| Let's get one thing straight: the humble barbecue is | | | | the food turned out great. |
| one of the greatest inventions ever conceived by | | | | Reason 3. No pots and pans ot wash up! |
| the hand of man. After all, sliced bread is simply the | | | | Stove/oven cooking is all well and good, but for the |
| combination of a loaf of bread and a knife, the | | | | sheer amount of food to washing up ratio, |
| printing press is rapidly going out of fashion with the | | | | barbeques win. One dirty grill and you're done. Since |
| rise of the internet, and can the Great Pyramid of | | | | the barbecue is best used to feed a whole lot of |
| Gaza cook a 12oz marbled ribeye steak to | | | | hungry mouths, you can avoid the torturous cleaning |
| perfection? I think not. This leaves us with only one | | | | step that is usually associated with cooking for lots |
| possible conclusion: barbecues are divine culinary | | | | of people. Also an additional hallelujah: the majority of |
| machines, sent to us as manna from the Lord | | | | barbecued food is conveniently designed to be eaten |
| Himself. | | | | out of the hands, and you can always use paper |
| And yet once the weather turns sour, this fantastic | | | | plates and/or a disposable barbecue if you really hate |
| contraption is relegated to the garage or kept under | | | | to wash up. |
| covers to take a time-out for the winter months. I | | | | Reason 4. Meat. That is all. Well, and vegetables. |
| could give a million reasons why this is blasphemy | | | | When it comes to meaty treats, what can't you |
| against the BBQ gods, but 5 will have to suffice... | | | | barbecue to a state of deliciousness? Steaks, ribs, |
| Reason 1. Homemade BBQ sauce | | | | burgers, sausages, bacon, fish, prawns, shrimp, |
| It's a well-known stereotype that women love to | | | | kebabs and skewers with all and any kinds of animal - |
| cook. In reality, most of them don't - men are simply | | | | throw it onto the barbecue and you're going to make |
| too lazy to go through the arduous processes | | | | a lot of people very happy. |
| involved in the kitchen, and ladies are generally | | | | And OK, so vegetarians are at a distinct |
| sympathetic to this. But in the realm of the barbecue, | | | | disadvantage when it comes to the almighty |
| the man is king - and there should be no king who is | | | | barbecue. It's a meat-oriented thing, and there's no |
| not able to concoct his own special barbecue sauce | | | | two ways about it. There are, however, a myriad of |
| recipe. And why should you limit improving your | | | | vegetables that taste great when barbecued - |
| sauce creating skills to just the hot months of the | | | | sometimes even more so when combined with your |
| year? | | | | extra-special BBQ sauce (see above). |
| One of my most recent favourites is Chef Todd | | | | Along with the great selection of 'faux meats' |
| Mohr's mustard BBQ sauce recipe - or should I say, | | | | available, you and your flesh-intolerant friends can still |
| primer. Mohr is awesome in that he hates recipes - | | | | find something to stuff between some bread: veggie |
| he gives you the basics and you can embellish and | | | | burgers and dogs. Along with vegetable kebabs, |
| create your own. If you're not into making your own | | | | veggies and vegans are pretty well catered for. |
| sauces, it's not like you won't have a frankly | | | | Forgive them, father, for they know not what they |
| ridiculously huge selection available at your local | | | | are missing out on. |
| supermarket... | | | | Reason 5. Friends love a BBQ, come rain or shine |
| Reason 2. It's not just an outdoor thing | | | | Putting aside the fact that barbecued food simply |
| Just because you can only realistically barbecue | | | | tastes that much better than anything else, a |
| outdoors, why does the rest of the party have to | | | | barbecue is not just about getting your chow on - it's |
| be limited to the same location? The Barbecue | | | | also about getting together a bunch of people you |
| Umbrella was invented to help you help yourself. Put | | | | like. Ask them to bring something along to put on the |
| your barbecue under a sheltered part of your garden | | | | barbecue. Prepare the meat, sauces and salads |
| or balcony. People can always congregate indoors | | | | together. Open a few beers or bottles of wine and |
| while the meat master does his thing. | | | | whet your social appetite. |
| Hell, I went to one barbecue where the rain started | | | | Hell, corporations should instate barbecues as |
| coming down and they moved the whole barbecue | | | | team-building events. Improve your teamwork and |
| tray indoors. They stuck it on the stove, beneath the | | | | get to know each other a little bit better, with the |
| extractor fan, and opened a few windows for good | | | | incredible motivation of all that delicious food at the |
| measure. Now that's real never-say-die barbecuing. It | | | | end of it. If that isn't win-win, I don't know what is. |
| got a little smoky inside, but hey - nobody died, and | | | | I'm pitching this to my boss on Monday. |