Best BBQ 2018 – Buyer’s Guide

This premium barbecue from Argos has six gas burners and drinks storage. The perfect host for your summer parties!

The stunning barbecue not only showcases great functionality with lots of space and settings but it also has a sleek design sure to add to your garden. It comes in black and silver and can be closed after use.

With six burners on the main grill, you can be sure to heat up your succulent dishes outside on this barbecue. But it also displays two side burners for smaller dishes and a place to put your drinks, you can get your party started right away with lots of room to prepare everything that you need!

You can use propane or butane gas with this grill and it also has two wheels meaning it can be moved around easily when not in use. It’s also very simple to setup.

Available in 3 stylish colours (graphite, red and mint), this Heston Blumenthal Force2 model is the perfect addition to the balcony or the garden of any style-conscious individual.

There is an instant searing function, so it is ready to cook your food in just 5 minutes. The hood is extra-high, so perfect for convection cooking any large meats such as a shoulder of lamb or a whole chicken. There is also full flexibility to cook with the hood up or down, so if there are a few spits of rain, you don’t have to rush to bring everything inside.

The majority of the appliance is die-cast aluminium, so not only will it never rust, but it’s also incredibly sturdy if you would like to keep it outside all year round. With an enamel coating, the hood and grill plates are easily cleaned and won’t be marked or damaged in the process.

Tapered legs give it extra durability, but it can also be removed from these if you’d prefer to use it portable. The legs have castors which are lockable for extra security.

Designed with a 50/50 porcelain coated grill/griddle split which is more durable and harder wearing, this barbecue is incredibly hard-wearing and easy to use and clean.

The four cast iron burners are fired by electronic ignition to make things a bit easier, and a storage area under the burners hidden behind two doors keeps storage a lot cleaner and easier to access, whether it be condiments, plates or some snacks you want to keep safe.

To the left of the cooking area is a side sear burner which reaches even hotter temperatures to seal juices and flavours into meats while the right is a side shelf for preparation. A roasting hood also gives you the option to close the heat in and create an ‘oven’ for the preparation of roasts or bakes, and the thermometer on the lid will help you keep a check on the temperature.

This barbecue is ideal as your new summer gathering host and will be sure to last you for years to come!

With the option of red or black, this barbecue is perfect for the summer. It has a sleek design and will enhance your garden décor. It has lots of space and is easy to use.

Use it as your party’s centrepiece as you host all of your friends and family. They have an instant function that can sear immediately meaning that your food will be ready to go within five minutes. It’s great for your vegetables, big legs of meat or other burgers. You can double up your cooking with lots of space to store on the side of product.

It has two burners, variable flame settings and controls, lockable leg castors and is part of a sturdy frame. It is mostly made from cast aluminium keeping it free from rust. As well as being easy to assemble, it is also easy to clean with its enamel coating.

The Big Green Egg is a favourite among seasoned grillers and professional chefs alike. So, why not bring a touch of this luxury into your own home?

It combines old tradition and know-how with modern touches to make life easier. Within minutes it is well on it’s way to being fully heated. Thanks to the airflow technology, the temperature can be manually controlled to within a few degrees.

Because of the high levels of insulation, it doesn’t seem to get as hot as other metallic barbecue models. Much safer to use, especially if your family of all generations are round for a big event and there are little ones running about.

The outer glaze is completed to a high quality with a lifetime guarantee. It is also the racing car green colour which has made Big Green Egg so noticeable. It wipes clean after use, and the residual heat of the inner chamber will solidify any dirt so it can be brushed away; no need to be put off barbecuing because of the looming clean up.

We have picked this particular option over the standard medium egg because there is the addition of some side shelving which we think makes all the difference.

For an authentic cooking experience but with so much more ease and simplicity, Weber has produced the Performer Deluxe.

Touch ‘n’ Go ignition lights the charcoal with ease in a fraction of the usual time, to save you faffing about and giving it a million and one attempts, thanks to the addition of a propane bottle. Just leave to heat for about ten minutes, spread the coals out and turn off the gas to get grilling.

There is a thermometer so you can keep an eye on the heating up process and how everything is coming along without holding it open at all times.

Thanks to the four wheels on the base of the stand, you can move it to wherever it needs to be with ease. Whether you are storing it for winter or moving around the garden to chase the sun/avoid the wind, there is no heavy lifting and disturbing the cooking.

This cart makes your barbecue an entire cooking station. There is space at the side for storing your meat and veg before it goes onto the heat, and a wire shelf underneath can keep the plates and cutlery in one place before use.

A timer function is present too, but this is a simple egg-type timer which goes on for a maximum of 99 minutes so we wouldn’t recommend taking your eye off the ball.

If you want a permanent charcoal barbecue, but the thought of lighting it all is putting you off, and it seems a bit impractical for your setup, then this Weber will surely change your mind.

With a classic look, this Weber model is the perfect sleek addition to your garden. The heavy-duty grilling area and exterior ensure that it will never look worn as they are rust and chip-resistant. The One-Touch cleaning system with removable ash catcher makes cleaning and waste disposal easy.

For full flexibility, the removable central grilling grate ring can be used with a wok, griddle or searing grate, so there’s no more running between the barbecue and your indoor cooker to check on multiple dishes. These are available separately.

