Q I am looking at buying a new bbq, I have been looking at B--------
and T---- brands, one come with the ceramic rocks while the other come
with metal fame tamer. What are the pros and cons and which is your
opinion on the better make etc....some say with metal tamers that there are
hot
spots, but which is the better tasting meat?
Tommy
Sydney
NSW
A Tommy, the unique flavour of barbecue occurs when juices hit the heat sink
(the
volcanic rocks/ceramic briquettes/metal flame tamers) and vaporise. The
vapour is then absorbed back into whatever is being cooked.
Consequently the best system is the one that holds the heat most evenly and
vaporises as much of the juices as possible. I personally believe the rocks
do the best job - but they can be a real pain to clean and are becoming
rarer these days. The ceramic briquettes are a fairly close second followed
by the metal flame tamers. However, the efficiency of the latter is greatly
affected by design and construction factors.
Given your two choices - I think I would go with the ceramic briquettes. I
can't advise you one way or the other about the two brands you mention.
However, I will say that, at this stage, the only company that seems to know
how to make metal flame tamers work really well is Weber. But having said
that I should point out that the best barbecue flavour of all comes from
cooking directly over a bed of hardwood coals or charcoal - anything else is
really just pretending.
Cheers
BBQ Blue