Top 5 Best Gas BBQ's

We are getting more and more questions about which BBQ’s are the best, gas or BBQ, which is a whole new post in its own right but I thought it was about time we reviewed our Top 5 Best Gas BBQ’s as the last one we did was 2009! Wow, how time flies.

As I frequently say, we are massive fans of charcoal BBQ’s but I can see why so many people favour gas BBQ’s. If you have a big family, use BBQ’s multiple times per week and need your food grilling fast, then BBQ’s are probably best for you and your family.

That being said, we have twins on the way and I don’t think this will make us switch to gas, but never say never!

Moving on, based on our experience and having had  a play with many gas BBQ’s, here are our Top 5 Best Gas BBQ’s for 2011.

1. Weber Q220 Black line Gas BBQ & Stand (Amazon £289.00)

One of the new 2011 range of Gas BBQ’s from Weber. Why does it get the number one spot, well, it has everything! The Q220 Black Line BBQ from Amazon has a huge 206 inch grill, cast iron lid and cooking grill and is possibly the nicest looking gas BBQ currently on the market. At £289.00 it is for the serious griller or those who want a BBQ that will last them for life. If you have a large family to grill for, this is the gas bbq for you.

2. Outback Omega 250 (Amazon £144.00)

A great entry level BBQ for gas fans but it is also built to last thanks to it carrying the well resepected Outback branding. The cooking area is 50×36 cm and it even has a side burner. A real bargain in the gas bbq world.

3. Australia 200 Series 3 Burner Roaster Gas BBQ (Amazon £249.99)

I picked this one for a couple of reasons. One, I had a go on an Australia Gas BBQ as part of a testing day and found it to be one of the easiest to get going (in terms of fiddling about) and secondly, it specifically has tools for roasting joints.

A 64 x 49 cm grill space is also a bonus as are the three burners.

4. BillyOh Gas BBQ Tasman 300 (Amazon £63.90)

A nice, affordable and cheap entry level gas BBQ from BillyOh. This gas BBQ does the job, has two burners and I picked it because it comes with the kit.

It comes with regulator and cover and as I say, is a nice affordable piece of kit.

5. Outback Excell 300 Gas BBQ (Amazon £149.99)

Another new season BBQ and this one is from Outback who make great gas BBQ’s. A 50 x 38 cm grill means that this is not the largest gas bbq on offer but in my eyes it is the prettiest.

Don’t be worried about the eye catching modern design though, it is still a very powerful gas bbq and will do brilliant for the average sized family.

6. Weber Summit S670 Gas Stainless Steel BBQ (Amazon £2849.99)

Ok, so this one was more of a giggle but… if you have won the lottery and have watched MTV Cribs, this is the Gas BBQ for you!

So, there you have it, our Top 5 Best Gas BBQ’s… And here they all are (below) in one easy to see widget (courtesy of Amazon).

Popularity: 19% [?]

Charcoal v Gas BBQ's - Which Are Best

So here we go, our take on the Gas v Charcoal BBQ Debate and which is best. You will never get me to switch to Gas from Charcoal but I can see why some BBQ fans do love a Gas barbecue.

Here are my Top 5 Pros and Cons on Gas v Charcoal BBQ’s..

Gas BBQ Pros

1. Quick to heat up and get going

2. Easy to clean

3. Don’t have to keep buying coal

4. Can keep the BBQ at a consistent temperature

5. Easier to cater for large families or get togethers

Gas BBQ Cons

1. Not as good a flavour as charcoal

2. Gas can work out expensive

3. Typically uglier designs

4. Cannot cook pizza’s on them (need high temp)

5. They are basically just the same as cooking the food indoors!

A Selection of my Favourite Gas BBQ’s are in the Amazon Widget Below

Charcoal BBQ Pros

1. Much more flavour

2. Can do more adventurous recipes on charcoal BBQ’s (pizza, beer can up the bum chicken)

3. Can position the coals as you require (hot spots, indirect BBQ cooking recipes)

4. Designs are much prettier (Kettle Charcoal BBQ’s!)

5. Smell much nicer and you can use woodchips etc

Charcoal BBQ Cons

1. Messy

2. Tougher to clean

3. Hard to control temperature

4. Far more potential for eye brow removal

5. Seem to age/break more quickly than Charcoal BBQ’s

A Selection of my Favourite Charcoal BBQ’s are in the Amazon Widget Below

Popularity: 8% [?]

