Barbecuing in the UK is a risky business. We’ve all learnt through experience that the British weather is unpredictable, to say the least, and the forecast can change numerous times throughout the course of a day. We’ve all been caught out at some time or another and found ourselves tucking into our burgers and sausages sat in the conservatory, or huddled under the ‘not so waterproof’ garden parasol. Whether we like it or not, we’re at the mercy of the weather – no-one wants to cook in a downpour, but at the same time it’s unheard of for us Brits to let the summer season pass without wheeling out the BBQ and having a good old family and friends’ get-together.
Gas barbecues give instant heat and cook quickly – they’re perfect for cooking outdoors when you’re short on time, whether that be because there are grey clouds approaching; the temperature’s dropping; or it’s just a weekday evening when, by the time everyone’s home and sorted, there’s very little of the evening left to enjoy a meal so the quicker the food’s out and everyone’s sat down, the better!
In contrast, charcoal barbecues can take a considerable length of time to reach suitable cooking temperature, so you need to allow a good hour or so to get a charcoal BBQ prepared before you even think about putting your chef’s hat on! Granted, traditionally, charcoal was always the primary fuel used for BBQs and it does create that authentic, smoky flavour, but these days, time is a luxury a lot of us don’t have. As a result, more and more of us are turning to the quicker, easier, more environmentally-friendly option of a gas BBQ.
Best Pick Gas Barbecue
- Temperature Control: With Four 7.2 kW stainless steel burners and one 2.1 kW side burner that can be adjusted and ignited individually via Piezo ignition; Easily accommodate cooking a variety of meat and vegetables for your cooking preference
- Better Grilling: Resourcefully shaped flame tamers are designed to protect the burners from grease improving their performance and longevity; Also included is a full length warming rack to keep food warm or provide additional grill cooking space
- Easy Maintenance: Removable grill grates and trays provide simple cleaning; The remainder of the barbecue requires a simple wipe down for low maintenance
- Added Storage: The spacious bottom shelf with doors keeps condiments, pans and accessories nicely tucked away; Castor wheels allow for easy transportation
- Easy Assembly: The BBQ comes flat packed and can be built by two people within two hours using the manual included; Look below for more technical details
Last update on 2024-12-13 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Only got 5 minutes
Gas or charcoal
Granted, grilling food over white-hot charcoal is the traditional method of barbecuing. You’re unlikely to find any BBQ lover whose mouth doesn’t water when you mention the smokey flavour that comes from a charcoal BBQ and results in grilled food that oozes that authentic chargrilled flavour. Charcoal BBQs might also be cheaper than gas BBQs however, that’s where the benefits end. Charcoal BBQs take an age to heat up and instead of playing host or hostess to your family and friends, or sitting on the rattan sipping something cold and fizzy, you find yourself wishfully staring at the coals waiting for the green light when they finally turn white and you can actually begin to cook.
Even when your charcoal BBQ has reached a decent temperature that you’re able to cook on, unlike a gas BBQ where you can adjust the heat and temperature at the turn of a dial or slide of a switch, the heat from charcoal remains constant, resulting in a lot of burnt sausages and cremated kebabs. Charcoal BBQs can also be tricky to light, and cleaning away the ash at the end of the night can be a messy job – not something you really want to be doing after entertaining friends and family, and slaving over hot coals… literally!!
Gas BBQ models
| Standard Gas BBQ Grill | Gas BBQ grill with hood | Gas BBQ + griddle |
| Suitable for chargrilling a range of food: meat, kebabs, fish and vegetables. | Suitable for grilling, roasting & baking | Suitable for traditional grilling with the option to sear, fry, stir-fry and boil. |
Choosing the right size gas BBQ
The greater the number of burners a gas BBQ has, the bigger the grilling area so the larger the model. BBQs with different cooking options also tend to be bigger in size to allow you to cook in different ways simultaneously i.e. grill and roast at the same time. It’s important to get the size of your gas BBQ right as you don’t want to feel restricted – in terms of both quantity and the different types of food you’re able to cook – however choosing a BBQ bigger than you need means you’ll be going through gas at a quicker rate; when you’re looking at around £35 for a 13kg canister refill, you don’t want to be wasting gas unnecessarily.
