Napoleon BBQ Rotisserie review

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My new Napoleon BBQ included a really nice rotisserie so I was looking forward to testing it out.  It’s a genuine Napoleon rotisserie and is really high quality, it feels like it will last for ever as all metal parts are heavy duty steel.  When I was deciding between the Napoleon and the Weber a tick in the Napoleons corner was that it included the rotisserie, with the Weber I would need to purchase the Rotisserie as an extra which runs at around $90+TAX plus the Weber unit was not as heavy duty as the Napoleon rotisserie.

It’s really easy to attach the rotisserie to the BBQ so you’re ready to use it within minutes, one thing to consider when choosing your BBQ location if using a rotisserie is how close it is to the power outlet as I had to run a good 25 feet of cord across my deck.  I will run a power cord underneath my deck and pop it up right next the BBQ but that’s a job for another day when I re-board.

napoleon bbq rotisserie

If you don’t have an infra red burner at the back you can use indirect heat, when cooking with the rotisserie don’t forget to use something to catch the drippings, I just use a baking tray as you can just wash it in the dish washer and reuse versus the foil throwaway trays you can buy.  This unit rotates nice and slowly and at an even pace so it will deliver great results providing you’re cooking at the right temperature, if you don’t have a rotisserie already I highly recommend you get one as it adds to the range of dishes you can do on the BBQ and it’s just so easy to use, your party guests will love it.

New Napoleon BBQ PRO500RB

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I have been contemplating moving over to natural gas for a while now and since we were having our air conditioner installed, why not get the gas line for the BBQ done at the same time.

So the gas line was going in, that was the easy part.  What followed was weeks of going back and forth between the Weber and Napoleon BBQ brand.  I was looking for a good sized BBQ so had narrowed it down to either the Weber Summit 420 or the Napoleon PRO500RB, like any guy making a major purchase I made a list of the pros and cons of each BBQ and it went something like this:

WEBER

Pros:
Build quality – you cant fault the Summit series at all on build quality 10/10
Size – good sized grilling area
Design – looks really nice and the clean out tray is at the front so it’s nice and handy
Features – grill light is a nice touch, I know that it can be added but it’s so nice they added it out of the box. Clean out try is accessible from the front.

Cons:
Cost – quality costs and it certainly does with a Weber
Appearance – one thing I didn’t like about the design was the fact that I could see the wheels, it’s an expensive unit and this cheapens the look a little for me, compared to the Napoleon.

NAPOLEON

Pros:
Build quaility – this is a 9/10, still great build quality but not quiet as good as the Weber
Size – same great size grilling area
Design – Wheels are hidden with the platform base appearance, still rolls around nicely
Features – comes with a great quality rotisserie plus it has iGlow on the buttons for grilling in darkness
Cost – cheaper than the Weber

Cons:
Features – doesn’t have a side burner with this model plus the clean out try is via the back.

I finally decided on the Napoleon PRO500RB, the only thing I can fault with it is that it doesn’t have the side burner but that’s my fault for keeping it a a price point, you can of course spend more and get it added. Another big deciding factor on choosing the Napoleon BBQ was that they’re actually built right here in my home town, Barrie ON, so I knew that if I ever had a problem it’s a 15 minute drive to go and see a real person and get it dealt with the same day.

I’m really happy with the performance of this BBQ and would recommend it to anyone, it’s got a great sized grilling area and I was able to BBQ two racks of ribs indirectly and still have room for a side dish on the other grill plates. The iGlow is a bit of a gimmick but it does look cool at night time :)

napolean bbq iglow

More updates coming…

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So this blog has kinda been put on the back burner but this year will see lots of new content added, in the coming weeks I will be purchasing a new BBQ and am making the move from propane to natural gas.  At first I was very keen on getting a Weber BBQ however you don’t get that many features for your money, so I researched Napoleon BBQ and decided on the PRO500TB BBQ: http://www.napoleongrills.com/products/pro500rb/