BBQ Tools

Lets kick the 2011 BBQ Season off with some back to basics information on how to make sure you have a successful BBQ by having the right equipment.

Before I start, I want to make it clear, BBQ’ing does and should not be expensive. Essentially, all you need is fire and meat. That being said, if you want to make sure that you don’t accidentally food poison friends and family then you need some basics.

I have grouped the below into catagories of “Essential” and “Nice to Have”

Essential:

A BBQ! Up to you whether or not you want gas or charcoal. Whilst I am charcoal all the way I can see the benefits of gas, especially if you have a large young family and you need to grill fast and hard. If you can though, always go for charcoal.

You then have the choice of a Kettle BBQ or a normal open top BBQ, usually a half barrel style. We use a Weber Kettle BBQ. Brilliant for cooking a wider range of BBQ Recipes. For example, the beer can up the bum chicken recipe and pizza recipe can only be done in a kettle BBQ. They enable you to reach a higher temperature.

Charcoal… there are heaps of ethical charcoal companies around, even the big stores like Tesco and B&Q source ethical and greener charcoals.

Long BBQ Fork. Essential for moving your meats around

Nice to Have

BBQ Baskets. I swear by these, no more need to hassle with tossing burgers and steaks. We whack everything in these, fish, burgers, steak, chops etc. Absolutely essential for us.

Heat Beads: Essential for pizza and hot temp BBQ recipes. (available from Waitrose)

Small Coal Shovel: (we actually need a new one of these). Great for moving coals around, positioning at the edge of the BBQ etc for the higher temp BBQ recipes. (try B&Q)

BBQ Mitt: We have gone through a few of the weber mitts and they are essential. I am trying a new brand this year, so I shall report back once we have given it the once over.

Foil trays: Great for catching the juices and stopping the coals setting on fire again during the longer BBQ recipes.

Pizza Stone: Another essential if you are wondering how to cook pizza on a BBQ.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Free Gas BBQ Offer

The lovely people over at Garden Style Direct have tipped us off that they have a rather brilliant deal on at the minute. When you buy over £700.00 of garden furniture (not that much when you add it all up) they will give you a free top of the range Gas BBQ!

The site currently has up to 65% off across a large number of its garden and outside living range of products but it is the free gas Barbecue deal that caught our eye.

The free gas BBQ is the Redfyre 11 that usualy costs £149.00. It has 3 burners as well as a high power side burner that can help with all your wider BBQ’ing needs such as frying those frisky onions and alike.

This really is a top of the range BBQ and well worth considering in its own right, let alone as part of this wonderful offer.

Important Notice: The Offer Ends on July 6th!

Have you bought anything from Garden Style Direct or tried the Redfyre range of Gas BBQ’s, if so, why not post a comment below?

Popularity: unranked [?]

Best Gas BBQ

Although I will never be convinced that gas BBQ’s will deliver the same strong and rich flavour as a charcoal BBQ I am genuinely a big fan of some of this years new products.

If you have a big family or are catering for a big BBQ there is no doubt that the best gas barbecues will never let you down.

We decided to have a look at the current gas barbecues on offer to find the best ones for you. As ever, we have only used websites that we trust 100% is safe enough for our readers to buy from.

As you would expect B&Q has possibly the best gas BBQ range and I have picked out a few of the highlights.

