Off Topic Thread 5.0

awec · 25-04-2021 05:20PM

We bought a Kamado last week. Top job.

Currently sitting in the garden with a beer waiting for it to heat up to do pizzas.

awec · 25-04-2021 05:21PM

mfceiling wrote: »

So how fit are you? Or should I say unfit?

Went for a 5k walk in Barnaslingan forest park yesterday with herself and was feeling pretty good about my base level of fitness.

Watched Sherpa last night and proudly stated to herself "I could do that hike to Everest base camp handy enough".

So this morning at 7 we decided we'd do the trail walk at tick nock. The first 2 Kms is an uphill traipse before you hit the rocky pathway. I would say after about 5 minutes walking I was looking for a place for the air ambulance to land.

I am seriously unfit....I mean ridiculously unfit. This is going to have to be a work in progress. I'm in pain now.

I did the walk at Glendalough that involves climbing those stairs and it destroyed me.

Podge_irl · 25-04-2021 06:01PM

I yo-yo between being fairly fit and grossly unfit far too frequently. During the summer I have many mountains near me so I can hike/cycle a lot and its great. During winter months its mostly just skiing, eating ****loads of cheese and drinking so I tend to have to start from scratch every spring.

swiwi_ · 25-04-2021 06:49PM

If I had a spare €10’000 the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport is a stunning watch.

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/zenith-chronomaster-sport-el-primero-3600-calibre/

For BBQ we are a charcoal family. Just tastes better than gas. The time to cook, well you spend drinking beer. Not. Rocket. Science.

stephen_n · 25-04-2021 07:07PM

mfceiling wrote: »

Jesus fair play man. 35k is a savage distance to cover!!

Walked from Stephen’s Green to Bray today to get pizza. So worth the walk, though there was no way I was walking back :pac:

Stheno · 25-04-2021 07:11PM

Bought https://thegardenhouse.ie/product/shop/bbqs-at-the-garden-house/weber-master-touch-gbs-bbq-57cm/

My friend has one

Had the best steaks ever from it at his last year

Lost Ormond · 25-04-2021 07:16PM

Podge_irl wrote: »

I yo-yo between being fairly fit and grossly unfit far too frequently. During the summer I have many mountains near me so I can hike/cycle a lot and its great. During winter months its mostly just skiing, eating ****loads of cheese and drinking so I tend to have to start from scratch every spring.

I do as well. No rugby and no concerts for past 12 months has stopped me binging as working all these events normally means 2-3 days a week of looking after diet, fitness, gym etc and 2-3 days of doing nothing like that....

hold my beer · 25-04-2021 07:17PM

Really can't wait for the gym to open again. So much easier.

Podge_irl · 25-04-2021 07:39PM

swiwi_ wrote: »

If I had a spare €10’000 the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport is a stunning watch.

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/zenith-chronomaster-sport-el-primero-3600-calibre/

For BBQ we are a charcoal family. Just tastes better than gas. The time to cook, well you spend drinking beer. Not. Rocket. Science.

I just don't get expensive watches. I quite like Breitlings, but I'm not paying 5-10 feckin grand for one.

swiwi_ · 25-04-2021 08:51PM

Podge_irl wrote: »

I just don't get expensive watches. I quite like Breitlings, but I'm not paying 5-10 feckin grand for one.

Ah yeah I don’t have that sort of money to throw around. I do reckon there is a noticeable difference though between <2000 and 2000 to 5000.

You can get certain Breitlings for less than 4000.

Better to invest in a charcoal bbq though.

Podge_irl · 25-04-2021 09:30PM

swiwi_ wrote: »

Ah yeah I don’t have that sort of money to throw around. I do reckon there is a noticeable difference though between <2000 and 2000 to 5000.

Oh for sure. Either spend <500 or >5000 CHF is generally my view. And I have never spent the latter! I'm happy enough just with my Garmin watch...

I just don't get it though. I feel like only watch aficionados would even understand how good a watch it is so its just some kind of weird circle jerk thing.

Stheno · 25-04-2021 09:45PM

Podge_irl wrote: »

I just don't get expensive watches. I quite like Breitlings, but I'm not paying 5-10 feckin grand for one.

Oh no even though I am female watches are my favourite jewellery

I'm hoping to finalise a divorce soon and it will be marked with a Cartier Tank

jacothelad · 25-04-2021 10:58PM

swiwi_ wrote: »

If I had a spare €10’000 the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport is a stunning watch.

