Compare the Best BarbecuesJune 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 $18 to $2,999 and in total we found prices for 51 BBQs. The average price of a new grill is $590 and the 80% of grills are priced between $99 and $1,317. The Weber Summit is the most expensive barbecue that we found at $2,999, and the Big Green Egg Medium EGG is the cheapest at only $19.

Grill Brands - Price Range

Everdure BBQs range in price from $999 to $1,999, and the average price of Everdure BBQs is $1,499 which is the highest average price of all BBQ brands.

The second highest average BBQ price out of all brands is Broil King BBQs with an average price of $1,083. Broil King BBQs start at $908 and their most expensive BBQ costs $1,317.

The third highest average barbecue price out of all brands is Weber grills with an average price of $959. Weber grills start at $202 and their most expensive barbecue costs $2,999.

Grill Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 62 expert reviews and 2,357 user reviews for BBQs and used these reviews to calculate the average rating for each brand of BBQ. Weber is the top rated grill brand with an average rating of 94%. tepro is the second best brand with 76% and LANDMANN is the third best brand with 75%.

Biggest Grill Retailers

We found 36 current offers for grills from eBay making it the biggest barbecue retailer. That is over 36 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Overstock for whom we found 1 current offers for grills.

When Are Most New BBQs Released?

The most common period for new grills to be released in is between January and March. Last year most new grills were released in March, with three new grills released that month. The biggest month in 2018 for new barbecue releases was January, with 39 new grills released that month. January was also the biggest month in 2017 for new grills, with 33 new grills released that month.

How Fast Do BBQ Prices Drop After Release?

On average BBQs drop in price by 8% in the first 6 months after release.

That means a saving of $49 on a typical $590 new barbecue if you wait 6 months before buying.

Types

The heating system used by the bbq/grill.

The most frequently found type amongst new grills is grill. We found 309 grills that are grills that have a grill Type. We found 259 grills that are barbecues that have a barbecue Type, making barbecue the second most frequently found 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 BBQs that are grills that have a tabletop Form factor, which makes this the most common form factor amongst new BBQs. The second most frequently found form factor amongst new BBQs is cart. We found 153 BBQs that are barbecues that have a cart Form factor.

Lids

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

Most new BBQs are BBQs with a lid. 379 out of 571 BBQs on Kagoo are BBQs 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.).

Gas is the most common heat source amongst new barbecues. We found 196 barbecues that are gas BBQs. We found 193 barbecues that are electric barbecues, making electric the second most popular heat source amongst new barbecues.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Barbecues?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying barbecues. For each retailer it shows the total number of barbecues where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying BBQs. 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. 35 of their BBQ prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Barbecues for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for BBQs by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of grill prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's grill prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 97.2% of their BBQ prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.