DIY BBQ in SG.

[tjspence]

Hey everyone. I will be moving to Singapore in about 6 weeks and I am curious about the grilling scene. I'm American and therefore I like BBQ...in all it's forms. I've been n Asia for quite awhile and have had mixed experinces trying to put meat to fire. In Korea and Malaysia I've done some epic BBQs, enjoyed by all. However in Beijing I got my party raided by the police because of rules regarding location/fuel/grilling method.

I hear that not all grilling is allowed in Singapore, but many parks and condos boast BBq facilities.

So what's the state of affairs? What type of fuel/facilities/cuts of meat/rubs, suaces do the Singapore resident enjoy?

(Note: I don't wanna know about BBQ restaurants/satay/chaur stands. Pure DIY.)

[the lynx]

Hey everyone. I will be moving to Singapore in about 6 weeks and I am curious about the grilling scene. I'm American and therefore I like BBQ...in all it's forms. I've been n Asia for quite awhile and have had mixed experinces trying to put meat to fire. In Korea and Malaysia I've done some epic BBQs, enjoyed by all. However in Beijing I got my party raided by the police because of rules regarding location/fuel/grilling method.

I hear that not all grilling is allowed in Singapore, but many parks and condos boast BBq facilities.

So what's the state of affairs? What type of fuel/facilities/cuts of meat/rubs, suaces do the Singapore resident enjoy?

(Note: I don't wanna know about BBQ restaurants/satay/chaur stands. Pure DIY.)

Condominiums do not allow BBQ in individual units but they have BBQ pits for residents at common area, which must be booked in advance through condo management (depends on each condo).

East Coast Park has BBQ pits by the beach. You also need to book in advance through its NPark website.

That is all. Setting up BBQ in public places is against the law.

[Girl_Next_Door]

To add on, most BBQ pits in condos uses charcoal grills. I have seen only one condo (I think its Carribbean but I can't be sure) that have electric grills. Electric and/or gas grill as part of BBQ facilities is not common in Singapore.

You would also want to know that good cut of beef is not easy to find in Singapore, hence quite expensive. All supermarkets sell steaks but most of them are not good quality and they are often sliced too thinly (unlike in US). I only know one supermarket that sells USDA beef. You will see more wagyu beef in Singapore but they are very pricey, as expected. You can also go to the Butcher to get beef, which is slightly better than supermarkets but nowhere close to what you will get in Whole Foods.

[nutnut]

If you live in a house then you can bbq on whatever you like (coal/gas) bbq.

Meat is no where near as good as the US in terms of cuts, prices and availability, don't be disappointed. Also, if you invite locals to bring food, they will probably bring some stuff that you've never seen before (otah wrapped in leaves, fish balls, satay and other weird non"slabs of beef" stuff)

For an idea of the kind of BBQ stuff and prices we have here look at the web, this place http://www.bbqwholesale.com/ This is the kind of local stuff that is available.

Enjoy! (BBQs suck nowadays, I miss the cheap steaks and sausages of real meat!)

[tjspence]

Hey thanks everybody.

The east beach is the only public park you can BBQ in?

I expected as much regarding steaks/beef "slabs." It's the same situation all across the Sinosphere. And I have no problem with the "weird" stuff; satay is cool (i don't like the peanut butter tho...do they do that in SG?) BBQ stingray is solid. I also did some barn burning goat in Malaysia. Weird meat is not a thing.

What about western BBQ sauce? Just cheap shit like KC/Bullseye?

Note: thanks nutnut, I'll check that link.

[Travailes]

Hey thanks everybody.

The east beach is the only public park you can BBQ in ?

Note: thanks nutnut, I'll check that link.

No. Most of the parks (not Nature Reserves) have BBQ pits you can use eg West Coast Park, Pasir Ris etc.

Re sauces - there are many western sauces available here.

[JR8]

Make your own BBQ sauce.

It is easy and will be the best one you ever had!

[the lynx]

satay is cool (i don't like the peanut butter tho...do they do that in SG?)

I've never seen anyone using peanut butter on satays here so you should be fine. At most you will find peanut sauce to dip your satay in after it is cooked.

[tjspence]

Thanks for all the input!

If bottled BBQ sauce is available, I'll lean towards that. Maybe I'm lazy, but the cost/reward on homemade sauce has always been a miss for me.

Thanks everybody.

[JR8]

Thanks for all the input!

If bottled BBQ sauce is available, I'll lean towards that. Maybe I'm lazy, but the cost/reward on homemade sauce has always been a miss for me.

Thanks everybody.

If you don't enjoy cooking I can kinda understand that.

However if you do value the quality of home-made vs the work required, check this out... Gordon Ramsay's Sliders and home made BBQ sauce
http://www.aglugofoil.com/2012/10/smoky ... sauce.html

Or here is a really simple tomato-based one...
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1526/barbecue-sauce
My mum used to make a similar sounding sauce back in the 70s/80s and it was light and super-tasty.

In my opinion nothing you buy in a bottle will come close to the flavour spectrum of home-made. Shop bought is like inviting friends around for dinner and serving them take-away McDonalds IMHO!

Good luck!

p.s. And:
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuis ... sauce.html
This sounds really interesting, and she is a technically brilliant cook.

Ask SundayMorningStaple too, he is the BBQ-meister around here!


Edit to add:
If you want to buy it, make it a good one: US$25 for 5 bottles of sauce incl postage to Singapore is a steal. I had their ribs at a rib-fest in the mid-West and they are the very real-deal!
http://www.porkynbeans.com/online_store.html

[tjspence]

Thanks again everyone.

JR8: Thanks for the links. As far as suace: the best homemade will always be better than the best bottled, but you can still get some really nice sauce in a bottle (not sure if that's the case in SG, I'm guessing "no".)

It's not that I can't cook, it's just speed and consistancy takes precedence. I've made some nice sauce...I've also made some waste of time shit, when I've tried to get too fancy with it. Guess I'll just pop down there and check prices/brands for myself.

[lucassmith]

If you live in a house then you can bbq on whatever you like (coal/gas) bbq.

Meat is no where near as good as the US in terms of cuts, prices and availability, don't be disappointed. Also, if you invite locals to bring food, they will probably bring some stuff that you've never seen before (otah wrapped in leaves, fish balls, satay and other weird non"slabs of beef" stuff)

For an idea of the kind of BBQ stuff and prices we have here look at the web, this place http://www.bbqwholesale.com/ This is the kind of local stuff that is available.

Enjoy! (BBQs suck nowadays, I miss the cheap steaks and sausages of real meat!)

I use this site's service at least thrice in my life so far! Never been disappointed with their services.
highly recommended.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I've used them a couple of times as well for our company function (usually CNY luncheon). If you are a local, which obviously you are, then yes, the place is so-so. But if you are an expat (like most of us on this site are) it's a sorry excuse for a BBQ wholesaler. One is better off spending the bread and going to one of the butchers here and buying you own slabs of beef and making your own marinades.

[x9200]

How to say it. If I meet up with friends for some casual gathering where we will just talk, drink, have fun, then I would rather use BBQwholesaler than prepare by myself 300pcs of satay sticks (and such). They are good enough and their service is reliable.
But if we meet up to enjoy the food, I would probably do it by myself. Or, I can brew reasonable beer but for many occasions is just not worth the effort. Two different categories of the product.