So over the years things have changed...

[JEC]

What's changed for me is the increase in the choice of BBQ equipment, accessories and supplies now available in the UK, by no means the choice that there is in the US but it's certainly easier than a few years ago. The emphasis on focus of BBQ has also shifted towards competition rather than just backyard warriors, I don't actively compete mainly because I can't find the time but if I wanted too there is now an active circuit to participate in. My biggest criticism though is with choice increasing there is a growing need for people who want to know they are doing the right thing or buying the best equipment, the truth is there is no true best equipment it's about the technique, true that good equipment makes it easier but there is still a basic requirement for learning the skills of fire management, smoke balance and choosing flavour that compliments without detracting from the food you are cooking

For me though the best change is the feeling of not being stuck with this hobby (obsession) on my own

[All Weather Griller]

For me though the best change is the feeling of not being stuck with this hobby (obsession) on my own

I hear that!

[Chris__M]

I've always loved cooking, but over the past 3 years, and most notably over the past year, I have been doing more cooking outside, rather than in my kitchen. Hosting a bi-monthly event where I need to feed 10-15 people in a fairly short time period, this has been a big plus. Also, as someone who is trying to be more diligent in keeping the gardening up to date, it has been a good excuse to get out there, and do a bit of weeding, while the grill cooks my dinner.

Specific to BBQ, what has changed for me in the last year:

1) Discovering this forum, and pelletheads.com, and discovering people who are kookier about BBQ than I am. This is encouraging, but also gives me somewhere to point to when friends accuse me of obsession - "You think *I* am obsessed? Take a look at..."

2) The arrival of my pellet cooker, and the ability to just switch it on and cook. This is more a psychological thing than anything else; it really didn't take that long to load my old Weber kettle up and set it going, but the pellet grill seems just so convenient, so I do use it a lot more (expecially since I stopped putting it away in the garage between uses).

3) The discovery of vacuum sealers. One thing that hindered my initial experimentation was that if I wasn't cooking for a crowd of people, it was me on my own, and there is only so much BBQ'd meat I could eat. Sealing and freezing means that I can cook good lumps of meat without worrying about wastage; or waistage, for that matter.