How to Choose and Buy a Barbecue

A barbecue is a great way to enjoy cooking food outdoors and there's a fantastic range available to buy online, including models to suit mofst tastes and budgets. Here are some useful hints and tips for things to consider when choosing a barbecue.

Barbecue Fuel - Charcoal and Gas

Barbecues use either charcoal or gas, and each fuel type has particular benefits:

Charcoal Barbecues - This is the traditional barbecue fuel and gives food that distinctive 'barbecued' appearance. With basic models of charcoal barbecue, you can change the height of the grill above the embers to control the cooking temperature. You may want to consider a kettle barbecue - with a lid to create an enclosed oven-like grilling area, kettle barbecues can braise and roast a range of meat and vegetables, and you can use the lid as a windbreak. Charcoal barbecues come in small, medium and large sizes, with portable models popular for day trips and camping holidays. You'll need to light the charcoal at least 45 minutes before cooking, so it can burn white hot.

It's easy to find fuel for charcoal barbecues - they can run on lumpwood charcoal, instant lighting lumpwood or charcoal briquettes, each of which offer different benefits. Lumpwood charcoal is the best for high temperatures. Instant lighting lumpwood can be ignited without lighting fluid or firelighters. Charcoal briquettes last about double the amount of time that standard lumpwood charcoal does.

Gas Barbecues - Convenient, quick and clean, gas powered barbecues combine the efficiency of gas with the classic barbecue design. Featuring a gas burner underneath lava rocks or 'flavouriser' bars that take about 10 minutes to heat up, gas barbecues are incredibly easy to control. As with other gas cooking appliances, a gas barbecue's temperature can be regulated to cook food evenly, so the food is less likely to burn, and there's no messy ash to dispose of!

If you anticipate cooking for large groups of people, it's worth considering a larger model of gas barbecue, as these often feature multiple burners with separate controls so that you can cook different foods at the same time.

How to Choose and Buy a Barbecue Grill Types

When choosing a barbecue, you'll find that different models use different types of grill. Bear in mind that the type of grill you choose will affect the price of your new barbecue. Here are details of the different types of barbecue grill available:

Chrome grill - Stylish and functional, but needs to be cleaned after use
Stainless steel grill - Hard wearing and easy to clean
Porcelain-coated grill - For rust-free convenience, porcelain-coated grills are more expensive but improve the taste of food and are easy to maintain.
Cast iron grill - The classic grill type, which retains heat superbly, yet needs regular cleaning to prevent rust.

How to Choose and Buy a Barbecue - Features and Accessories

Barbecues can vary in build quality and the number of features that they have. While some models come with accessories, you can also buy them separately. Here are some of the features found on barbecues:

Side burners - Ideal for heating sauces and cooking vegetables
Warming racks - Essential when cooking large amounts of food as you can use them to keep food warm and to warm up bread and buns
Griddle - Ideal for frying food that might otherwise slip through a grill, such as cocktail sausages and eggs
BBQ lids/hoods - Barbecue lids - when closed - improve heat circulation around the food. Lids also act as a useful windbreak
BBQ tool set - A barbecue tool set usually consists of a turner, tongs and a barbecue fork
Grill basket - A grill basket can help to prevent smaller items from falling through the grill, and makes it easier to turn fish and kebabs

How to Choose and Buy a Barbecue - Safety

Make sure you choose a barbecue that can be safely positioned in your garden. Find a level surface and make sure that there's plenty of distance between the barbecue and anything that could be a fire risk.

Read the installation instructions carefully, only use recommended fuels and wait for the barbecue to completely cool down before you clean it.

How to Choose and Buy a Barbecue - Warranty and Budget

Although charcoal barbecues are usually less expensive than gas barbecues, you should be aiming for a model that you will enjoy using, and it's worth noting that the more you pay, the better the warranty and quality will be. A warranty will cover you if your barbecue needs to be repaired or replaced (under certain conditions).

Consider setting a limit on the amount of money that you're prepared to spend on your new barbecue, but if you're planning to use your barbecue regularly, it's a good idea to go for quality over price.

By comparing online prices for barbecues from different retailers and taking advantage of special offers and discounts, you may get a better model of barbecue for your money.