Social Grilling

the new barbecue phenomenon.

The Ringryll from Yagoona

Ring grilling is probably the most interesting and profound innovation in the barbecue world of recent years.

Instead of the grill being tucked off to one side of the outdoor area, over which the barbecue chef works his magic with a cold beer in hand and his loyal mates around (with their beers in hand as well off course), in ring grilling, an open wood fire is prepared in a circular firepit, and inside the pit, resting on it’s edge, is a donut shaped or “ring” made of thick steel plate. The fire burns in the center of this ring and heats the plate. It is on this ring that the social grilling happens.

The concept could not be more simple, but it in the simplicity that the magic lies. The ring barbecue by its nature is social. Just like a round meeting table, there is no barbecue chef or pit boss any more. Everyone joins in and cooks what they want, when they want, and how they want it. All the while standing around a cozy fire and getting to know each other. The feeling is so primeval. One can image a similar scene around the tribal fire in our dim distant past - minus the metal ring.

 

Performance pressure

Our culture of barbecue is now a hard wired thinking in terms of a grill boss (usually the man of the family) and his domain around his chosen barbecue on the deck in the backyard. For many men, it is their culinary bastion and jealously guarded. The idea of cooking meat outside over fire resonates deeply within us men.

In a world of shifting norms, this activity of ancient origin, is a link to a long lost past. I am one of the many who has donned the outdoor apron and baseball cap, taken position at the barbecue, beer in hand and prayed with my mates at the altar of fire and meat, while the women folk sip their white wine and discuss the latest sales.

The pit boss has a heavy mantle of responsibility on his shoulders. So much can go wrong, The steaks can get burnt, the gas bottle can run out, the chicken undercooked. And the kids! they must be fed with something suiting their fickle pallets before they to turn nasty and sabotage the entire atmosphere. The pressure can be immense. Ruining the steaks can taint the barbecue host’s social reputation irrevocably. A man who cannot grill, is in the same social category with a man who cannot do a pushup. Luckily with pushups, the instances are rare to be publicly tested, and the mood of the hungry crowd will never hinge on your performance.

 

Hosting a ring grill party

The social tables are now turned with the interplay of a ring grill party. The guests all get a hand in the cooking. All the grillable goodies are pre prepared raw and ready to cook. The standard paper plates, and cutlery is there, and sufficient barbecue tools to allow everyone a chance at the ring. The firepit with the ring grill is placed centrally allowing a comfortable 360 degree access, and the fire is started.

Ring grilling is all about the fire. It is the giver or warmth, safety and... flavour. The dancing flames leaping out of the middle of the cooking ring is a spectacle no gas grill can match. The primeval allure is undeniable. The burning fire warms the ring grill from the inner edge out. This phenomenon is perfect for grilling. The inner edge is the zone of high heat to sear your steak, while the outer is a more gentle heat for delicate vegetables and poultry. The fat heavy steel cooking surface is a massive reservoir of heat. Just keep the fire going and the ring does the rest.

No explanation is required, your guests will automatically realize how this new paradigm works. The Ring grill has no knobs or dials to adjust, no gas bottles to run out, so the hosts are left to be on equal terms with their guests. And here lies the true beauty. The host is released from expectation and left to enjoy fantastic feeling of community and belonging that only a ring grill party can create. Wiling away the hours with your friends around the fire is the moment you realise it doesn't get any better than this.

 

Superior grill

In fact this type of grilling is in many ways superior to the experience of a thin grill over hot coals or gas. The thick metal ring once hot, maintains a very stable temperature characteristic which aids the grilling process in many ways.

Food never sticks to the plate. The reason for this is simple - the massive heat store contained in the cooking plate. The temperature differential between your cold food and the hot cooking surface undergoes almost no change when they come into contact. Your food begins to cook immediately. It is when the cooking surface cools rapidly immediately after coming into contact with the cold raw food that sticking occurs as the food and the grill surface heat up together. The same can be seen with thin cheap aluminium frying pans in the kitchen. There is a good reason cast iron, despite having no teflon coating resists sticking.

The ring structure protects your food from direct exposure over the hot coals of the fire preventing dripping flare ups. The grilling phenomena which in recent years has been associated with the imparting of carcinogenic properties onto our beloved barbecued foods, especially meats.

 

Plethora of possibility

Ringryll in action

The ring grill contains a surprising range of grilling possibility. The continuous heavy surface of the ring grill has opened a completely new vista in culinary variety. In addition to all the foods that everyone associates with grilling, the ring grill also allows unexpected new additions such as potato wedges, pancakes, pizza bread, and even that Swiss favourite, the fried cheese called ‘Raclette’ is all very easy to cook. Place a pot on the ring and now even soup is on the menu. Or maybe you just want to make yourself a cup of tea. This is all now possible on the ring barbecue.

 

Products

Ring barbecues are rather simple in construction and require no skill to use. Just get firewood and a spark and you are in action. Their simplicity lends them an undeniable aesthetic symmetry and beauty bringing an unexpected function from your barbecue - a garden sculpture. On the whole, those who have discovered this new trend have placed their Ring barbecue on center stage in their gardens.

Today there still only a few different products on the market for the budding social griller, though this is likely to change as Social Grilling catches on.

Kookaburra Barbecue from Yagoona

The Feuerring from Switzerland. These units are huge and rather pricey starting at around US$3000.-

Yagoona design, also a Swiss company has the Ringryll and Kookaburra barbecues available which are smaller and in a more affordable price range starting at about US$600.-. The interesting advantage of the Yagoona ring barbecues is that unlike the Feuerring, the rings are separate units from the firepit, allowing you to enjoy your firepit without the ring, or taking your pit and ring and enjoying a ring grill party down at the lake or the beach.