The locking lid puts safety first and is fitted with a thermometer, so you will know when the best exact time comes to start cooking your food. The aluminium vents control the temperature and can shut the lid to leave your food to cook if the weather takes a turn for the worst.

For easy transportation either around your garden or just into storage, the Weber Master-Touch is fitted with all-weather wheels.

The popularity of BBQ smokers is sharply on the rise because of the enhanced flavour they give to your food, by smoking it over a long period. This Landmann comes in a traditional shape with a chimney, and there is plenty of cooking area to prepare food for up to 10 people.

With a 4-in-1 cooking function, you can directly cook smaller foods which take little time and can be placed straight over the coals, indirectly barbecue food which requires heat circulation and slow cooking, or smoke and cure it for an added taste boost. There’s a lower rack to store your cooked food and keep it warm until all of your guests are ready.

It is very heavy, but there are wheels so you can move it around a level surface with ease. The rounded cooking chamber ensures full heat and air circulation, so you don’t have to worry about any of your food being undercooked or burnt. The chimney and air vents also ensure full control over cooking temperature. There is also a built-in thermometer to make life easier.

Incredibly light, this BBQ comes with a specially-designed carry bag so you can easily take it with you should you fancy going camping or for a picnic one weekend. Intended for use on top of an ordinary outdoor table, the outside of the appliance stays cool so you won’t risk damaging the table surface or burning your fingers.

The design is eye-catching and perfect for adding a bit of colour and vibrancy to your outdoor space. It is available in red, green or grey, so there is something for every garden. Uniquely, it is powered by 4 AA batteries for an extra power boost, with the electronic ignition ensuring it is ready in just under 5 minutes. The charcoal container will hold up to 250g of fuel, so there is plenty of power to provide food for up to 5 people.

The grill grid, charcoal container and inner bowl are all securely attached to the outer bowl by latches, so you can safely use and transport the appliance without worrying about anything getting lost or damaged. The grill grid and inner bowl are also perfectly safe to use in your dishwasher, so there’s no need to get the scrubbing brush out to remove tough burnt-on stains.

Love barbecuing but it has your neighbours complaining that the smoke drifts over to their drying clothes? Not allowed to use gas or charcoal on your balcony? If you’re after something a bit different and ultra-modern, this is the model for you. Electric barbecues provide you with the authentic BBQ taste without all the hassle.

There are an LED temperature display and status indicator lights, perfect for anyone who has got so used to the modernity of appliances that anything not digital is a bit too much. iGrill technology also allows you to check the food temperature through your smartphone on a dedicated app, so you can leave it to do its job while socialising with your guests. Control knobs can be set to low, medium and high.

Most of the components are removable for cleaning, and there is grease management to prevent any nasty flare-ups. The grill grates are porcelain-cast which allows you to retain optimum heat, and also gives you the sear marks every pro barbecuer dreams about.

It comes with a stand but can also be removed from this for easy transportation or if you’d instead use it on an outdoor table top.

Love the idea of pizza ovens, but hate the idea of them taking up so much space or having to trail out to the garden to use it?

This G3 Ferrari Delizia is a personal indoor maker (not really an oven, as such), which is small enough to sit on your worktops yet still as effective as huge outdoor ovens. If you’re wondering why it is any different from just buying a pizza stone for your conventional oven, it is because it can reach 390C – the only indoor oven to be able to do so. This is the optimum temperature for pizza making, resulting in a crisp base yet perfectly cooked toppings.

The refractory stone hot-plate warms within 10 minutes, so it is ready to use without waiting around for ages if you fancy a quick treat. There is a timer, so you can do some experimenting as to how long to cook the pizzas for, and then leave it to its own devices. It generally takes on average seven minutes for something on setting 2.5.

Just like a traditional pizza oven, it isn’t only pizzas you can make. Try cakes, pancakes, chestnuts, tortillas and sweetbreads. As long as the product isn’t too thick, the settings make it possible.

This traditional barbecue comes at a great price and will be sure to help you bring your friends and family together.

Although this doesn’t have any bright lights or crazy mod cons, it is one of our favourite picks due to its old school design and easy-to-use features. In all black, you can easily set this up anywhere in your garden, it doesn’t take up too much room but there’s lots of space for your delicious food on the grill.

It has two tiers, one you can use to queue up your upcoming burgers and one where you cook. It has an adjustable height for the grill meaning that you can control the temperature that the burgers are cooked at.

The unobtrusive design means it fits into any garden and you can move it from place to place with ease. It has wheels on the bottom meaning you can move it around accordingly.

It is easy to set up and is constructed from steel. It weighs just over 15kg but can be moved around with ease.

The cheapest barbecue of all the models we have reviewed, but that doesn’t take away from the power of this small appliance.

It is a lot sturdier than the photos suggest, with an anthracite enamel coating and added Teflon for easy cleaning and maintenance. The tray is heat-resistant and sturdy due to being coated with aluminium.

The grill can be placed on four different levels depending on what you’re cooking and how much heat the food requires. Vertical barbecuing is also possible if you purchase the extra spit and electric motor, available directly from Dancook.

Perfect if you after something which is great value for money and modestly sized, or want to kick off your barbecuing hobby.