The Outback Platinum 6 Burner Gas BBQ costing £398.98 has a hefty price tag but it is possibly the best build quality out of all the gas Barbecues we have looked at. You are also buying a brand that is one of the most reputable in the BBQ industry.

It is a stylish beast of a BBQ, with integrated temperature gauge, warming rack and even a table that you can take off if you are so inclined.

The more affordable New Jersey 3 Burner Gas Barbecue costing just £179.53 is very reasonably priced considering it is a 3 burner gas BBQ.

It has a very slick design style and once again I like the fact that it has two good sized tables either side. The other reason this makes it into our list of the Best Gas BBQ’s is because of the handy side shelves on the base of the BBQ, a very good idea.

Finally from B&Q, the Florida 2 Burner Gas BBQ at £48.98 is the cheapest gas barbecue that B&Q has on offer. It looks a bit flimsy but when we had a look at it a bit closer it was actually a very sturdy piece of kit.

With just 2 burners it is not going to feed the 5000 but it is perfect for those on a budget or a family wanting to test out a gas BBQ.

Moving on we browsed on over to John Lewis, one of our favourite stores and also one of the most affordable shops for the best Gas BBQ’s.

OK, so let’s start with a Shock and Awe style gas BBQ, the price tag means you may need to be a footballer or MP to afford it (the latter on expenses obviously).

The Weber Summit S650 Gas Barbecue costs a whopping £1,999 but to be fair, it is simply amazing! This beast is fully coated in stainless steel, and the top-of-the-range Weber Summit S650 grill will mean you can cook for hundreds very easily. It is more than capable of grilling whole joints of meat or chickens and even comes with something called a Flavorizer  that allegedly helps give food its traditional smoky taste, and there’s a centre-mounted thermometer for checking whether your food’s cooked.

One of the little things I like so much about the Weber S650 Gas BBQ is the fact you get a Weber Cookbook when you buy this Barbecue. Pricey but awesome!

The next one that caught my eye and is also a Weber is the Weber Spirit E210 Gas BBQ with Enamel Grills costing just £322.00.

This would probably be my own personal choice and it really is pushing hard to be the best gas BBQ. It looks very impressive, is sturdier than a rugby pack in full charge and looks so pretty I would probably be scared of using it for fear of getting the pretty thing dirty!

Looking at the more budget range, I really like the look of the John Lewis Al Forno 2 Burner Gas Barbecue costing just £96.00.

Al Forno BBQ from john Lewis

Whilst it does not have all the modern gadgets of some of the more pricier gas BBQ’s, most importantly it does the job and does have the very handy side table that puts it above so many of the budget charcoal BBQ’s.

Before you make a decision about buying the best Gas BBQ for you, we also reviewed the Antony Worrall Thompson new range of BBQ’s, which is worth a read as you can find the cheapest and best Antony Worrall Thompson Gas BBQ’s.

You should also take the time to consider if a portable gas BBQ could be best for you, we have also reviewed the best portable gas BBQ’s.

Have you recently bought a gas barbecue? Which one did you go for and why… tell us below in the commetns section or why not send us a picture of you and your gas BBQ in action – andy@petoba.com

Popularity: unranked [?]

Antony Worrall Thompson BBQ's

This year one the most noticeable increases in new BBQ’s comes from famous celebrity TV Chef, Antony Worrall Thompson.

He has a range of Charcoal and Gas BBQ’s available and a friend of ours recently invited us over to check out his new Anthony Worrall Thompson Signature 4 Burner Gas BBQ.

Our man in the know got his Anthony Worrall Thompson Signature 4 Burner Gas BBQ from Argos for just £391.00. It is a very impressive piece of kit so I decided to have a look at what else the beardy little chef has on offer to wow the BBQ world.

What I like about th e Thompson BBQ’s is that unlike so many other celebrity’s who put their name to various products, all of his come with his own recipe booklet of ideas and tips, and they kind of feel like they are his as well, rather than just being the work of some marketing guy sat in an office.

