This week our guest blogger is Aussie BBQ legend Bob Hart with some interesting thoughts on one of BBQ’s most debated topics.

“Cooking over coals, and having fragrant wood smoke swirly around your rubbed, seasoned meat, is, when it comes to barbecue, the best way to do things. But it is not the only way.

A gas barbecue does a fine job of steaks and chops and butterflied chickens, but that is only a small part of the barbecue story. The advantage of flanking it with a charcoal device – a Weber kettle, say, or a Smoky Mountain Cooker – is that you will be able, at the same time, to deliver racks of tender, gently smoked pork ribs, and other superb cuisine with qualities that will astonish your guests.

Having the best of both worlds means you can also take advantage of the speed and simplicity of a gas device to whip up some grilled corn, asparagus, or little things on sticks, just to kick things off – while the shoulder of pork or brisket of beef is approaching perfection in the Weber right alongside.

While gas barbecues offer convenience, when you want the real thing, such as a mouth watering rack of smoky, meltingly tender, exquisitely smoked baby back ribs, you know nothing can beat cooking over live coals. My personal recipe is here!”

Thanks Bob!

In December, over three days, you will have a chance to discover the thrill and skill of real barbecue cooking at Bob Hart’s Australian Barbecue Academy, at the gorgeous Balgownie Estate in the Yarra Valley.