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Outdoor Barbecue Grill Comparisons

Use my outdoor barbecue grill comparisons guide to make the right choice when buying your next bbq grill. Below you'll find lots of information about fuel choice and many objective grill reviews (in the column on the right).

Charbroil M500IR

What Are The Factors That You Should Consider?

Charcoal Or Gas?
There’s plenty of commentary on this subject but from a flavor perspective the general consensus is that it makes no difference. Having said that, which one you buy may will depend on your lifestyle so click on this charcoal or gas link to read more.
If you’ve decided to go for gas than you also have to make a decision whether to go natural gas or LPG
Size
In particular the size of the cooking surface. Consider how you are going to use your grill, if it’s for a small family then 300 - 500 sq inches will probably be sufficient but if you have a large family or are into big party cookouts then look for a larger cooking area, say 700 sq inches.
Burners
The fuel consumption of a burner is measured in BTU (British Thermal Unit) and although you can’t directly translate the consumption into heat output, it’s a pretty good guide. 25,000 BTU is good enough to cook most things but if you’re looking for the ability to be able to sear steaks then ensure that you’ve got the flexibility to kick up to 45,000 BTU or more.
Note that the BTU rating relates consumption and therefore the higher the rating, the more fuel you will use.
Provided you get the power of the burners correct for what you want to do then the number of burners may be less important. Do however make sure that each burner can be controlled individually
Construction Materials
Many grills also come in rust and weather resistant finishes so if your grill is going to stay out all year round then this should be an important consideration for you. Stainless steel is best. Note that you don’t have to pay the earth for a weather resistant finish however you may have to compromise on some other features.
The other way to guard against the elements is to buy a grill cover.
Grates
In my experience the easiest to clean are porcelain enameled grates. I wash mine down with soap and warm water and it’s pretty easy.
I also have a stainless steel grate which does the job but slightly more difficult to clean using a wire brush and some “elbow grease”. You usually find that stainless steel grates are confined to the cheaper end of the market.
The third option is cast iron which is really heavy duty and I would argue is probably the most difficult to clean but if you want perfect grill lines on your steak then this has to be the best option for you.
Flame Control
A subject close to my heart with the charcoal grill where patience is the order of the day. In the case of gas, many gas grill manufacturers put a lot of time and effort into designing, patenting and marketing their respective solutions. To be honest I've always found all the individual technologies to as good as each other and find it difficult to split them.
That said, Charbroil has released the IR (infra red) range recently (the photo at the top of the page) and I hope to get my hands on one soon and see how it performs.
Where Should You Buy My New Grill?

So you've done your barbecue grill comparisons and you are now ready to buy. Remember, you're buying a pre-packed ready to assemble piece of equipment that is the same the world over so really it boils down to where you can find the best price.

Every review on this page comes with a quarterly updated price checker to guide you to the lowest cost (inclusive of delivery charges) so all the hard work is done for you.

You'll usually find that the best price is with one of these three online retailers:-

BBQGuys.com - Undoubtedly the largest range of grills under one roof with guaranteed not to be beaten prices. Excellent spare parts and gift shop too.

GrillsDirect.com - Has a comprehensive range of grills and an excellent range of smokers. Shopping is made easy because you can select your brand and make barbecue grill comparisons online.

Amazon - Mainly marketing Weber and Meco but has a tremendous amount of choice when it comes to accessories. Good deals on secondhand stock too.

FirePits.com - Fire pits and chimineas, you can search for what you want by construction material or fuel type.

Start your outdoor barbecue grill comparisons by clicking on the links below and check out the different brands and technical specifications.

Aussie Grills:-

Beefeater Grills:-

The three ranges of Beefeater Barbeques

Blue Ember:-

Blue Ember 500

Brinkmann:-

Charbroil Grills:-

Coleman:-

DCS Grills:-

DCS Gas Grills

Disposable Grills:-

Ducane:-

Fire Magic:-

Holland Grills:-

Jenn Air:-

Outback:-

Outback Barbecue Grills

The Portable Kitchen:-

PK Grill Review

Red Hot Plancha:-

The Tabletop Gas Grill

Vermont Castings:-

Weber:-

That was barbecue grill comparisons, I have built a separate section for barbecue smokers but inevitably there is some crossover because many models will work as a smoker as well as a grill.

Please note that this outdoor barbecue grill comparisons guide is designed to help you focus on the features and benefits of each grill so that you can make an informed choice. For practical reasons I have not had the pleasure to road test every single model listed.