Barbecuing is a strange phenomenon. No matter how good, bad, fanatical or disinterested anyone is in the kitchen, nearly everyone loves the idea of a BBQ - the flames, the aromas, the inherently social side to gathering friends in the garden for drinks and grilled meat are universally appealing.
That being said, particularly in the UK, disastrous results are commonplace and a large majority of barbecues probably never get used to their full potential. In fairness to most aspiring grill chefs out there, our ever-changing, unpredictable weather doesn't lend itself to pre-planning such outdoor culinary activities. Nonetheless, as with all things cooking - our appetite for barbecuing, including smoking, roasting, beer can chicken and the like - is growing in the UK and Europe.
To our minds the growing desire for more than a burnt sausage and some suspiciously pink chicken, is a good thing. The variety of cooking methods BBQs offer and the flavours that they produce can result in a fantastic dining experience. There is also, of course, the pure and primeval lure of cooking over open flame as hundreds of generations have done so before us.
It is perhaps this apparent simplicity of flame grilling that makes it seem so easy, and also prevents many of us from looking past simply chucking things on a grill. Yet the barbecue, can offer infinitely more. Some of the earliest written mentions of BBQs are in the bible and, whilst I don't suggest getting any tips from there, I have found that a couple of really good barbecue books are worth their weight in gold when it comes to really getting the most out of any of the models I've tested.
I already considered myself a proficient griller, of course, but a couple of good barbecuing books offer some additional invaluable information, from the basics such as the hand test for cooking temperature, to zonal cooking, methods of smoking and slow cooking and all manner of other hints and tips that aim to get the best out of this most appealing of ways to cook your food.
How we test
If you care a little more about your BBQing than simply a few burnt bangers then hopefully you'll be happy to invest a little in the BBQ itself. I have tested some of the most readily available barbecues in the £100 - £200 price range and have found the ones that make an average chef look good and a good chef look great. I grilled a combination of steaks, chicken, seafood, vegetables and, on models that were equipped to do so, tried some smoking and roasting.
I looked at how easy each model was to assemble, the build quality and how good value for money they are as well as cleaning, storage and most importantly, what cooking results they produce. Suffice to say some made some very fine food with relatively little effort. With the homework done for you, you can stand out as the new king, or queen, of the grill.
When carrying out reviews, I deliberately tested only charcoal BBQs. Although I won't get into the endless gas versus charcoal debate here, to me there does seem to be something inherently more pure and traditional about using coals. Coals also burn hotter than gas and create a certain amount of smoke and flavour of their own, adding more to the resultant taste than can be achieved even with smoking chips on a gas grill.
I also feel, once you have your technique figured out, that lighting and preparing your charcoal barbecue is part of the experience and, dare I say, fun. Tending the charcoal also gives you something to do and gives you more versatility during cooking. Once into it, you eventually find that really good barbecuing, in all its many guises, actually becomes an enjoyable balancing act of heat, time and meat.
In opposition to some manufacturers suggestions, I used lump wood charcoal on all our review models. Purists will tell you all natural lump wood is preferable to glued together briquettes made from allsorts. Having said that, if you purchase decent quality briquettes, they burn for longer and give off a more even and predictable heat. All grills were given a kilo of chimney-lit charcoal and only when roasting and smoking on the kettle BBQ did I add any more.
1. Char-Broil Kettleman
The Char-Broil Kettleman is a Kettle-style BBQ as the name suggests. This means you can slow-roast food as well as the usual grilling. Its inventive grill helps prevent fat from dripping back onto the coals, effectively eliminating flare ups and preventing your food from burning on the outside. It's well-made too, easy to clean and produces great-looking and -tasting food. If you've £200 to spend on a BBQ then this is one to buy.
Price when reviewed: £200. For the latest prices, see our full Char-Broil Kettleman reviewFuel type: Charcoal, Cooking area: 572mm circular diameter (2,323 square cm), Dimensions (HxWxD): 990x700x660mm, Weight: 19.9kg
Buy the Char-Broil Kettleman now from Argos
2. Weber Original Kettle review (57cm)
Weber is among the most well-known makers of kettle-style BBQs in the world. That means two things for you, prices are highly competitive between retailers, so this BBQ can be bought for well below its £180 RRP if you shop around, a fact we've taken into account in our review. it also means there's a huge range of accessories available for this BBQ if that sort of thing interests you. Back to basics this is a well-made BBQ which is easy to get the best out of, though it doesn't quite have the clever grill or heftiness of the Char-Broil. For the money, though, it's a great buy.
Price when reviewed: £119. For the latest prices, see our full Weber Original Kettle reviewFuel type: Charcoal, Cooking area: 570mm circular diameter, Dimensions (HxWxD): 990x590x660mm, Weight: 15kgBuy the Weber Original Kettle now from Argos
3. Landmann Grill Chef 57cm Premium
Another kettle-style BBQ for your consideration, the reason being that this design is simply the best for most uses, allowing for both simple grilling and lengthier cooking methods. AS well as being a little cheaper than the Weber, it comes with charcoal dividers (which usually cost around £10-15), letting you easily zone off your BBQ to vary temperatures across the grill. It's not quite as well made admittedly and there's a couple of little annoyances, an afterthought of a lid hook and a hard to remove grill. That said, it has everything you need for just £100 and so deserves to appear here.
Price when reviewed: £100. For the latest prices, see our full Landmann Grill Chef 57cm Premium reviewFuel type: Charcoal, Cooking area: 570mm circular diameter, Dimensions (HxWxD): 985x715x675mm, Weight: 10kg
Buy the Landmann Grill Chef now from Amazon
