BBQ Buying Guide

Sure, anyone can have a BBQ and a nice covered area for the family, however, if you want to step up your grill game and entertain the whole neighbourhood have a look at modifying your space into the ultimate in Alfresco entertaining!

Firstly, how much space do you have? What can you fit and what sort of feel are you trying to achieve?

The benefits of these style builds are numerous, and we'll walk you through some of them to explain how they work, what can be achieved and the requirements for such pieces.

When looking at installing a new outdoor kitchen or alfresco area, it’s important to know the rules, regulations and same handy hints to ensure you not only get value for money but comply with the law and have an enjoyable space for you and your family in the future.

Once you have decided that you would like to install an outdoor kitchen it is very important to be “utility aware”. What this means if you are installing a sink or a fridge you will need plumbing and power respectively - so are these accessible to the area or space you would like the installation?

There are limitations on extensions of plumbing and power for maximum efficiency so be mindful and if you have to consult professional help, absolutely do it. It is costly and sometimes not worth it to renovate and move everything once installed. And just remember it is much cheaper to run utilities to your outdoor space the closer you build to the house - so while it may suit the aesthetic to have the kitchen in the back corner of your yard, it will end up costing more.

Another very important point to remember and consider the installation of an outdoor kitchen is what is above? You will no doubt have a gas BBQ, maybe a pizza oven or smoker, maybe even a wood fireplace and all this are combustibles in one form or another so if you have overhanging trees or bushes, they may seem nice but they can and will catch fire.

Consider, if you love the tree so much moving your kitchen or take the step and prune the branches to avoid any heat transfer leading to a fire.

Cleaning a BBQ is a lot easier than you may think. Most BBQ units have a removable drip pan, which will collect the fat and oil drippings.

Wire brush - Simply brush the grill grates with a wire brush once the BBQ is nice and hot or right at the end of a cook. Doing this will be enough to preserve the life of your grills for years to come.

Drip pan - The pan that sits underneath the BBQ module is filled with fat soak (Zeolite minerals) or sand and collects all the fat and oil that drips down from the grill grates above. This tray is easily removable meaning cleaning is as simple as throwing out the fat soak once it has gone black and thick from food oil.

High temperature oil - for things like smokers use a high temperature, food grade oil to wipe down the inside of the cooking chamber. This will maintain the integrity of the smoker whilst also ensuring it's safe to cook on each and every time. 

Maintaining your BBQ and keeping it safe and clean for years to come is quite easy and doesn’t take much work.

Once you've finished cooking and while the plates and grills are still hot, use a wire brush to clean down all the leftover pieces of food that have caked on during cooking. Doing this while it's still hot allows the burnt on bits to soften up, so they're easier to remove.

Wipe down the inside lid with a paper towel while still hot - but be sure to wear an oven mitt or heat proof gloves to protect you from burns and scalds.

The most important thing for any BBQ or grill is a cover. This will protect your investment from the elements and will stop, or at the very least, slow down the onset of rust and hopefully keep all the critters and creepy crawlies from moving into your unit. Most of the covers available today are made from heavy-duty PVC or Vinyl, so they are very resistant to constant weather and the harsh Australian sun.

Plus, they look nice and keep your grill looking tidy while you sit inside thinking about grilling your next perfect steak.

Side note - As long as you don't have the world's biggest BBQ, your plates and grills will fit into most dishwashers. Scrape down while they are hot with the wire brush as mentioned above to remove big caked on chunks and then put them in the dishwasher and let it work its magic.

Safety note: Don’t remove the burners unless you are 100% confident in your ability to put it back together correctly, as an incorrectly installed burner is a hazard due to the gas running through the pipes.

This will all depend on the sort of BBQ you have, the area your BBQ is located and your purposes for using the BBQ on a TFB day.

If you are using an LPG or Natural Gas BBQ, you can use the unit as long as it is left in a stationary position away from combustible material. So on your back patio is fine, as the burners are contained within the structure of the BBQ - stay away from the creek and the bush area behind your house.

Now that being said you also need to ensure that you have a house or available running water source no more than 10 metres away from your BBQ. This shouldn’t be a problem for the majority of home BBQ units.

Moreover, there always needs to be direct adult supervision around the BBQ - but this is a given! Just remember to make sure the BBQ is completely extinguished and shut off before you head back inside to the air conditioning.

The short and most straightforward answer is no. The number of things that can go wrong with a primitive fire, such as solid fuel BBQs, are far too many to risk on a total fire ban day.

There are certain exceptions, however; these are heavily regulated and relate mostly to commercial use like catering companies or restaurants. Moreover, if you fall into this category, it's best to speak to your local Rural Fire Service about permits, inspections, and exemptions.

Just remember if you are unsure or feel that the conditions are too extreme, lean more to the side of caution and have a BBQ-free day and order take-out. It is always best to be safe than sorry.