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/zenith-chronomaster-sport-el-primero-3600-calibre/

For BBQ we are a charcoal family. Just tastes better than gas. The time to cook, well you spend drinking beer. Not. Rocket. Science.

I have a nice collection of watches. I bought my Breitling Navitimer in St Helier in 1969. Of course I didn't keep the paperwork, box etc. I had just come in to some money and also bought a second hand 1950s Fender Tele. I wish I'd sold the watch and kept the Tele.:eek: It would be worth A LOT MORE THAN THE WATCH.

OldRio · 26-04-2021 09:08AM

Stheno wrote: »

Oh no even though I am female watches are my favourite jewellery

I'm hoping to finalise a divorce soon and it will be marked with a Cartier Tank[.

The Carter Tank is absolutely gorgeous. A classic.

swiwi_ · 26-04-2021 09:33AM

jacothelad wrote: »

I have a nice collection of watches. I bought my Breitling Navitimer in St Helier in 1969. Of course I didn't keep the paperwork, box etc. I had just come in to some money and also bought a second hand 1950s Fender Tele. I wish I'd sold the watch and kept the Tele.:eek: It would be worth A LOT MORE THAN THE WATCH.

May I be so indiscreet as to ask what other watches grace your collection jaco?

26-04-2021 09:54AM

For some reason it's a tradition in my family to be gifted a watch for communion and confirmation. All it did was instill a hatred for watches in me. I wanted cash like my friends. Why would I want to know the time. I'm eight. Neither survived the test of time nor an ungrateful child.

swiwi_ · 26-04-2021 10:45AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

For some reason it's a tradition in my family to be gifted a watch for communion and confirmation. All it did was instill a hatred for watches in me. I wanted cash like my friends. Why would I want to know the time. I'm eight. Neither survived the test of time nor an ungrateful child.

I feel your pain young man. On the bright side, your knowledge of rugby is well-developed for an 8 year old.

b.gud · 26-04-2021 11:12AM

Stheno wrote: »

Lads any recommendations for a bbq for a couple who are bbq novices?

Will never need to cook for more than 4 people

I know you got your BBQ but for what it's worth here's my 2 cents on BBQs

So a charcoal BBQ gives beautiful flavour that you simply won't get from gas and if you are just wanting a few BBQs during the summer when the weather is good then I definitely think they are the way to go. I'd definitely go with a Weber kettle BBQ they are really well made and though they will cost a bit more than a generic kettle BBQ but it's definitely worth it. An essential buy in my opinion for a charcoal BBQ is a chimney starter it really improves the ease and time required to get the BBQ going.

On gas I think that they really come into their own if you want to a lot of outdoor cooking. It still gets you some of the flavour of open flame cooking but with much greater convenience. It also has lots of benefits like more flexibility. For instance in my BBQ I have a griddle plate that gets lots of use so I can make Smash burgers, caramelized onions and fried potatoes as part of the BBQ. With a side burner you can also use it to do some fried chicken or other fried foods without worrying about stinking up the house.

I switched to a gas BBQ last year and while there is the odd day I miss the smell and taste of charcoal but overall I don't regret it

Whatever BBQ you get put a few quid into a decent cover to protect it from the elements

awec · 26-04-2021 11:30AM

You could just do what I do and have one of each. Charcoal for when I want to take my time or I'm doing a big cut of something. Gas when all I want to do is a few burgers or sausages.

Gas is very handy if you have kids. You can light it, cook, cool it and put away in an hour or so.

aloooof · 26-04-2021 11:30AM

Pizza ovens for the garden seem to be getting pretty popular as well, anyone get on recommendations on them?

awec · 26-04-2021 11:32AM

aloooof wrote: »

Pizza ovens for the garden seem to be getting pretty popular as well, anyone get on recommendations on them?

The Ooni ones seem to be very popular.

b.gud · 26-04-2021 11:38AM

awec wrote: »

You could just do what I do and have one of each. Charcoal for when I want to take my time or I'm doing a big cut of something. Gas when all I want to do is a few burgers or sausages.

Gas is very handy if you have kids. You can light it, cook, cool it and put away in an hour or so.

Yep definitely agree but I reckon for most people it will be one or the other. Space is also an issue for some people as they may not have space for both

aloooof wrote: »

Pizza ovens for the garden seem to be getting pretty popular as well, anyone get on recommendations on them?

