• I just received an email telling me my expected gas bill for this year will jump from $1400 to $2000 pa.

    I think we need to get used to higher prices for fossil fuels, the idea is to phase them out.

    The stupidity is in aiming for net Zero when you still sell fossil fuels to other countries, if we are going to be a carbon neutral country then we need to stop selling fossil fuels.

    That said, we are ideally suited to sell solar produced power and Hydrogen, methane is probably also an option.

    As far as BBQ is concerned, I see a need for a versatile device with a variable heat source that uses fan, direct and indirect as well as infra-red. There are other ways to make the smoke.

    The Ninja “Woodfire” is pushing in that direction, a couple of the BBQ Gurus have them for promotional purposes and like them (but of course, paid endorsement is dodgy as hell).


    Ninja Woodfire

  • I actually don't think much will change. LPG is a by-product and will continue to be used while it is being produced. Charcoal and pellets are actually carbon neutral.

    As for those thinking electricity is green, it mostly comes from coal and natural gas. I get the WA Gov't wanting to transition, but transition to what exactly? They have gone too soon and we are going to have to pay much higher prices. We've gone from paying $60 ton for local coal, we let that industry collapse, so now we are paying $500 ton for coal out of NSW.

    Emissions created from BBQs is not even a drop in the ocean. And as for those that think we are moving away from Natural Gas, with the number of high price acquisitions that have happened in the last few months some very rich people are saying we are not changing to anything else in the near future.



    Traeger - Weber Family Q - Ziggy Twin Burner - Charcoal Grill - Akorn Kamado - Hark Tri Fire - Jumbuck Pizza Oven - Go Anywhere - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Hibachi Grill - Anova Sous Vide x 2

  • Solar, Wind, and Wave are the obvious options.

    We've been apparently transitioning to them for years, yet no one has been able to move away from traditional power generation. Europe are running around firing coal power plants back on, and his was before Putin lost the plot.

    I'm sure someone will come up with something, I just personally don't think it's as close as some people do.



    Traeger - Weber Family Q - Ziggy Twin Burner - Charcoal Grill - Akorn Kamado - Hark Tri Fire - Jumbuck Pizza Oven - Go Anywhere - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Hibachi Grill - Anova Sous Vide x 2

  • Solar, Wind, and Wave are the obvious options.

    Yet none can provide continuous base load power.

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • I think my next purchase will be another gateway drum. Weber was the poster child in the late 50's. The new revolution is "hot and fast" cooking in half the time than low and slow with simple low cost lump. And on something just about impossible to crack or break.

    Looking at the pointy end of the comp scene, pretty much everybody has atleast one. Some all. Love my big stick burner and flower pots but the amount you can cook on one of those so quickly, particularly in the back yard (briskets + pork butts 6 hours, ribs 3) is the new gold standard to me.

    Edited once, last by Card Shark (January 11, 2023 at 7:13 PM).

  • The elephant in the room is people don't realise how much energy goes into producing batteries, and yes I'll tie this back to bbq at the end.

    From an article in Forbes:

    In other words, based on 400 cycles, the total carbon footprint associated with the electricity utilizing the battery storage into this wind farm is 1.3 million plus 12.9 million = 14.2 million kg of carbon dioxide divided by 43 GWh of electricity, or 330 g CO2-eq/kWh GHG emissions. That’s 11 times the carbon footprint of wind power without storage, but still well below the 970 g CO2-eq/kWh GHG emissions associated with coal-fired power.

    Thus, the batteries themselves over their lifetime have an associated carbon emission profile of 300 g CO2-eq/kWh GHG emissions using the PEFCR assumptions.

    (400 cycles may be too low, so this could change, but my bbq point below I believe will remain)

    Given Natural Gas power production is approx half that of coal, it's 330 g CO2-eq/kWh for wind/battery, and approx 480g CO2-eq/kWh for Natural Gas.

    Now, back to bbq. Wood is carbon neutral. There is however energy used producing pellets, and small amounts cutting the wood. A pellet smoker also uses power to run. Electric BBQ's as can be seen above still have a carbon footprint even if all power comes from wind/battery.

