Real basic BBQ gas bottle q

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
(maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.

Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
full heat or moderate?

It doesn't really matter how much you open the valve past a half turn or
so. If you open it too little it can restrict gas flow, but past that
it's all the same for a regular propane tank. It certainly doesn't waste
any gas since the burner valves on the grill determine the actual gas
flow.

Pete C.

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
(maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.

The tank valve should be all the way open. There is a regulator on the
line, and the control valve on the BBQ adjusts the gas flow.

Quoted message said:

Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
full heat or moderate?

It would depend on what you are cooking. Some things are cooked on high
heat while others are best done at low or on medium. You may have to
experiment with your BBQ. Most of them heat unevenly, so you will have hot
spots and cool spots, so if you have equal size and thickness pieces of
meat cooking at the same time, some may be burning while others are barely
cooked.

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
(maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.

The grill's regulator determines gas pressure.

Gas bottle valves should be fully open or fully closed, otherwise they
can weep... and never rely on the grill valves alone to close off the
gas supply... always fully close the valve on the bottle when done
cooking. In fact when shutting down cooking always close the valve on
the bottle first, wait until flame is extinguished, then close the
grill valve(s)... you don't want to leave the grill
hoses/fittings/valves pressurized longer than necessary, that shortens
their useful life. Don't forget to leak check all grill fittings at
least yearly... the older the grill the more often... if you detect a
leak do not use that grill until a repair is made. The gas bottle
should be leak checked at the filling station every time it's
recharged... if you notice your filling station is lax about leak
checking you should report them immediately, and refill somewhere else.

Quoted message said:

Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
full heat or moderate?

They usually specify heat level/temperature, same as cooking with stove
top/oven... and naturally cooking time is an estimate.

Sheldon

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
(maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.

Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
full heat or moderate?

I learned in welding classes that as a general rule you just crack open
fuel gas valves so you can shut them off quickly if you need to. Oxygen
tank valves OTOH should be opened all the way because the valve has a
seal at the top as well as the bottom of its travel, so opening all the
way keeps it from leaking around the valve stem.

Best regards,
Bob

Sheldon said:

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
(maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.

The grill's regulator determines gas pressure.

Gas bottle valves should be fully open or fully closed, otherwise they
can weep... and never rely on the grill valves alone to close off the
gas supply... always fully close the valve on the bottle when done
cooking. In fact when shutting down cooking always close the valve on
the bottle first, wait until flame is extinguished, then close the
grill valve(s)... you don't want to leave the grill
hoses/fittings/valves pressurized longer than necessary, that shortens
their useful life. Don't forget to leak check all grill fittings at
least yearly... the older the grill the more often... if you detect a
leak do not use that grill until a repair is made. The gas bottle
should be leak checked at the filling station every time it's
recharged... if you notice your filling station is lax about leak
checking you should report them immediately, and refill somewhere else.

Quoted message said:

Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
full heat or moderate?

They usually specify heat level/temperature, same as cooking with stove
top/oven... and naturally cooking time is an estimate.

Sheldon

The fully open thing applies to high pressure cylinders (2,000+ PSI)
that have double seals. Low pressure propane tanks didn't have double
seals last time I checked. The rest is good advice and don't forget to
check the burner tubes for spiders periodically as well.

Pete C.

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

....can you use regular propane? No. Never BBQ with propane that
has odorants added. You'll have to find and use food grade
propane.

-sw <ducking>

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

What you have is a cooker or a grill. BBQ is a food or a
procedure/technique to produce this food, but never a piece of
equipment..

Quoted message said:

Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
(maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.

Can't help you here as it's not possible to make BBQ with gas. It
requires wood or charcoal. I've never used gas, even for grilling. Never
will, either.

Quoted message said:

Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
full heat or moderate?

BBQ recipes don't specify any kind of grilling. Grilling is not BBQ. BBQ
is done at temps around 200-250F for long periods of time. Grilling is
done at more than 400F for a short period of time. It's like the
difference between frying and roasting. Google up the BBQ FAQ and get up
to speed on the definitions. There's a world of good advice in that FAQ
for both BBQing and grilling.

Steaks should be grilled as close to 1000F as you can get. Chicken wants
a lot less heat. Everything else falls in between.

Quoted message said:

"Bubbabob" <rnorton@_remove_this_thuntek.net> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

What you have is a cooker or a grill. BBQ is a food or a
procedure/technique to produce this food, but never a piece of
equipment..

In fact it is. The term is used differently in different locations. In the
south of the US you are right, but in the north a BBQ can indeed be a piece
of equipment. It is very narrow minded to expect the rest of the world to
adhere to your local usage.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

[email hidden] wrote in news:1137235740.923005.111110
@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
(maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.

Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
full heat or moderate?

Huh? If you are doing a large roast on the grill you want the temp low to
slow cook it. If you are grilling some quick burgers you could use full
power.

--
---
Charles Quinn

"Choosing the lesser of two evils, is still choosing evil" - Jerry Garcia

Peter Aitken said:

"Bubbabob" <rnorton@_remove_this_thuntek.net> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:

What you have is a cooker or a grill. BBQ is a food or a
procedure/technique to produce this food, but never a piece of
equipment..

In fact it is. The term is used differently in different locations. In the
south of the US you are right, but in the north a BBQ can indeed be a piece
of equipment...

Or the gathering of people to enjoy grilled foods.

We've gone through this a zillion times in alt.food.barbecue. When
posting there, it's nice to differentiate between the two, but
it's commonplace for people to refer to grilling, the gathering,
or the equipment as [a] barbecue. As long as we can tell by
context what the poster is talking about. The two forms of
cooking are significantly different, but it's a multi-purpose
word; any standard dictionary will tell us this.

Personally, use use the terms "smoking" and "grilling", but I will
use the word barbecue when I refer to an outdoor event where food
is grilled.

-sw