Aldi 3 Burner Gas Barbecue

davo2001 · 08-04-2015 04:36PM #1

Anyone care to comment on this BBQ? €110 doesn't seem to be a bad price.....?

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thur-9-apr/products-detail-page/ps/p/3-burner-gas-barbecue/

witnessmenow · 08-04-2015 04:56PM

davo2001 wrote: »

Anyone care to comment on this BBQ? €110 doesn't seem to be a bad price.....?

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thur-9-apr/products-detail-page/ps/p/3-burner-gas-barbecue/

To be honest while probably not being the best BBQ in the world, you could probably do worse.

Its pretty cheap, it looks fairly big and it has a 3 warranty.

Personally I would prefer charcoal, but they have their cons, for example I could cook a few burgers after work this evening on a gas grill, while it would not be worth my while lighting the charcoal one up.

davo2001 · 08-04-2015 04:59PM

witnessmenow wrote: »

To be honest while probably not being the best BBQ in the world, you could probably do worse.

Its pretty cheap, it looks fairly big and it has a 3 warranty.

Personally I would prefer charcoal, but they have their cons, for example I could cook a few burgers after work this evening on a gas grill, while it would not be worth my while lighting the charcoal one up.

Thanks for the reply, my thoughts exactly, I have had a small charcoal one that I bought for €20 5 years ago and it has done well but reached the end of its life.

Just looking for something to last a couple of summers until we buy our own house, then planning to build my own :-P

For €100 I think it should be OK.

stimpson · 08-04-2015 05:54PM

Charcoal > Gas

Am I Evil? · 08-04-2015 06:52PM

stimpson wrote: »

Charcoal > Gas

Not relevant in the slightest, everyone has their own preference. I never get the reason for people to even make comments like that.

Anyways, good spot op. Recently moved up the country and looking to get us a cheap gas barbecue as a replacement for the one I left behind

. Must take a look tomorrow.

irishlady29 · 08-04-2015 06:55PM

Does anyone know what type of gas it takes?

vicwatson · 08-04-2015 07:19PM

It would be butane.

I think a very good deal for the price and with a 3 year warranty. Cant go wrong.

stimpson · 08-04-2015 07:19PM

Am I Evil? wrote: »

Not relevant in the slightest, everyone has their own preference. I never get the reason for people to even make comments like that.

Anyways, good spot op. Recently moved up the country and looking to get us a cheap gas barbecue as a replacement for the one I left behind . Must take a look tomorrow.

Of course it's relevant. I'm discussing the bargain.

I had a gas one before and I sold it and bought a Weber. There is no barbecue taste from gas - you may as well cook inside on the grill. With charcoal, the juices drip on to the coal and add aroma and flavour. There are other techniques you can do on a charcoal that you just can't replicate on gas. I'd take a cheap Tesco €20 BBQ over any gas one.

Kalyke · 08-04-2015 07:43PM

stimpson wrote: »

Of course it's relevant. I'm discussing the bargain.

I had a gas one before and I sold it and bought a Weber. There is no barbecue taste from gas - you may as well cook inside on the grill. With charcoal, the juices drip on to the coal and add aroma and flavour. There are other techniques you can do on a charcoal that you just can't replicate on gas. I'd take a cheap Tesco €20 BBQ over any gas one.

Incorrect....And you do not need lava coals either. The flare ups from a cooking steak, etc will give you all the barbecue flavour you need!

Staplor · 08-04-2015 07:58PM

I bought a gas BBQ at the weekend, then I saw this in the papers. I was a little peeved. For what I can see that looks to be a bargain.

I cooked on gas tonight for the first time, I really liked it, had charcoal before there was too much messing around, and with a small kid intent on knocking things over, and destroying all in sight, charcoal was not practical as it stays hot for ages, gas was the way to go for me anyway. Plus with Irish weather, gas means you could be done and dusted with a few bits in 30 minutes.