Portable, family or party size?
| Portable Gas BBQ | Family BBQ | Party BBQ |
| Best for: Campers and caravanners | Best for: An average sized family | Best for: Larger families or social gatherings |
| Extra info: Portable gas BBQs work with small gas canisters so they’re fairly lightweight, meaning they’re easy to move around. Don’t get too giddy when it comes to food – with portable models being relatively small, often just a single burner, you’re restricted on how much food you can cook at one time. | Extra info: Family BBQs heat up quite quickly. They tend to be fairly compact so can be moved in and out of storage fairly easily. | Extra info: Tend to have a minimum of 3-4 burners. Greater grilling area so you’re able to grill more food in one go. Usually have the option of different cooking options i.e. roasting, grilling and warming. Bigger in size so are heavy and difficult to move. |
Best Budget Gas Barbecue
Last update on 2024-12-13 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Gas type
Propane and Butane are the two types of gas which can be used with gas BBQs. Propane is the most common as Butane can’t be used below -0.5 degrees and so isn’t suitable for winter barbecues. Propane can be used in temperatures as cold as -40 degrees. Granted, we don’t get winters quite that cold but better safe than sorry!!!
How much gas you’ll need depends on the size of your gas BBQ. Generally, the more burners a BBQ has, the more gas it will use, although factors like how high you set the burners and how long you cook for will obviously increase the amount of gas you get through.
Gas canisters generally come in two sizes: 13kg and 5kg.
5kg Gas canister
- Suitable for gas BBQs with 1-3 burners
- Initial cost around £55
- Refill cost around £20
- You can expect a 5kg canister, being used with a 3 burner BBQ, to last for around 7-8 hours.
13kg Gas canister
- Suitable for gas BBQs with 4+ burners
- Initial cost around £70
- Refill cost around £35
- You can expect a 13kg canister, being there see with a 3 burner BBQ to last for around 15 hours.
Gas canisters and refills have become more readily available in recent years. Now, most petrol stations, garden centres and DIY stores offer the facility, as well as specialist online retailers which often offer a convenient delivery and collection service.
Best barbecue features to look for
Barbecuing is the oldest and most diverse cooking method in the world. When we think of barbecuing in the UK, most of us think of hot, fast, direct cooking – grilling sausages, burgers, chicken and steaks but there’s so much more you can do with a gas BBQ!
The best gas BBQs will be great for grilling but their skill-set doesn’t end there… frying pancakes, sautéing potatoes, boiling rice, baking or roasting jacket potatoes. You name a food and it’s highly likely there’ll be a way of cooking it on your gas BBQ.
Roasting hood
If there are two things us Brits know how to do it’s a BBQ and a traditional Sunday lunch. Go for a gas BBQ with a hood and you’re able to combine the two!!! Hooded BBQs are great for roasting so, rather than spending those precious summers Sunday afternoons cooped up in the kitchen, take your chicken, pork loin or joint of beef outside and get it on the BBQ! The best gas BBQs will also come with 1-2 side burners meaning you can heat the gravy, boil the sprouts or caramelise the onions, meaning you don’t have to set foot in the kitchen at all!
Griddle or hot plate
The best gas BBQs will come with a griddle and/or hot plate as well as the standard grill. It’s a flat, smooth, rectangular metal surface – normally iron or steel – which is positioned directly over the BBQ burners and is the perfect feature if you like to barbecue lots of different types of food. Griddles/hot plates are great for cooking breakfast – pancakes, omelettes, fried bread, bacon and hash browns will all cook a treat on a hot plate. They’re also good for cooking paninis or burgers too as you’re able to toast the bread at the same time.
Side burner
Basic family-size gas BBQ models will normally come with a foldable side storage shelf, however, if you’re willing to pay a little bit more, you’ll be able to get yourself a model with a side burner – an essential but undervalued BBQ feature that, when used to its full capacity, allows you to warm, boil or steam without taking up precious grilling space.
Warming racks
It’s likely that when you’re cooking different types of food on your gas BBQ, even with multiple burners and varying heat levels, some foods will cook quicker than others. A warming rack is a smaller, secondary grill, normally positioned above the main grill where cooked food can be placed to keep it hot without it continuing to cook.
Temperature gauge
If you’ve gone for a gas BBQ with a hood, the best models will come with a temperature gauge, which is great for checking the internal temperature without opening the lid and the heat escaping, particularly if you’re roasting. Temperature gauges also make pre-heating the barbecue easier; granted gas BBQs don’t take very long to heat up anyway but, if you’re planning on cooking something that requires a particularly high temperature, it’s useful to be able to see when the BBQ has reached the desired heat level without having to run the risk of burning your hand when you guesstimate!!!
