When the sun comes out, the grills do too. Unlike charcoal barbecues, the best gas barbecues are conveniently quick to cook on, almost mess-free, and the heat is much easier to control. Gas barbecues can range in size from modest two-burners that feed a few people to party-sized six burner grills, with additional features that include planchas, side burners, searing zones, folding side tables, utensil hooks and lockable wheels.
While these are handy, I’m more interested in the cooking ability: intuitive ignition, high heat, precise temperature control and minimal smoke. Along with an appealing design, it’s worth assessing what different price points will give you. High-end barbecues can cost £900 or more, but are designed to weather the winter, while cheaper options in the £100-£400 range will likely need durable covers to avoid rust.
Tall hoods help more heat to circulate, and porcelain-enamel cast iron grills retain that heat too. Good quality flame tamers make a big difference to the flavour of your food, and more burners – while better for temperature control – will use more gas. I’ve tested a range of gas barbecues currently on the market, and my current favourite is the Weber Spirit E-425.
The Weber Spirit E-425 four burner grill ticks all my boxes as the best gas barbecue I tested. It’s got an easy one-hand snap ignition, multiple temperature controls, two foldable metal side tables to reduce the size, and a timeless design that looks great in the garden. I tested the plancha version, which offers split cooking on two surfaces: a porcelain-enamel cast iron grate on one side, and a non-stick flat plancha for more delicate ingredients on the other. The latter also doubles as a ‘sear zone’, where I cranked up the heat to get those all-important char marks. It took 15 minutes to reach 260C – easy to check, thanks to the clearly readable analogue temperature gauge on the hood. Stainless steel ‘flavorizer bars’ both divert grease from the burners, and vaporise it back into the grilling process.
If you’re purchasing a gas barbecue for less than £100, it’s likely you’re sacrificing build quality. The Uniflame’s metal parts are admittedly thin and likely to rust without adequate protection, but when it comes to performance, I couldn’t fault it as the best budget gas barbecue I tested. The two burners heat the grill up quickly and provide a nice, even cook despite a few bursts of flame at spitting sausages.
The Charles Bentley Ottimo 465 is the best gas and charcoal barbecue, offering the best of both worlds, with two separate charcoal and gas heat zones for flexible cooking. I appreciated the separate oil drip tray and ash tray too, making the eventual clean up much easier. The gas grill space is small, but I still managed to fit sausages, courgette, pepper halves and a whole aubergine on the cast iron grill, with additional items on the warming rack above.
