Best Portable BBQ

With the Royal Wedding and the rise in music festivals and places where you can take a BBQ we thought it was about time we updated our Best Portable BBQ’s Blog Post so here goes.

We have had a play on all 5 of these and really like them. If I had to choose though, I would probably go for the versatility of the Weber portable kettle BBQ or the very nice looking tripod BBQ from Landman.

1. Weber – Smokey Joe Original Portable BBQ £44.99 – Amazon

A nice looking, super versatile BBQ from the BBQ masters at Weber. With it being a kettle BBQ you can do far more on it than the usual open top BBQ’s. It won’t pack as flat as some of the other portable BBQ’s but you get better back for your buck with this one than many of the others. Oh yeah, it also comes in silver, what more could you want?

2. Large Portable Bucket BBQ – £9.99 Amazon

Portable Bucket BBQ

We all loved this retro and funky looking portable BBQ. The wooden handle is a nice touch meant that you can move it easily and not have to wait for it to fully cool down. Not the biggest portable BBQ out there but possibly the cutes and it feels incredibly sturdy.

3. Hotspot Notebook Portable BBQ – £21.99 Amazon

This was quite a controversial BBQ that we promoted in 2009 and then had a flood of complaints because the metal warped after heating and it would not go flat again. The new design is much better and we had not problems whatsoever with it. One of the most portable BBQ’s about… very impressive.

4. Portable Barrel BBQ – £19.99 Amazon

Another portable BBQ that we really love. It looks brilliant and the two barrels means that you can have a hot grill and a medium heat grill. Ultra portable and very stylish, you will look the star of the party if you rock up with one of these.

Oh yeah, we also love that this one is on offer at Amazon at the minute, reduced from £35.99 to £19.99.

Tripod Portable BBQ

5. Landmann Tripod Charcoal BBQ £25.99 Amazon

Possibly the best looking portable BBQ out there and it will certainly get people chatting to you on the campsite, beach or park. Looks like an olden days cowboy BBQ but it built to high modern standards.

No doubt about it, this is one of the iLoveMyBBQ.com teams fave BBQ’s.

So, there you have it, our Top 5 Portable BBQ’s. We have a popped a few more in the below carousel that shows a the ones we love and recommend.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Barrels of BBQ Fun

As we near the official start of the 2011 BBQ season we are getting a load of questions about Barrel BBQ’s. There is no doubt in my mind that were we forced to not use a Kettle BBQ we would go for a barrel style charcoal bbq.

The ones with the lids have always been a firm favourite of mine, largely because they generate a load of heat and ensure food is cooked thoroughly and quickly.

The lids also mean that, in theory, you can roast meat in there, maybe the beer can up the bum chicken, or even the herb crusted lamb recipes. The BBQ recipes for these two meals can be found in the, erm, BBQ recipes section of the site.

Anyway, in light of the questions from readers about Barrel BBQ’s, I have had a look across the web to find the best ones currently available.

At this time of year the choices are limited so I have stuck to Amazon as they are reliable, cheap and great quality.

First up is the Budweiser Barrel BBQ. It is the Landmann Budweiser Big Barrel Charcoal BBQ and it costs just £89.99. It has a massive 71x35cm grill, pimp my ride esque chrome grills and carries the famous Budweiser Logo.

Second is the Lifestyle Half Barrel Charcoal BBQ. This is a half barrell BBQ but it comes with a huge windshield meaning that the heat is kept in and your coals will cook for longer. Costing just £69.99Th this is a real bargain for a BBQ of such size and stature.

The third and final Barrel BBQ is a portable on called the Premier BC99035. A catchy title! Portable BBQ’s were all the rage in 2009 and two BBQ seasons on it looks like they are still in demand. A cute silver “desktop Barrel BBQ” that you can use anywhere that permits the grilling of meat. Costing just £34.99, this is a bargain BBQ.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Those lovely people at Dalepak don’t realise how much they have helped the iLoveMyBBQ.com team, and also you lucky readers. For some time now we have been trying to draw up a list of the public places where you can have a BBQ. One of the most frequent questions we get is “where and in which public places, beaches and parks in the UK can we hold a BBQ”.

The amount of hassle and ringing around that this has caused has been endless as it seems no one at the various local councils who we spoke to really knew if BBQ’s were allowed or not. Then, like a knight in Shining (frozen meat coloured) armour, Dalepak ride in to rescue us.

As part of their campaign to raise awareness in something called Barbe-nicking, (yes I thought it was about someone wanting to steal my BBQ as well, but stick with it as they are helping us out), which is apparently the rise in people having Barbecue style picnics, they have found a list of places from across the UK where you can hold a BBQ in public.

Dalepak BBQ Burgers and Sausages

The Top 10 Barbie-Nicking destinations are:

1. Black Rock Sands Beach, Near Porthmadog, North Wales

Perfect for a beach BBQ and picnic. Disposable BBQ are allowed on the beach but remember to use the bins to provided to dispose of all your rubbish and make sure BBQ’s are properly extinguished.

2. Studland Beach and Nature Reserve, Swanage, Dorset

A haven for those who love sandy beaches and rare wildlife… Barbecue areas are located at Knoll Beach, Middle Beach and South Beach. Disposable/portable BBQ’s are welcome and bricks are provided to raise them off the ground.

3. Tyne Green Country Park, Hexham, Northumberland

A pictureesque wooded surrounding where portable and disposable BBQ’s are welcome

4. Wickstead Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire

An English Grade II listed park where disposable and portable BBQ’s can used responsibly in the top field.

