Compare the Best BarbecuesAugust 2020

Barbecues and grills are cooking devices meant for both outside and inside cooking. They usually comprise of a metal grill suspended over a fuel source (charcoal, gas or electric). The food (usually meats) are placed onto the grill, where the high temperatures from the fuel cook it quickly and efficiently. Barbeques are the epitome of summer cooking - great for parties and quickly cooking large amounts of meat and vegetables.

The two names can be used interchangably, but here are the main differences between barbeques and grills. It's important to be clear on which type you want when buying, because outdoor barbecues generally can't be used indoors - they generate a lot of smoke, that will make a kitchen very unpleasant very quickly!

Barbeques don't require electricity - prefering to use a fuel source such as charcoal or gas. They can be significantly larger than grills, meant for cooking for families and groups, which also means they can be more expensive. Their fuel sources generate a lot of smoke, meaning the can also be used for hot smoking meat and fish.

Grills are usually smaller than barbeques and can be used inside. They tend towards either electricity or gas as a fuel source, meaning they produce less smoke, but are more costly to run. They are meant more for small families, apartments, or places where setting up a big barbeque and causing lots of smoke would be more of a challenge. This means they can be significantly cheaper: however, since they don't use charcoal or wood as a fuel, you don't get quite the same chargrilled taste as a proper barbeque.

Size

Grills and barbecues come in all different shapes and sizes - from very small one-person grills that can only cook a couple of sausages at a time, to enormous barbeques that can easily cook entire racks of ribs or whole birds at once. The barbeques and grills on our site have a cooking surface measured in centimeters - the larger it is, the more food can be cooked at once. Smaller grills and barbeques may be marked as portable, meaning they are specially designed for picnics or outdoor parties.

Fuel Type

As mentioned above, barbeques and grills can use several different types of fuel sources. Outdoor barbeques tend towards charcoal, wood or gas, while indoor grills tend to use either gas or electricity. It's important that generally speaking one can't be substituted for the other - so make sure you have access to a source of fuel for your chosen barbeque before you buy it.

Lid

Some of our grills and barbeques are marked as having a lid. These are extremely useful for both increasing the heat of the cooking, and limiting the smoke generated by the barbeque. They are also essential for smoking, since it traps the smoke that gives hot-smoked meat and fish their unique taste.

Extras

Grills and barbeques are extremely customisable, and come with a wide variety of extras that can help you cook more effectively. These can include a non-stick coating to the grill rack, detachable legs for larger barbeques or a double-walled 'cool touch' handles to reduce the risk of accidental burning.

Moreover, some of our models are marked as 'easy to clean' - given how messy grilling a large quantity of meat and fish can be, this is a massive boon if you're going to use your grill frequently!

Barbecue Prices

BBQs range in price from $30 to $2,999 and in total we found prices for 48 BBQs. On average, a new barbecue costs $603 and 80% of BBQs are priced between $120 and $1,161. The most expensive grill that we found is the Weber Summit at $2,999, and the cheapest is the UCO GR1 at only $30.

Barbecue Brands - Price Range

The average price of Everdure BBQs is $1,649 which is the highest average price of all grill brands. Everdure BBQs start at $1,299 and their most expensive grill costs $1,999.

The average price of Broil King BBQs is $1,031 which is the second highest average price of all BBQ brands. Broil King BBQs range in price from $931 to $1,161.

The third highest average barbecue price out of all brands is KAMADO barbecues with an average price of $1,030. KAMADO barbecues range in price from $1,030 to $1,030.

Barbecue Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 63 expert reviews and 2,050 user reviews for BBQs and used this information to calculate the average rating for each brand of grill. The top three barbecue brands are Weber, tepro and LANDMANN. Weber has an average rating of 93%, tepro has an average rating of 76% and LANDMANN has an average rating of 75%.

Biggest BBQ Retailers

We found 33 current offers for BBQs from eBay making it the biggest BBQ retailer. That is over 33 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Overstock for whom we found 1 current offers for BBQs.

When Are Most New Grills Released?

The most common period for new grills to be released in is between January and March. If you wait until January 2021 then you might be able to get better features on your barbecue. It's also worth keeping in mind that the price of the current BBQs tend to drop off when the next models are released. The biggest month in 2019 for new grill releases was March, with three new BBQs released that month. In January 2018, 39 new barbecues were released making it the biggest month that year for new grill releases. In 2017 most new BBQs were released in January as well, with 33 new BBQs released that month.

How Fast Do BBQ Prices Drop After Release?

New grills drop in price by an average of 8% in the first 6 months after they were first released.

A typical new grill costs on average $603. By waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average $50.

Types

The heating system used by the bbq/grill.

We found 311 grills that are grills that have a grill Type, which makes grill the most popular type amongst new grills. We found 262 grills that are BBQs that have a barbecue Type, making barbecue the second most popular type amongst new grills.

Form Factors

Form factor is the case design of the grill/bbq. It can affect everything from the load capacity to what type of fuel is best used.

We found 184 grills that are BBQs that have a tabletop Form factor, which makes this the most popular form factor amongst new grills. We found 154 grills that are grills that have a cart Form factor, making this the second most frequently found form factor amongst new grills.

Lids

Some barbecues come with a lid which can be closed over the top of grill whilst it is cooking.

Most new grills are barbecues with a lid. 383 out of 576 grills on Kagoo are barbecues with a lid.

Heat Sources

The heat source on a barbecue refers to the type of fuel that the barbecue uses (i.e. gas, charcoal, electric etc.).

We found 197 grills that are gas BBQs, which makes this the most frequently found heat source amongst new grills. The second most popular heat source amongst new grills is electric. We found 194 grills that are electric BBQs.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for BBQs?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying grills. For each retailer it shows the total number of grills where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying barbecues. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 29 of their BBQ prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Grills for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for barbecues by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of BBQ prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's BBQ prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 87.9% of their grill prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.