Review done by our guest reviewer Matt
NEW Turbo Elite RQT 4 Burner
The new (Radiant Quartz Technology) Turbo by Barbeques Galore has replaced a 30 Year old design and one of the most impressive gas bbqs on the market (in my humble opinion) - of course I’m biased, I have been proudly cooking on this bbq for a long time!, so when I caught wind of a replacement model I was justifiably concerned. (Why change a good thing?)
The first thing I noticed is the lack of full stainless steel cabinetry; the new one has stainless doors, side shelves, facia, and roasting hood - inside the roasting hood is lined with black gloss vitreous enamelled steel, which I have discovered requires much less cleaning when you use smoking wood with almost everything!
I really would like the cabinet to be full stainless steel, although the cleaning aspect is now a bit easier with the gloss black panels and I guess it keeps the price down somewhat.
Under the hood, we have full stainless steel cook top as with the old one, 2 x standard enamelled burners under the plate, no flame tamers! (I hate cleaning those) and two very modern looking burners covered by domes of quartz.
These quartz domes may appear to be nothing more than a “glass cover” for the burners, but do not be fooled. These domes are made up of quartz making it not only strong, durable and easy to look after but it can withstand any temperature this bbq can throw at it. Another great feature of these quartz domes is that they aren’t affected by thermal shock, meaning, going from extremely hot, to extremely cold is no issue. When first being shown these new and fancy burners they demonstrated this feature by getting the burners red hot and pouring a jug full of ice and water directly over the top of these. Not only did the water and ice melt before you’re eyes but the quartz was completely unaffected (and proved to be a very efficient way of cleaning them too!).
Cooking over the grill with these burners is truly something you need to experience! I have tried loading the bbq up with the fattiest sausages, chops and chickens and the quality of the food is absolutely amazing every time. The fats instead of causing problems and causing those irritating flare ups, served to be very useful in the cooking of the meat, the fats and juices were trapped inside the meat and made for an unbelievable meal.
Looks are greatly improved (and I suggest maybe designed by a woman?) sleek lines, concealed handle for the sideburner lid, neat pull out drawer from the side shelf and a very streamlined, spring assisted roasting hood (and a thermometer that looks like it would be more at home on a sports car dash).
The cabinet doors line up perfectly thanks to kitchen style hinges, and snap nicely back in place once closed.
Overall this bbq out-performs it’s predecessor where it matters, still the same power from the old model but with improved performance all-round, a fitting replacement.
Our flame rating is 9 out of 10.
Road Tested March 2011
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