (Vegetable or Peanut Oil works best) wet a piece of paper towel and give your new BBQ a good rub down ensuring that all the grills and plates are coated evenly. Use another piece of paper towel and wipe away any pooled or excess oil as to avoid any flare-up or cooking oil fire - remember, don't have the grills dripping with oil, you just want an even coat.

    Now that your new BBQ is nicely oiled down it’s time to let that grill cook for a bit on its own to set the oil and adequately season. 

  • Fire it up: Start up your BBQ and set your burners to high - you want it to get nice and hot inside to ensure its effectiveness. Once you have all your burners set, let the BBQ run hot for about 30-35 minutes, as this will set the oil, remove all the manufacturing oils and bi-products and give you a well-coated cooking surface ready for that first big cook.

     

    Once the time is up, shut the grill down and let it cool off - be careful it will be extremely hot. Very carefully wipe down the grill grates to remove any build up of oils or liquids and then you're set to go.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR BBQ/BRAAI STAND

Clean for a long last grilling experience

Cleaning a BBQ is a lot easier than you may think. Most BBQ units have a removable drip pan, which will collect the fat and oil drippings. 

Wire brush - Simply brush the grill grates with a wire brush once the BBQ is nice and hot or right at the end of a cook. Doing this will be enough to preserve the life of your grills for years to come.

Drip pan - The pan that sits underneath the BBQ module is filled with fat soak (Zeolite minerals) or sand and collects all the fat and oil that drips down from the grill grates above. This tray is easily removable meaning cleaning is as simple as throwing out the fat soak once it has gone black and thick from food oil.

High temperature oil - for things like smokers use a high temperature, food grade oil to wipe down the inside of the cooking chamber. This will maintain the integrity of the smoker whilst also ensuring it's safe to cook on each and every time. 

 

BBQ Maintenance

Happy grill, happy life

Maintaining your BBQ and keeping it safe and clean for years to come is quite easy and doesn’t take much work.

Once you've finished cooking and while the plates and grills are still hot, use a wire brush to clean down all the leftover pieces of food that have caked on during cooking. Doing this while it's still hot allows the burnt on bits to soften up, so they're easier to remove.

Wipe down the inside lid with a paper towel while still hot - but be sure to wear an oven mitt or heat proof gloves to protect you from burns and scalds.

The most important thing for any BBQ or grill is a cover. This will protect your investment from the elements and will stop, or at the very least, slow down the onset of rust and hopefully keep all the critters and creepy crawlies from moving into your unit. Most of the covers available today are made from heavy-duty PVC or Vinyl, so they are very resistant to constant weather and the harsh Zimbabwean sun.

Plus, they look nice and keep your grill looking tidy while you sit inside thinking about grilling your next perfect steak.

Side note - As long as you don't have the world's biggest BBQ, your plates and grills will fit into most dishwashers. Scrape down while they are hot with the wire brush as mentioned above to remove big caked on chunks and then put them in the dishwasher and let it work its magic.

Safety note: Don’t remove the burners unless you are 100% confident in your ability to put it back together correctly, as an incorrectly installed burner is a hazard due to the gas running through the pipes.

 

 

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