    So I would suggest wood or charcoal is the greenest form of BBQ. And given the efficiency of a Komado, that's probably the way to go. I doubt anyone has done a study on this, so I can't prove my suggestion.



    Traeger - Weber Family Q - Ziggy Twin Burner - Charcoal Grill - Akorn Kamado - Hark Tri Fire - Jumbuck Pizza Oven - Go Anywhere - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Hibachi Grill - Anova Sous Vide x 2

  • A laser cutter would be awesome at the sear part of a reverse sear, but I don't think the workshop manager would be very happy with me if I put a steak in one ^^



    Traeger - Weber Family Q - Ziggy Twin Burner - Charcoal Grill - Akorn Kamado - Hark Tri Fire - Jumbuck Pizza Oven - Go Anywhere - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Hibachi Grill - Anova Sous Vide x 2

  • That's why there are batteries in those systems.

    They don't have anywhere near the capacity at the moment to run a decent collection of homes let alone whole cities. How long does the SA battery last ?

    The only feasible and long term answer to the power problem and emissions is nuclear.

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • The only feasible and long term answer to the power problem and emissions is nuclear.

    I agree. With the 30 year horizon being unlimited cheap power from fusion, which has recently had a first big breakthrough.

    But there's no doubt that the advantage of electricity is that it can be produced by a number of methods. So when looking at the long term, that's the direction. Battery technology will continue to improve by finding more available and sustainable chemical combinations.

    Our increasing power costs are a blip in my view and there are far more concerning issues on the horizon.

    As for BBQ, happy to pay a few extra bucks for charcoal. It's not the expensive part of a meal...

    Masterbuilt Gravity 800 | Maximus Pizza Oven | GMG - Daniel Boone | Cyprus Grill | Big Steel Keg | Blackstone Griddle | Fire Pit | Weber Genesis |

  • Spot on Narm. Why the imbeciles on both sides in Canberra bury their heads in the sand and won't even allow a debate on nuclear is just mind blowing. It's already been shown that 60% of Australians are in favour and just look at Europe for direction.

    Agree about the charcoal too. My Big Green Egg is very economical to use.

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • Energy consumption and manufacturing carbon footprint aside, the challenges of long term food cooking in space and on a piece of rock different to the one we are on still interests me!

    The laser cooking and printed food experiments are interesting!

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • IMO Nuclear is the ultimate answer in terms of baseload power that is affordable.

    In terms of Solar. The boss and i have recently started to have a conversation around a Battery for the house. We have a 6.2kw solar system and we are Electricity positive i.e. we produce more than we use here at home at the moment. No kids to chew all the electrons.

    Coal currently whilst not attractive or great for the environment is the cheapest power source we have and we Australia have heaps of it.

    Queensland Govt has put the royalties on Coal up well above every other state and the greenies here are cheering cause we (QLD) are doing so much good for the air quality.

    As Wazza has said though people will simply buy their coal from a cheaper state i.e. NSW.

    In terms of BBQ I reckon not much will change as the standard LPG 4 Burner generally rules the backyards out there (potential change to Hydrogen) and whilst we in here favour other fuel sources they will all creep up in price.

    I did like the look of that Ninja though Urban Griller perfect for apartment living I would have thought although i have seen people sneakily putting KJs on their bolconies.

    Enjoy your "Q"
    James

    Primo XL, GMG Davy Crockett, Char-Broil Grill2go, Akorn Jr and Weber Baby Q.

  • Fro-Daddy i should clarify.

    We produce more than we use.

    At night obviously we would have to use the battery.

    Next day recharge etc.....

    We would not need the Grid unless we had some overcast days in a row.

    Enjoy your "Q"
    James

    Primo XL, GMG Davy Crockett, Char-Broil Grill2go, Akorn Jr and Weber Baby Q.

  • G’day

    Nuclear power we nearly had. Part of Jervis bay in NSW was annexed and it’s still part of the ACT. On the point was a big hole in the ground that was the start of construction of a nuclear power plant.

    Seems we are now getting nuclear powered submarines? Wonder if this opens the door to nuclear power plants.

    Worth a thought

    Regards Dave

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!