Given I was already on the Argos website I was able to spot a few more Antony Worrall Thompson Gas and Charcoal BBQ’s.

Also on the charcoal side, this Antony Worrall Thompson 3 Burner Signature BBQ from Argos at just £293.59 is also one of the better products on offer. Like all of his gas barbecue range, the entire grilling unit looks very slick, well presented and most importantly, very sturdy.

The novel temperature controls and burner styles means that you can roast meat in your Antony Worrall Thompson Gas BBQ as well, always very handy, especially if you like the occasional winter BBQ, or even to roast an entire goose for a Christmas or New Years BBQ.

There is a more affordable BBQ in the gas range called simply the Antony Worrall Thompson Gas Grill costing just £195.69, again from Argos.

Cheap Antony Worrall Thompson Gas BBQ

Moving over to the charcoal side of the Antony Worrall Thompson Barbecue Range we have a similarly impressive offering.

The Antony Worrall Thompson Kettle Charcoal BBQ costs only £78.31 at the minute as Argos has reduced the price. Just for a kettle charcoal bbq alone this is a great price but when you consider it is of such high build quality you can see how much value for money the current offer from Argos is.

The reason I love this charcoal kettle BBQ so much is not just because it is a beast in size given its 51sm grill, it is also because of the little details such as the warming rack, which does not often come with all Kettle BBQ’s. The other reason I love this one is the basket that comes along with it as well and sits below the barbecue.

The basket is a neat idea and can hold all the “stuff” you forget you need and end up having to struggle down the garden with.

I am glad that I took the time to learn a bit more about the BBQ’s on offer from one of the UK’s most well known chefs as they really are an impressive gas and charcoal Barbecue range.

Have you got an Anthony Worrall Thompson BBQ? Why not tell us what you think of it in the comment box below.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Outback BBQ's

In the world of Gas BBQ’s one company is taking the UK market by storm and this is Outback Barbecues. I have lost count of the number of people who have asked me when we will do a review of one of these beasts of the BBQ world.

I very much doubt we will be offered an Outback Barbecue to test simply because they cost so much and there are very few of them about at the minute. In terms of the big stockists out there the only two mainstream national ones are B&Q and also John Lewis, although, I should point out that John Lewis does not stock any at the present time but this could be because they have sold out.

Having had a look through the B&Q range I could only find two of the Outback Barbecue Gas BBQ’s and they are comprehensively more than a charcoal BBQ but judging from everything I am hearing they are well worth the money.

The first one I found was the Outback Platinum 6 Burner Gas Barbecue that costs £398.98. The size of the grill and the fact it has 6 burners means that you could easily cater for 8 people and maybe a few more if you make slightly smaller burgers

The Outback Platinum 6 Burner Gas Barbecue has a solid timber frame that is complimented with a metal infrastructure in which the BBQ itself sits. Other features on the Outback 6 Burner BBQ include, Porcelain Enamelled Cooking Grill & Griddle, Warming Rack And Vaporiser Bar, 2 Side Shelves And Bottom Shelf, Wheels, Temperature Gauge and a Removable Side Table.

6 burner Outback BBQ

B&Q also does a slightly smaller Outback Charcoal BBQ called the Outback Titanium 3 Burner Gas Barbecue that costs £329.98. Being of the 3 burner variety it will probably cook slightly less meat but it will still easily cater for a family of 4-6 people.

Build and spec wise the 3 Burner Outback Titanium Gas Barbecue is pretty much identical to its 6 Burner cousin and looks just as slick and well built.

Before signing off from my big hunt for the Outback Gas Barbecue I decided to give the old favourite a try, i.e. Amazon and found that they have an Outback 200 Gas Barbecue that is available at a very reasonable price of £170.00. It is a 2 burner gas BBQ and continually sells well as a good starter Gas BBQ model so well worth considering.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Best and cheapest Portable Gas BBQ's

Following on from the blog on portable charcoal BBQ’s that has become one of the most popular we have ever written we have been inundated with requests for the same topic, but for Gas powered BBQ’s.