Wouldn't go back to charcoal now (and I was one of the charcoal fanboys up til last year I couldn't get the BBQ out of the shed with a toddler).

firestarter51 · 08-04-2015 09:49PM

I got a gas one two years ago, I have more bbqs now as it's quicker and cheaper, jar of gas lasts ages
For Ã¢Â‚Â¬100 go for it
First jar of gas will be pricey as they make you rent the bottle (I think)

Lenny · 08-04-2015 10:07PM

Bought a gas bbq last year myayself, I've had loads of bbqs this year in all weather, I just spark it up in the shed and away ya go,
quick rub down when done and its finished

unklerosco · 08-04-2015 11:17PM

Buy a gas one and a charcoal one... The way I do it is gas for family, charcoal for me! I tend to do the staples on the gas and good stuff on charcoal.

loyatemu · 08-04-2015 11:34PM

the question with cheap gas BBQs is what exactly is the flame heating - I've used some terrible gas grills on holidays where the flame is heating a thin piece of metal and you get constant flare ups and it's impossible to clean. The one I have at home uses lava rocks which are fine once you get used to controlling the heat. Ceramic briquettes are supposed to be good as well and the high end grills I've seen seem to use metal bars. Its hard to tell from the picture how the Aldi BBQ works.

L1011 · 09-04-2015 08:37AM

I've a decade old Aldi equivalent going strong despite living outside - painted with Rustin's high heat paint every few years. The burners heat large steel baffles in it

This one actually looks sturdier - and mines survived heavy use and Irish rain

groom · 09-04-2015 08:47AM

There's a charcoal BBQ on at Aldi as well for €60

It's a daft irrelevant argument comparing charcoal and gas BBQs. They are heterogeneous products

ford2600 · 09-04-2015 09:27AM

groom wrote: »

There's a charcoal BBQ on at Aldi as well for €60

It's a daft irrelevant argument comparing charcoal and gas BBQs. They are heterogeneous products

If you want to use charcoal a charcoal chimney cuts out the time a lot, coals red in five mins, really easy to use. They cost €10-15 from memory. A gift of a device

http://www.firepit-and-grilling-guru.com/charcoal-chimney.html

whowantstwoknow · 09-04-2015 10:06AM

Where would you pickup a suitable cover for this to keep the weather off it?

Thanks
W.

Toast · 09-04-2015 10:08AM

The problem with Gas v Charcoal is the Gas doesn't get as hot as Charcoal. This is a problem if you want a nicely seared steak with a pink interior because if it's not hot enough you'll end up cooking the steak through before you get it a deep brown on the outside. There are methods to counter this (freeze the steak being the obvious one or use much thicker cuts (expensive)).

The other problem with all cheap BBQs has been mentioned... the grills are thin pieces of metal that don't hold heat well. This makes the lower heat of Gas a bigger problem as you can't heat something up over time to act as a heat sink. Pay for proper thick cast iron grills if you care about doing it properly.

In my experience when it comes to BBQs most people don't care about doing it properly (or eating properly cooked food). The approach is incinerate it and make up for the dried up husk of food with lashings of potato salad and think that the burnt taste is the "taste of the BBQ". I'll admit if I'm entertaining a crowd I'm less likely to bother juggling timers and temperature probes and go for the better safe than sorry approach and stick with this approach too. This BBQ will be fine if this describes your approach but it isn't for gourmet grilling or whatever you want to call it.

my3cents · 09-04-2015 10:20AM

whowantstwoknow wrote: »

Where would you pickup a suitable cover for this to keep the weather off it?

Thanks
W.

Just wait Aldi and/or Lidl will have them sometime this year.

ddubs · 09-04-2015 10:36AM

Anyone picked one up? First impressions? Did they have a lot in stock? Hoping to grab one this evening all going well.

the goon · 09-04-2015 11:05AM

I bought a gas/lava rock bbq in Lidl a few years ago, where you heated the lava rocks by way of the gas. I found it really great and best of both worlds, but it's knackered now. I wonder if there is anything like that around?

murphyebass · 09-04-2015 11:14AM

If going with a gas bbq get one with cast iron grills.