5. Beecraigs Country Park, West Lothian, Scotland

A one thousand acre park where you can get involved in loads of fun activities where you can book BBQ sites by calling 01506 844 516.

6. Newbold Comyn, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

300 acre park with ots own free BBQ’s, all you need is your charcoal!

7. Eastville Park, Eastville, Bristol

A famous Victorian park where portable BBQ’s are allowed as long as they are raised off the ground and put out with a bucket of water.

8. Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Waterlooville, Hampshire

Hampshire’s biggest country park with 20 miles of trails. Eleven family BBQ’s and four party BBQ’s for up to 40 people are available to hire by calling 023 9259 5040. Note, portable BBQ’s are not allowed.

9. Lepe Country Park, Exbury, Southampton

Set in the glorious New Forest, whislt portable BBQ’s are not allowed there are BBQ site available to hire that can cater for up to 60. Call 023 8089 9108 to book a BBQ.

10. Your own garden!

Why not open it up to the public!

Dalepak, we salute you… you have done a great service to BBQ addicted fans everywhere!  Spokesperson from Dalepak, Anne Claypole commented, “not surprisingly, the barbe-nic is an activity born out of the credit crunch, as we are all looking for low cost activities to enjoy over the summer holidays. All that’s needed is a picnic rug, a portable BBQ or BBQ pit available in some local parks, some easy to prepare food, and of course, family and friends”.

She continued, “This year we have seen a high demand for our credit-bursting burgers and sausages which cost a pound a pack and that are perfect for a barbe-nic as one of the locatios in our top ten around the British Isles or even in your back garden”.

You know what, we blooming well agree with Anne Claypole… and given that everyone should have some emergency BBQ fodder in their freezer just in case a last minute BBQ takes place we suggest you go and stock up with Dalepak products. The least you can do given everything Dalepak has done for us!

If you are looking for a portable gas BBQ, we have reviewed our favourite portable gas BBQ’s here. If you are after a portable charcoal BBQ we have reviewed our favourite portable charcoal BBQ’s here.

Have you had a BBQ in a public place? Why not post your comments on this below or send public BBQ’ing pics to Andy@petoba.com

Popularity: unranked [?]

Funky Bucket BBQ's

We have found some more funky looking portable Charcoal BBQ’s this morning whilst looking for more BBQ Gadgets.

These are essentially a BBQ Bucket, but they come in all different designs.

First up is the Strawberry Portable Bucket BBQ that costs only £19.99 from Amazon. Not only does it look funky but I also reckon you could get four chicken breasts on there as well (at a push!).

It also comes in a Lemon and Lime variety costing £19.99 and we think they would look rather funky at the beach or at a festival.

Finally, we found an awesome looking and funky sounding BBQ called Son of Hibatchi Barbecue from Prezzybox and costing £79.99.

It sounds tricky to use but honestly, it isn’t. Once the coal is on the grill shelves, just fold the BBQ up and then wait for it to reach the temperature and then cook away.

Son of Hibatchi

It folds up to such a small size that it really is one of the most portable charcoal BBQ’s on the market.

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 [?]

Fold Flat Portable BBQ

We are really excited about the new trend of packing up your portable BBQ grill and barbecue’ing wherever you feel like and this is why we decided to take a look at some of the best portable BBQ’s currently available and get an idea of what is on the market.

Probably my favourite portable BBQ is the The Bon-Fire range that has been developed and designed by Danish Chef, Rene Stage. All of the equipment is easy to clean and transport as well as being wing and weather proof.

We recently highlighted the Bon-Fire BBQ Range as being the funkiest new product launch in the BBQ world for 2009 and this still stands. They are very portable and can be easily set up on sand, land or even your decking (as long as you have stone between the base and your wood decking!).

Bon Fire Deluxe From Prezzybox

The Bon-Fire comes in various sections, and essentially you will need the stand, a base plate, the grill and then the chains to hold it all together. This will cost in the region of Deluxe Bon Fire BBQ Kit£125.00 for the Bon-Fire BBQ starter kit, which is money well spent considering you will have the best BBQ on the beach should you go for it. Oh yes, and if you are feeling a bit flush and want to wow the neighbours you can get this Deluxe Bon-Fire BBQ set from Prezzybox for £279.00.

We have also found that Drinkstuff has some great portable BBQ’s and what is more they are ultra affordable too.

The Carry and Go Portable BBQ is well worth a look and costs an amazingly low £35.99. It is aimed at those who just want to throw a portable BBQ in their car on those nice sunny days and head off down to the nearest public BBQ area. It comes with a funky carry bag to make it really simple to use and all fits together in a few easy steps.

Pink and Black Barrel BBQ

This bright pink portable barrel Barbecue wins the award for the cutest portable BBQ and it is as easy to carry and shift about as it is on the eye. The Pink and Black Portable Barrel BBQ costs only £17.96 from Drinkstuff and I can image it being the must-have accessory for every festival this year!

Finally, why not take a look at one of our favourites, we love it just because it is so simple to use and even better it folds flat and can be carried around as easily as it can be stored away.

The Fold Flat BBQ costs only £25.99 from Drinkstuff meaning it is the cheapest of all the portable BBQ’s we looked at and by all accounts (from a group of friends who used one on a camping holiday) it did the job perfectly.

Overall I think the Bon-Fire range tips the scales in terms of style, class and wow factor, followed closely by the Bright Pink Barrel Barbecue. If you are simply after the easiest Portable BBQ to take around with you then you should look no further than the Fold Flat BBQ that comes with an astonishingly low price tag and does the job perfectly.

Popularity: unranked [?]