Whatever my thoughts on Gas BBQ’s (not all bad – they are great for families, or those who need to BBQ on the quick) there is no doubt they are higely popular. Combine their ease of use with the fact there are now loads of portable Gas Barbecues out there and you have a winning combination.

Here are a selection of the best, all from Amazon because they have the best range available in the UK and they are one of the safest shops to buy from online.

It may look like an alian space craft but this Grill N Go Portable Gas BBQ at just £69.99 represents fantastic value for money.  As you would expect from a good gas BBQ it has temperature controls and some nifty controls. We particularly like the fact it has a light in the middle so even when the sun disappears you can keep on grilling.

We also love that the mucky parts can go in the dishwasher and its rather funky carry handles which mean you can move it even when it is on full blast.

A bit more expensive, but still looking rather dashing is this O-Grill Portable Gas BBQ that costs £144.99. It comes in either red, blue, green or red, but be warned, it is one of this years best sellers so get in quick if you want one.

The build quality is awesome and it has a chunky feeling cast iron grill and steel casing! Sounds heavy but is surprisingly light and more importantly, easy to clean plus it weighs just 11kg!

Moving on to the big-boys of the portable gas BBQ industry we had a look at the Weber Q Portable Gas barbecue that costs £201.99.

Yes it is the most expensive we have reviewed but by god it is amazing! It has a 280 sq inch (massive) cooking space, you can roast an entire flipping chicken on it and because of its unique design and the way in which is retains its heat, it can even be positioned on top of a wooden table without the risk of causing a fire!

We reckon you could get an amazing 15 burgers on this beast and still have room to hide a few sausages on there too! It is by far our favourite, but it does come at a slightly higher price.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Raw Garden - Website of the week

Oh my god! I have not been this excited about a BBQ related find since I discovered the Beer Can up the Bum Chicken… We have found a new BBQ gadget, equipment and tools website called Raw Garden and it is Fricking Awesome.

Credit should go to an eagle eyed BBQ’er who tipped me off about the site and it comes at exactly the right time for me as I am thinking about getting a second BBQ for the new Decking area I have built.

Raw Garden has a fantastic range of BBQ’s and I have picked out a couple of my favourites.

Grill Tech Space 800

My absolute favourite is this Grill Tech Space 800 which will last for years and costs only £199.99!

The Grill Tech Space 800 also double up as a fire pit and what I like most about it are the tables which I feel are lacking off my current Kettle Style BBQ.

I recently spotted one of these style of BBQ at a massive garden centre in the Midlands that I went to as I heard they had a brilliant BBQ range but the cost for the equivilent product was in the region of £500.00, which is why I think the Raw Garden product represents such great value for money.

Raw Garden has so many funky Barbecues it is difficult to fit all the ones I like onto this blog page… but hey, I will give it a go.

I really like this Dancook 1500 Kettle Charcoal BBQ that comes with a preparation table, again, something I would find really handy for our own Kettle BBQ. Prep tables are an essential part of any BBQ and come in very handy indeed.

Dancook 1500 BBQ

The Dancook 1500 Kettle Charcoal BBQ costs £294.99 which I know is quite expensive but is again well worth the money when you compare to some of the high street prices!

Finally, hows about this beast then; The Napolean Prestige ii 750 Gemini Gas BBQ which comes in at  a whopping £3200.00. As you can see, it looks awesome and if you want to pimp up your pad then this would sit perfectly in your garden!

There are enough gadgets and widgets on this BBQ to make sure you never burn your bangers again, and what is more, its sleek design and brushed aluminium finish means that in the right light and at the correct angle your BBQ could possibly be observed from space – (maybe getting a bit carried away now!).

Anyway, I am off to go and have more of a nose around the Raw Garden website.

Popularity: unranked [?]