If I was getting one, and if I had the money I definitely would

, I'd go for the Onni Koda 16. From what I've read the difference in flavour between gas and wood fired for pizza ovens is not nearly as great as it is for BBQs. The idea of a wood fired is really nice but with the heat that one of these ovens produces your pizza will be cooking so quickly that the wood won't impart a huge flavour difference

Zzippy · 26-04-2021 12:17PM

b.gud wrote: »

Yep definitely agree but I reckon for most people it will be one or the other. Space is also an issue for some people as they may not have space for both

If I was getting one, and if I had the money I definitely would , I'd go for the Onni Koda 16. From what I've read the difference in flavour between gas and wood fired for pizza ovens is not nearly as great as it is for BBQs. The idea of a wood fired is really nice but with the heat that one of these ovens produces your pizza will be cooking so quickly that the wood won't impart a huge flavour difference

Getting good pizza is all about the temperature. Wood-fired won't get much hotter than gas, if at all, and you don't get any flabour from the wood IMO. The best pizza I've ever eaten was in Luzzos in Manhattan, one of the few remaining coal-fired ovens in NY. Gets much hotter, cooks much faster, and the dough gets much crisper on the outside while still nice and tender inside.

pickarooney · 26-04-2021 12:50PM

Just got a new house this weekend and a barbecue is top of the list of must-haves (the kids don't have beds yet but they can use a mattress while I shop for Weber's). I'm rubbish at starting fires, maybe a gas and a charcoal BBQ might be the way to go. That way nobody has to die of hunger while I fiddle with the flames and for bigger gatherings I can just let other people enjoy setting the fire. Those chimney things do make it a lot easier, that said.

Bazzo · 26-04-2021 01:26PM

b.gud wrote: »

Yep definitely agree but I reckon for most people it will be one or the other. Space is also an issue for some people as they may not have space for both

I've seen the odd "hybrid" barbeque that's a bit wider with one gas grill and one charcoal grill

awec · 26-04-2021 01:34PM

pickarooney wrote: »

Just got a new house this weekend and a barbecue is top of the list of must-haves (the kids don't have beds yet but they can use a mattress while I shop for Weber's). I'm rubbish at starting fires, maybe a gas and a charcoal BBQ might be the way to go. That way nobody has to die of hunger while I fiddle with the flames and for bigger gatherings I can just let other people enjoy setting the fire. Those chimney things do make it a lot easier, that said.

You can also get natural fire lighters in woodies etc that will work. They don't contain any petroleum products so there's no smell, and they burn for long enough for the charcoal to catch.

26-04-2021 02:06PM

pickarooney wrote: »

Just got a new house this weekend and a barbecue is top of the list of must-haves (the kids don't have beds yet but they can use a mattress while I shop for Weber's). I'm rubbish at starting fires, maybe a gas and a charcoal BBQ might be the way to go. That way nobody has to die of hunger while I fiddle with the flames and for bigger gatherings I can just let other people enjoy setting the fire. Those chimney things do make it a lot easier, that said.

Get one of the BBQ "chimneys" for coals which make it basically impossible to fail to start the BBQ.

https://www.weber.com/IE/en/accessories/what%27s-hot/must-have-accessories/7416.html

If you're still struggling after using one of these (you can get cheaper versions), give up BBQing and eat only Raw food as you are not worthy.

errlloyd · 26-04-2021 02:13PM

The BBQ expertise here is coming in clutch.

I am just about to move to an apartment where I have direct roof access from my balcony. So I could store a BBQ on the balcony (but wouldn't want to grill there) and can wheel it out onto the roof to use.

Would a charcoal weber be best for that? Or is it hard to move them around once they're hot?

jacothelad · 26-04-2021 02:20PM

swiwi_ wrote: »

May I be so indiscreet as to ask what other watches grace your collection jaco?

I have a well used Rolex Sub which I bought from a pal who was retiring from diving. I just liked it but it isn't exactly mint. I also have a Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 01 Skeleton Automatic and an Omega Seamaster 300.Those are the quality ones but I have others that I just like. My favourite is a Wenger chrono....the Swiss Army Knife company and I love it. I wear it more than all the others put together. Others include an Oskar Emil Chronograph which looks and feels great but it's almost impossible to make out the hands on the face and two Invicta watches which weren't expensive but look and feel as if they are. I have a few rather ordinary others that I have gathered over the years.

Yeah_Right · 26-04-2021 03:30PM

I highly recommend getting a rotisserie for your bbq. Especially if you're entertaining. Nothing beats cooking a great big chunk of meat over open flames for a couple of hours while drinking beer.

I also recommend a smoker. You get to cook for the whole day (drinking beer) and it tastes fantastic. Your neighbours may hate you. Especially if they have washing on the line but that's not my problem.

Off Topic Thread 5.0

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