It’s kind of cool as I live in Barrie Ontario now which is where Napoleon BBQ is based, I figure if anything goes wrong I don’t have far to go to get it fixed ;)

The move to natural gas will require the install of the new gas line so once that’s done I will post how that went plus install costs to give you an idea if it’s something that you’re considering to have done, plus I will review and post some pictures of the new BBQ when I pick her up :)

My first BBQ this Winter

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We’ve had a cold week and it’s dropped to around 2°c in the evening here in Oakville, Ontario.  I really wanted some ribs and we had company over so it was time for a trip to Costco, I’ve got a few choices for great ribs and steaks and Costco is one of them it’s well priced and their meat is always fresh.  It’s worth joining the Costco membership system for the meat alone if you like to BBQ, plus their propane fill ups are year round and half the price of Canadian Tire gas station fill ups.

The main problem I encountered barbequing was the light, it’s dark by 5PM so my ribs were finished by torchlight, I should really upgrade the back porch light to a flood light, rather than the one one we have now that looks nice, but gives off little to no light. You can buy lights that attach to your BBQ hood so that’s an option I may look into.

The other thing you need to watch is the temperature of your grill, it’s easy to maintain a good cooking temperature but you will need to turn the burners up higher so a bigger grill is essential for outdoor barbequing in the Winter for indirect cooking. I had to use burners 1 (full heat) and burner 2 (half heat) whilst leaving the ribs on the 3rd (minimum) for indirect heat.  It’s just a case of keeping an eye on your temperature gauge to ensure you’re at a good 300°F for perfect rib cooking.

BBQ in the Winter

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Living in Southern Ontario I enjoy the warm weather from April until September but the remaining months of the year do get a bit cold, very cold indeed. Last year I was barbequing in the snow and I don’t think I will be this Winter, if I had the room in my garage I would just move my BBQ there but sadly I don’t.

I’ve maybe got a few weeks of outdoor cooking left then I will give the BBQ a really good clean and retire her for Winter, a good quality cover is essential if you’re going to see snow and damp conditions which I certainly will, we don’t get that much but enough for it to be a pain in the arse.

Once Spring returns I’m going to be trying out some new BBQ meals and put more time into this blog, adding more content and guides. Until then keep on barbequing if you can and I will see you in Spring!

BBQ Corn on the cob

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corn on the cobBBQ Corn on the cob is a great companion to most BBQ meats, especially ribs.  So since you’ve got the grill on you might as well whack some corn on too!  Preparation is simple and the end result is great tasting corn, here’s what you do:

  1. First of all remove the husk from the corn and rinse under cold water.
  2. Place the cord onto a sheet of baking foil, add a small piece of butter, about the size of a grape.
  3. Season the corn with some salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Wrap up the corn in the foil just like a Christmas cracker so that they look like the ones in the picture above.

Now you’ve got your corn ready you need to cook for 25 minutes on a medium to high heat, all you need to do with is turn occasionally an the end result is perfect BBQ corn on the cob!

bbq corn

BBQ Beef short ribs

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I’ve never tried beef short ribs before as I’ve always been a pork rib guy but when I saw them in the supermarket I thought why not!

Beef short ribsPrepare your beef short ribs

I like to season my meat on the morning I plan to BBQ, this gives plenty of time for the flavors to work their way into the meat, for my beef spare ribs I seasoned them with the following:

Paprika
Garlic Salt
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper

Once seasoned I placed them in a glass container, covered them with cling wrap and put them back in the fridge. Take them out around 30 minutes before you BBQ to allow the meat to get to room temperature, it will cook better.

Prepare your BBQ

I BBQ the beef spare ribs just the same as when I do pork ribs, cooking mainly with indirect heat as shown below:

heating the grillBBQ the Beef short ribs

So as you’re using indirect heat you want the ribs on the grill that’s on minimum heat, don’t forget to Pam (or similar product) that grill as you don’t want the meat to stick!