Steel grills are terrible in comparison.

As for the gas v charcoal debate I think most of us would go charcoal but the time and effort involved is just something most of us don't have.

Gas bbq for my very limited time makes perfect sense. Start up grill, cook, cool down, cover done!

My grill has plates that fat drops on that creates smoke. Yes it's not as good as charcoal but it's pretty damn good considering all the other pros

davo2001 · 09-04-2015 11:21AM

ddubs wrote: »

Anyone picked one up? First impressions? Did they have a lot in stock? Hoping to grab one this evening all going well.

I got one this morning in Limerick, quality looks good, there was a queue of people before it opened. All the gas BBQs were gone in 2 minutes, I'd say you would be lucky if they were still in stock later.

Harika · 09-04-2015 11:27AM

Horkans.ie sells Weber BBQs off: http://www.horkans.ie/search/weber/page_2 still more expensive than the Aldi one, but Weber has a great reputation for making BBQs.

davo2001 · 09-04-2015 11:34AM

Harika wrote: »

Horkans.ie sells Weber BBQs off: http://www.horkans.ie/search/weber/page_2 still more expensive than the Aldi one, but Weber has a great reputation for making BBQs.

Yeah but the cheapest gas one is €549! 5 times the price!

FrasierCrane · 09-04-2015 11:45AM

whowantstwoknow wrote: »

Where would you pickup a suitable cover for this to keep the weather off it?

Thanks
W.

Aldi are selling covers as well today. Presume it fits the BBQ's they are selling.

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thur-9-apr/products-detail-page/ps/p/garden-furniturebarbecue-cover-1/

Harika · 09-04-2015 11:51AM

davo2001 wrote: »

Yeah but the cheapest gas one is €549! 5 times the price!

Sorry was more looking at the small Coal ones: http://www.horkans.ie/p/weber-one-touch-original-47cm-black-charcoal-barbeque/187034761

randombar · 09-04-2015 12:24PM

Shame you can't get something that does both, now that would be ideal!

Skud · 09-04-2015 01:49PM

MrRight1 wrote: »

Aldi are selling covers as well today. Presume it fits the BBQ's they are selling.

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thur-9-apr/products-detail-page/ps/p/garden-furniturebarbecue-cover-1/

The dimensions seem to fit the gas BBQ (bigger of the two). I bought a cover with the Charcoal so will report on it later when I set it up (after work). All the gas ones were gone at lunchtime btw in the store I was in.

stimpson · 09-04-2015 02:14PM

Toast wrote: »

The problem with Gas v Charcoal is the Gas doesn't get as hot as Charcoal. This is a problem if you want a nicely seared steak with a pink interior because if it's not hot enough you'll end up cooking the steak through before you get it a deep brown on the outside. There are methods to counter this (freeze the steak being the obvious one or use much thicker cuts (expensive)).

The other problem with all cheap BBQs has been mentioned... the grills are thin pieces of metal that don't hold heat well. This makes the lower heat of Gas a bigger problem as you can't heat something up over time to act as a heat sink. Pay for proper thick cast iron grills if you care about doing it properly.

In my experience when it comes to BBQs most people don't care about doing it properly (or eating properly cooked food). The approach is incinerate it and make up for the dried up husk of food with lashings of potato salad and think that the burnt taste is the "taste of the BBQ". I'll admit if I'm entertaining a crowd I'm less likely to bother juggling timers and temperature probes and go for the better safe than sorry approach and stick with this approach too. This BBQ will be fine if this describes your approach but it isn't for gourmet grilling or whatever you want to call it.

The best steak I've ever eaten was cooked on a BBQ starter (the afterburner method). The top of the chimney gets to 500deg Celsius - the same temp as a Salamander grill used by high end restaurants. Pop a grill on the top and 2 mins each side = perfect medium rare steak.

Aldi 3 Burner Gas Barbecue

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