News

June 26, 2009

Aussie barbecuers can’t get enough of char grilling!

A culture of char grilling (cooking over live coals) is very prevalent in the United States.  Serious barbecue aficionados’ are shocked to discover that Australia, which has been promoted as a leading barbecue nation, generally lacks an appreciation of the flavour difference of food cooked over live coals. It is good to note that this is changing and Australian barbecue enthusiasts are no longer just settling for gas. The char grilling bug is spreading.

According to the 2009 Heat Beads^® Annual BBQ Lovers survey respondents, solid barbecue fuel (e.g. Heat Beads^® BBQ Briquettes) is fast becoming a favourite: food cooked over them has better taste and flavour. Furthermore, the survey has revealed that the use of solid barbecue fuels is up by 4.8% on last year. Comparatively, the use of gas is up only 2.3% on last year.

Australian barbecuers have also become more open to the variety of meals that can be thrown on the Barbie, venturing away from the traditional “shrimp” or more accurately the burnt snag and chop. The majority of survey respondents would like to barbecue vegetables, bread, vegetarian meals and fruit. In addition, 39% of barbecuers in Australia are competitive, wishing to take part in a barbecue competition like those held in Europe or the U.S.

We could see the revival of a traditional barbecue culture in Australia to be proud of, yet!

About this survey:
This voluntary survey was conducted with the help of the Heat Beads^® eNewsletter Subscribers. This sample is not necessarily representative of the Australian population and may not be particularly accurate in predicting growth trends.