Compare the Best BarbecuesMarch 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!

BBQ Prices

In total we found 61 barbecues ranging from $18 to $2,999. The average price of a new BBQ is $565 and the 80% of BBQs are priced between $99 and $1,495. The cheapest BBQ that we found is the Big Green Egg Mini at only $19, and the most expensive is the Weber Summit at $2,999.

Barbecue Brands - Price Range

Everdure barbecues start at $999 and their most expensive BBQ costs $1,600. The highest average BBQ price out of all brands is Everdure barbecues with an average price of $1,300.

Broil King BBQs range in price from $205 to $2,499, and the average price of Broil King BBQs is $1,084 which is the second highest average price of all grill brands.

The third highest average barbecue price out of all brands is KAMADO BBQs with an average price of $997. KAMADO BBQs start at $499 and their most expensive barbecue costs $1,495.

Barbecue Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 61 expert reviews and 2,641 user reviews for BBQs and used this data to evaluate the average rating for each brand of barbecue. The top rated grill brand is Weber with an average rating of 93%. The second best brand is Campingaz with 85% and the third best brand is tepro with 77%.

Biggest Barbecue Retailers

We found 50 current offers for BBQs from eBay making it the biggest barbecue retailer. That is over 50 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Overstock for whom we found 1 current offers for BBQs.

When Are Most New BBQs Released?

The most common period for new barbecues to be released in is between January and March. That means that most of the latest BBQ technology was released in within the last 3 months, and now is good time to buy. Last year most new barbecues were released in March, with three new barbecues released that month. In January 2018, 39 new barbecues were released making it the biggest month that year for new BBQ releases. Also the biggest month in 2017 for new BBQ releases was January, with 33 new BBQs released that month.

How Fast Do Grill Prices Drop After Release?

In the first 6 months after release, grills drop in price by 8% on average.

If you are prepared to wait then you could save an average of $47 on a typical $565 new BBQ by waiting 6 months before buying.

Types

The heating system used by the bbq/grill.

The most popular type amongst new barbecues is grill. We found 283 barbecues that are BBQs that have a grill Type. We found 244 grills that are BBQs that have a barbecue Type, making barbecue the second most common 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.

Tabletop is the most popular form factor amongst new barbecues. We found 180 barbecues that are grills that have a tabletop Form factor. The second most common form factor amongst new grills is cart. We found 139 grills that are BBQs 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 barbecues are BBQs with a lid. 65% of barbecues 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.).

Amongst new barbecues, the most frequently found heat source is electric. We found 188 barbecues that are electric BBQs. The second most common heat source amongst new barbecues is gas. We found 175 barbecues that are gas grills.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for BBQs?

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. 48 of their barbecue 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 grills by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of barbecue prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's barbecue prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 96% of their barbecue prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.