In my opinion there is nothing better than a BBQ on a Saturday arvo with a group of mates, drinking beer or wine, playing backyard cricket, maybe listening to a bunch of good stories, with the barbie blazing, Tommy Sauce and his mate Loaf Bread waiting for a snaggy. All the while knowing that tomorrow you can sleep in and enjoy a lazy Sunday.
The fact is that the humble BBQ is so Aussie it was used to sell Australia to the Americans in a series of tourism ads produced by Mojo Advertising in 1984. The ads starred Paul Hogan, an iconic Australian comedian/actor, made famous overseas by the movie, ‘Crocodile Dundee.’ The script was so well written it made you feel proud to be an Aussie and when Hoags held up a massive tiger prawn with the comment: there are plenty of shrimps on the barbie, it said it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FyJ3wzU
To this day, whenever I think of that ad, it always gets me thinking about inviting friends – often just a group of the ‘boys’– over for a barbie.
I recently found myself looking for a unit to rent on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Many of the apartments, built in the 50’s and 60’s, usually have small narrow balconies, but I got lucky this time with a bigger than average one. Like many other single blokes, BBQ’s are usually at the top of our priority list: 1. Bed, 2. Fridge, 3. Couch, 4. BBQ.
I had already made my choice of a Weber Baby Q. Whoever designed that version, knew what they were doing, making it perfect for a small family, couples or even a recently single bloke like myself. It was easy to install, the instructions were easy, unlike most DIY projects that end up taking hours to assemble something relatively simple.
First, I needed to find its rightful place on the balcony; after all, position is everything. Too close to the door and smoke billows into the house or unit, making aeration a major factor. And – a note of caution – keep in mind to create a clear pathway, wide enough for the BBQer to come and go without climbing over friends and family. I drew up a balcony plan to scale on the computer, one of the perks of being a graphic designer. It wasn’t done professionally on CAD (Computer Aided Design) architecture software, but it did the job.
Although I knew what I wanted in the way of a BBQ, one thing that I’ve always disliked is seeing old, ugly, dirty, dinged, cobweb-covered gas bottles. Most had been refilled more times than schooner glass in the RSL on Anzac day. I was looking for a box or something, anything to hide the unsightly gas bottle.
Easier said than done. The first place most people go to these days for things like that is Bunnings, although chances are you’ll walk out with something you weren’t intending to buy and a sausage sanga. I spent a good hour wandering the DIY isles for inspiration. Failing to find what I wanted, I disciplined myself to walk out empty-handed – a first for me – and headed to Barbecues Galore and Flower Power. Still nothing!
I’m not sure if it was my meticulous Virgo trait or my desire to keep design aesthetically simple or both, but this fitting-out project became a mission. At times like this I wished I was a normal Aussie bloke who just couldn’t wait to cook some cow (not sorry Vegans) on his new little bonza-barbie, it would have made my life so much easier. Obviously some of us are more obsessive than others, not mentioning any names.
Eventually, becoming so frustrated, I turned to improvising and reluctantly bought a plastic table, used a piece of hessian sack to wrap around the bottle and placed it in nice wooden basket. My manly intentions turned out to be rather chic-like. Should this be redacted as politically incorrect? What I really wanted was something that I would need to draw up myself and have custom made.
My design is a smallish cube big enough to conceal the standard size gas bottle and high enough to comfortably cook on. The Weber QUBE comes with a door and push-up tray table giving more workable area for plates, olive oil and a glass of wine or beer. The Weber QUBE comes with wheels so it can be easily manoeuvred around, if it has to be. There are 4 basic colours to choose from: Carbon, Walnut, Spotted Gum and Driftwood that blend or compliment your current outdoor setting. Tough and durable, the Weber QUBES are made with Australian conditions in mind, especially salt-air from the ocean.
This QUBE has been designed and measured specifically for the Weber Baby Q BBQ, and can be easily put together over a few beers.
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