BBQ masters tend to fall into two distinct groups: those who insist that charcoal is the only real way to barbecue or those that prefer the convenience of gas.  This article will look at the main reasons for the debate and hopefully help you to decide which BBQ you need for the summer.

Gas BBQs

Gas-fired barbecues have the clear benefit of being extremely convenient. Simply turn a knob, and you’re ready to go.  You can adjust the heat as required, it doesn’t have to be on full all evening.

Gas barbecues are fuelled by standard liquid propane. They are not difficult to light no matter how damp or cold they have been over the winter and you don’t need to run to the shops for a bag of charcoal for that impromptu BBQ, just raid the central heating system for one of the gas bottles.

Gas grilling is clean and quick. There's no messing with briquettes, no stacking, no lighting, no smelly starter fluid and no waiting around for the coals to glow. And once dinner is over, there's no ashy mess to clean up. Return the switch to the off position, rub a metal brush over the grate and clean-up time is over.

Plus if you wanted to have an all day BBQ party (or you simply have some guests that arrive late) you don’t have to fight with a hot metal rack to put on more charcoal and wait for it to heat up again.

Charcoal BBQs

Charcoal grilling may not be as convenient as gas, as easy to prepare, control or clean, but it does boast one benefit that stands out above all others: the dry, white-hot heat of charcoal sears meat quickly sealing the juices in and leaving behind that telltale smokey flavour.

The experts among us would say that building and lighting a barbecue is a work of art and part of the enjoyment. It takes time and planning to build and light those briquettes: making sure to leave empty spaces to allow for items that need to be cooked at a lower heat. Waiting for the coals to get hot before starting, then of course the actual cooking to perfection.  It takes practice to get it just right, not black and crispy on the outside but still raw in the middle.

Charcoal BBQs are less expensive than gas ones, although the cost of charcoal will add up over the years.

You can always tell exactly how much charcoal there is in a bag but you can’t tell how much gas is in a cylinder and you can buy bags of charcoal in supermarkets and petrol stations not just from authorised gas dealers.

A bag of charcoal is far more portable than a gas cylinder so it can easily be thrown into the car for a BBQ on the beach.

What to cook?

You can keep it nice and simple, just throwing a few sausages and burgers on the grate or spice it up a little with some of our recipes specially created for barbecue-ing. For our complete list of BBQ recipes please click here