BBQ the ribs for around 35 minutes each side then add your favourite BBQ sauce then cook for a further 10 minutes per side, take off the grill and enjoy!

bbq beef short ribs

Which type of BBQ should I buy?

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So you’re either new to BBQ’ing or are looking to change your existing BBQ, here’s my take on the types of BBQ available.

Charcoal BBQ

A charcoal BBQ is a great BBQ for adding easy flavor to meat, smoked food tastes great and you will certainly get that traditional BBQ taste.  Charcoal BBQ’s are simple enough in design and as a result high end models are not that expensive compared to a high end gas BBQ

The pros of  a charcoal BBQ is that they’re cost effective, great for adding flavor and easy to keep clean. Negatives are that it’s not possible to maintain a constant cooking temperature, you’re heat will slowly die down and require further coals so cooking long time items such as ribs would be more difficult.

Propane BBQ

Propane BBQ’s are a great choice for BBQ’ing and are available with side burners, rotisseries and offer a good size to cook on for backyard parties.  Propane BBQ’s do cost more money than a smoker and like anything, you get what you pay for. I would recommend spending $500+ on a BBQ for a quality unit, if looked after it will provide a lifetime of use and will look very nice in your yard! You can still also add smoke flavors to your meat with a smoker box.

The pros of a natural gas BBQ are that you get constant heat when cooking, very easy to cook with indirect heat for long cooking time items such as ribs and beer can chicken.  It’s also portable, you can move your propane BBQ where ever you want. The only real negative for me is the supply of gas, you’re best having two tanks so you’re always got a full one on reserve, you don’t want to run out during a BBQ!

Natural gas BBQ

Natural gas BBQ’s are pretty much the same as propane BBQ’s but instead of using a propane take to fuel the BBQ it connects to your natural gas line from your home. To use one of these you would need to have a natural gas line outside of your home, a gas fitter can install one of these for you and it’s certainly worth it in my opinion for easy of use. Typically a natural gas BBQ will cost $50-100 more than it’s propane model.

The pros of a natural gas BBQs are the same as propane, with the addition of not having to worry about running out of gas.

Negatives would be initial cost as they’re the most expensive, but you will recoup this over time as the gas is cheaper.  Your limited as to how far you can move the BBQ from your natural gas line, but that’s normally not too bad as typically your patio will be by your kitchen door anyway.

Cowtown BBQ Sauce

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If you’re going to use good quality meat on your BBQ, you should use a good quality BBQ sauce with it. My favorite BBQ sauce is Cowtown BBQ Sauce, it’s a full flavor sauce that’s got a nice spicy kick to it, you also don’t need to use a lot of it to flavor the meat unlike a cheaper sauce. If you like a bit of spice on your ribs give Cowtown a try, you won’t regret it!

THE BEST SAUCE ON THE PLANET! This title was awarded at the 2001 American Royal Barbecue Contest, beating out hundreds of sauces from around the world. Try this zesty, tangy product with beef, pork, poultry or fish and you’ll understand why Cowtown is #1! 18 oz

King Of The Q’s Blue Plate BBQ

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King Of The Q’s Blue Plate BBQ

By Ted Reader

This book was given to me as a Fathers day present (2011) by my two baby girls. It’s my first BBQ book but not my first cooking book, Ted doesn’t mess around with his instructions or recipes so it’s all straight forward and easy to follow. One thing to note, that this book is great for learning lots of new and fancy ways to BBQ meats you simply wouldn’t have thought of however it will not teach you how to BBQ, but don’t worry as that’s something I aim to do with my blog :)

This book is aimed at a person who is not new to a BBQ, someone who’s ready to try new flavors and different dishes that are ideal for impressing your buddies at your next cookout.

King of the Q’s Blue Plate BBQ is all about experimenting with approaches and ingredients, and offering readers rock solid information on how to master outdoor cooking. Expert, earthy and unpretentious, Ted Reader is your best friend in the backyard!