When was your first BBQ?

[keith157]

Having listened to US Pitmasters talking about their growing up with the smells and tastes of BBQs from an early age, my question is this.
What are your earliest memories of either having or attending a BBQ. I was 14 or so (1969 ish) when my sister was involved in selling small, Cast Iron Hibachi's to the UK market. The company she worked for was a general sales company which provided sales-persons for the commercial market. Testing involved steaks & basic kebabs and yes I'd have loved to still have one
My first proper BBQ was, when married and moved into a house from a flat 1984 ish, I bought a huge orange kettle BBQ, bigger than a Weber OTP but smaller than a Ranch, through a friend who was a butcher. The rest is history and a slowly expanding waistline. I went through a selection of both gas and charcoal bbqs of varying quality and price till I'm at the stage I am now.

[Smoky Joe]

I remember my first BBQ I ever did on my own. It was back in 1999 and my girlfriend and now wife had taken days to make some south African Sosaties and I had never done a BBQ before so well you can guess. Flames all over the show and the well prepared Sosaties looked more like the charcoal by the time they where cooked through. But even after that I really got in to BBQ and now low and slow and never turned back. But even though now I have started to get it right most of the time it doesn’t stop the wife reminding me of that day.

Gav

[KamadoSimon]

Proper BBQ, only from last year with the purchase of the Kamado & an interest in learning how to use it! Have been grilling since about 2000 when moving from a flat to a house - but this was mainly on gas. Some good steaks and ok chicken - but that was the limit for me. But an interest in cooking & food since leaving home & fending for myself - mainly Chinese.

[keith157]

Despite certain member's prejudices you can quite happily BBQ UK style on gas, it's economical and relatively clean.

[Titch]

My first BBQ was as a kid,about 8 camping.
Sausages in the coals and brush off the dirt.
Yummo.

We use to live up the bush/country.
An Old Indiginous fella use to come and camp with his women.My uncle always shot him a roo or wallaby.
man that tasted good,just thown in the coals and slow cooked.
Ungutted with skin on. I would not eat that now
Cheers.
Titch

[KamadoSimon]

Despite certain member's prejudices you can quite happily BBQ UK style on gas, it's economical and relatively clean.

Yep - when I said 'proper BBQ' that wasn't related to gas vs charcoal, it was more to do with the type of cooking i.e. low 'n' slow versus what the majority of Brits think of BBQ i.e. raw burgers! I still have a gasser, although I'll admit it doesn't get much love.

[Big_Fat_Dan]

BBQ's have always been around as far as i can remember, my dad loved sparking up this Outback, and i loved eating from it. When i moved out at 21, i got myself a little cheap kettle, which rusted out in the back garden for years, i then got lazy and got a cheap gas q from homebase, just your basic grilling method, but i really got interested in it after seeing the bbq joints on Man vs Food, and it changed my attitude on bbq, especially being a big foodie, I wanted to find out how do get involved in cooking like that, which led me to here, so i dumped the gas and got a offset Landmann Tennessee BBQ, which i have fallen in love with and the rest is history as they say.

[keith157]

I can emphasis with being a big foodie

[BBQFanatic]

I was about 7yrs old and it was my sisters 18th birthday party. My father decided to cook some beef. This entailed a 70kg cow leg and thigh, which first spent 2 days in our bath swimming in 50l of coca cola, much to my mothers disgust, but the fascination of the family. We then dug a pit and built a spit and rotisserie using an old electric lawn mower motor. We built a spit to hold the leg and used the motor to slowly turn the leg (geared appropriately). This involved some welding prowess. He then got hold of about 40kg of seasoned hardwood (An African thorn tree is harder than oak and burns with an amazing perfume). We had a fire pit to the left where we got the wood burning and a nice even coal and then used a shovel to take the coals to the pit. We started cooking at 4am and the leg was ready by 7pm. It was mopped every hour and then about an hour before it was to be served it was basted with a cola, chutney and apricot jam. About 80 people arrived. When the last guest left I can remember my fathers disappointment as we only managed to get about 1kg of left overs. We kept it cooking till 3am until the party ended. Clearly drunken teen ages have an amazing appetite to continue eating. Every major celebration thereafter we followed similar activities,but the animals and volume changed. Pigs, lambs, chickens, buck we did them all. I think for the people that know me this will explain alot. Drink, fire, meat & conversation floats my boat!

[Big_Fat_Dan]

Same as as Keith, Weightwatchers is on the horizon again