Choosing the Best Barbecue
We all love the relaxing weekends and evenings over the summer period and your garden provides the perfect backdrop to unwind or entertain. Lazy summer days are perfect for preparing tasty, chargrilled treats on our huge range of barbecues which offer versatility and alfresco food for your friends and family.
Get the coals at the ready as it’s nearly barbecue season and British Garden Centres has all the must-haves for the perfect evenings with friends and family dining and drinking in your outdoor space!
How to choose the best barbecue
It can be difficult to choose the right barbecue, and it depends on many factors including your budget, fuel preference, size, colour, size and running costs. There are two types of barbecues available at your local British Garden Centres store – charcoal and gas so let’s take a look at them both so you can decide which one is right for you.
Gas Barbecues
Gas barbecue run on propane or butane cylinders and are popular because they can be ignited instantly, unlike charcoal grills. They are easy to operate and have immediate heat control, as well as can have as many as multiple burners to cater for large numbers of people.
You can control the heat more evenly and they are easy to clean, with no ash to dispose of at the end of cooking. Gas barbecues often include both grills and lava rock to ensure the authentic barbecue taste In addition, you’ll be able to grill perfectly and every time by accurately adjusting the temperature using the dial.
Kamado Barbecues
A kamado barbecue is an ancient, Asian-style grill, that has a thick, ceramic bottom and a heavy lid and will take your outdoor cooking to the next level. The ceramic body is excellent at heat retention, which is why these barbecues are an extremely versatile cooking unit and can be used to cook anything from meat and fish to pizza and even baking a cake. They can be used for slow roasting, grilling, baking and smoking food that will tantalise your taste buds.
Because you have full control over the heat, you can prepare food both at high and low temperatures. They often come in different sizes too with a large grill surface to cook for family and friends or a smaller grill for intimate gatherings. They are often fueled by charcoal for that classic chargrilled taste.
Charcoal Barbecues
A charcoal barbecue offers an authentic barbecue experience. Your meat and vegetables will get a delicious smoky flavour because of the cooking with real fire. Small charcoal barbecues are also easier to take with you than an electric barbecue or gas barbecue because you don’t have to worry about a gas bottle, and they are often lightweight kettle pans.
It is no secret that charcoal grills burn hotter than their counterparts and are cheaper to run than gas-fired. You can sear meat hot and fast, and when charcoal burns and converts into embers, food can slowly cook over the radiated heat, so you have the best of both worlds.
British Garden Centres stock a huge collection of outdoor cooking appliances from Weber, Grillstream, Kettler, Ooni, Pit Boss Grills, Masterbuilt and Kamado Joe that will improve your home’s outdoor living space and summer dining experience considerably so pop down to your local store where our knowledgeable team can help.
We have also put together 5 Tips to Help You Enjoy Your BBQ This Summer, to give advice on storing and covering your BBQ, trying new things on the BBQ and enhancing the flavours of your food with our range of wood chips available online and in our garden centres.