Fat collectors
The best gas BBQs have a fat collecting tray under the grill; some trays have a hole that drains the excess fat away to an external pot, which means when it comes to emptying, the pot just simply needs removing, emptying and cleaning before reattaching, rather than having to relentlessly scrub the base of the BBQ. A useful tip for BBQ models with a fat collection tray is to line the tray with foil and sand – the sand absorbs the fat and so you’re able to simply lift the foil from the tray and replace with a fresh sheet, making cleaning the tray even easier.
Best of the Rest
- High quality & powerful: 4 high-performance stainless steel tube burners (12.8 kW) + 1 side burner (2.3 kW) for heating sauces or side-dishes;grill with reliable Piezo ignition for convenient lighting
- Endless cooking options: Large 2-part enameled stamped steel Grid & Griddle (78 x 45 cm), enameled warming rack, option to upgrade in to the Campingaz Culinary Modular System (grid, pizza stone, wok or paella pan sold separately)
- Easy Cleaning: InstaClean System for fast & easy cleaning of your BBQ. The system allows you to remove all dishwasher safe parts in less than 60 sec and to clean them in your dishwasher
- Storage & transport: 1 convenient folding side shelf and 4 locking casters to tuck your grill away when it's not in use; generous storage space in the bottom cupboard
- Specs: Steel lid with thermometer (ideal for indirect grilling);cooking surface 3,500 cm²; cooking height: 90 cm; gas consumption 931+167g/h; weight 57 kg
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- [SMALL BUT MIGHTY] The smallest gas barbecue in our Everest range might be compact but it packs a punch with a 47cm(W) x 42cm(D) cooking space. Who said gas barbecues are only for large gardens!
- [PREMIUM QUALITY] Featuring high quality materials/components, our 2 burner BBQ ignitor lights instantly. The cast iron grill/griddle plate is heated by 2 long-life stainless steel burners.
- [PORTABLE GAS BBQ] Our Everest gas barbecue is lightweight and has 2 large wheels making it easy to tilt and pack away between uses. Simply use your Fire Mountain cover, and store until next time!
- [ADDITIONAL FEATURES] The stainless steel hood keeps heat in as you cook whilst the wire warming rack above grill keeps cooked food warm. Keep track of heat with the built-in temperature gauge.
- [EASY OPERATION] Use your BBQ with propane (recommended) or butane gas. Gain optimum results with your outdoor grill. This product comes with a 1 year guarantee so you can grill outdoors with confidence.
Last update on 2024-12-13 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
- Gourmet BBQ system Porcelain-enamelled cooking grate
- Electronic Crossover ignition system
- Porcelain-enamelled flavorizer bars
- The Porcelain-enamelled lid and built-in lid thermometer
- Black metal side tables and barbecue cabinet
Last update on 2024-12-13 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Frequently Asked Questions
How will I know when my gas canister needs refilling?
There are 3 ways you can tell how close your gas canister is to needing a refill:
1) Some modern metal gas canisters from market-leading brands have listened to customer feedback and now come with a built-in indicator to give us an idea of how close we are to needing a refill.
2) Weigh your canister. Your canister should have a label informing you of its gross/net weight. When you think it’s close to needing a refill, check it’s weight and calculate how much gas you have left.
3) Pour some warm water down the side of the canister. Feel the canister casing; what you’re looking for is where the metal starts to feel cool – this tells you there’s gas on the other side.
How much does a gas BBQ cost?
Gas BBQs cost anywhere from around £70 for retailers own-brand budget versions to the ‘daddies’ of the BBQ world – branded, deluxe, multi-burner and multi-function models, which can set you back anywhere from a couple of hundred quid to in excess of £4000!!!!
Gas is usually not included so factor this into your budget when you buy, however, keep in mind that you won’t be scratching around for hours trying to light and heat up a charcoal BBQ while your guests starve and this makes the initial outlay much easier to swallow! Whatever your budget, be sure to shop around as there are some great deals to be had, particularly out of season. Ultimately, you want to go for the model that gives you the burners, functions, and accessories you’re after, and one with good reviews and a lengthy and inclusive warranty.
Do gas BBQs harm the environment?
Although gas comes from non-renewable fossil fuels, it produces roughly 50% fewer carbon emissions than charcoal when burned. That being the case, gas BBQs comfortably wear the crown when it comes to being green and leaving the smallest of carbon footprints.
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