Talk to me about BBQs

[FizzyPink]

We’ve never owned a BBQ before but have just had our garden completed and need to buy one. I have no idea what type we want and there seems to be loads of variations at totally different prices.

It’s a very small garden and is overlooked by our neighbours in the flat above so ideally I’d like the least smokey type. I’d also like something easy to clean and maintain. DP is not an experienced BBQ’er so I’d love to know what the easiest option is going to be.

Looking at this as it’s reasonable but has great reviews - www.argos.co.uk/product/5981887?clickSR=slp:term:bbq:1:76:1

Budget up to around £150. What should we buy?

Gas ones are less smokey and that's what we have.

Gas bbq less smokey than charcoal one.

Gas is also easier to use, turn it on, heat it up for 5 minutes and cook.

We love our gas barbecue. Cadac are good if you want a smaller one.
www.towler-staines.co.uk/shop/appliances/1251-cadac-grillo-chef-2-bbq-barbecue-gas.html

Oh this is great, gas it is then

I've had gas and proper bbqs. I much prefer a real bbq rather than an outdoors cooker. Gas bbqs add nothing to the flavour of the food whilst charcoal ones do. If you fuel the proper ones correctly then you don't get a lot of smoke.

We use a smoker and wood chips for flavour on the gas bbq

Gas all day long. I’ve had both and trust me, gas is a shit ton,easier, less smokey and it tastes just as good and you get that mouth watering smell.

It’s also easier to clean up, easier to operate too.

So we’ve just been to buy our BBQ. Does anyone have any suggestions of where is best to buy the gas?
I asked in B&Q tonight and they said you have to sign up to a yearly membership which makes the first bottle an extra £45 for your membership which seems very expensive!

Look up your local Calor Gas dealer or search for a local supplier.

On the Calor Gas website is a calculator which tells you what size gas bottle you need depending on the number of burners you have.

I think ours is classed a patio gas

I went from a charcoal BBQ to a Weber gas BBQ this year. So much cleaner to set up and clean. Get a smoker box etc if you like the smells

And most places charge a deposit if it's your first bottle then the cost fo the gas.

if you don't use a lot that £45works out more expensive after a year or two

If you are using charcoal and some kind of liquid lighter fuel to get it going, doesnt some of those combustion pollutants get carried over onto and into the food?

Some supermarket garages sell the gas bottle. You do need to pay for the bottle the first time. Think calor has a locator on its website to show stockists near you

@Arnoldthecat I would guess they burn away quickly, well before the coals are hot enough to cook on.

For starting charcoal bbq we got one of these a couple of years ago Weber chimney starter, absolute game changer for getting charcoal bbq lit and at the right temperature quickly and reliably.

That’s really useful, thanks everyone!

You used to be able to get natural gas BBQs. You would have a plug in gas point installed and when you wanted to use the BBQ you just wheeled it out and plugged it in.

Controversial but, gas isn’t really barbecuing is it? It’s more grilling outside. We’ve got a Weber one and it’s amazing. Charcoal doesn’t have to be super smokey for the duration of cooking if you know what you are doing.

We have a gas bbq that has rocks between the flames and grill and I never thought for a second that it would have that delicious barbecue taste but it really does. The fat from the meat drips onto the rocks and creates the smokey bbq flavour and smell back onto the meat.

Ours is an Outback one so a bit pricy (we got it for free) but there's ones out there that work the same way for much cheaper.

I’ve just bought a big gas one in Asda for your budget and love it

We ended up getting this one - www.argos.co.uk/product/4509411?clickSR=slp:term:gas%20bbq:1:43:1

Looks pretty simple for novice BBQ’ers. Just need to put it together and pick up the gas ready for the weekend

Gas with lava rocks on
DH loves BBQs, we had one on Boxing Day once and the rain doesn’t put him off. We often cook meat out there and then eat inside

@KeyWorker I agree! I don't see the point in a gas BBQ. You'd be as well cooking your food inside in the grill

We had a gas bbq for years (after we couldn't get the hang of getting coals to the right temperature) and convinced ourselves it was as good as BBQing as it had the seasoned bricks for taste. It wasn't until it broke and we went back to a charcoal kettle bbq, and managed to get the coals right, that we realised that the bbq taste was missing.

Nothing wrong with a gas bbq if you want to outdoor grill, but no bricks or rocks will ever give that authentic smokey bbq taste.

We had gas for years then swapped to a Weber kettle BBQ. It's excellent and the food is soooo much better on it. You get the proper charcoal flavour.

I think the one we have is currently £140 at John Lewis. We've already had it 7 years and its showing no sign of wear. I reckon it's going to last 15-20 years at this rate.

If you're interested, also look for a charcoal starter, super useful for getting the BBQ going with ease.

Weber kettle charcoal bbq all of the way!