Compare the Best BarbecuesNovember 2019

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

Grills range in price from $20 to $2,999 and in total we found prices for 67 grills. The average price of a new BBQ is $525 and the 80% of grills are priced between $75 and $1,181. The cheapest barbecue that we found is the Weber Smokey Joe at only $20, and the most expensive is the Weber Summit at $2,999.

Barbecue Brands - Price Range

The average price of Everdure grills is $1,300 which is the highest average price of all grill brands. Everdure grills start at $999 and their most expensive grill costs $1,600.

The average price of Broil King BBQs is $1,036 which is the second highest average price of all BBQ brands. Broil King BBQs range in price from $230 to $2,499.

The average price of Traeger barbecues is $980 which is the third highest average price of all BBQ brands. Traeger barbecues start at $980 and their most expensive BBQ costs $980.

Grill Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 58 expert reviews and 2,641 user reviews for barbecues and used this information to evaluate the average rating for each brand of grill. Weber is the top rated BBQ brand with an average rating of 94%. Campingaz is the second best brand with 85% and tepro is the third best brand with 77%.

Biggest Barbecue Retailers

We found 54 current offers for BBQs from eBay making it the biggest BBQ retailer. That is over 54 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Overstock for whom we found 1 current offers for BBQs.

When Are Most New Barbecues Released?

We looked at the release dates for new grills over the last 3 years, but couldn't see any obvious trend. January was the biggest month in 2018 for new BBQs, with 39 new BBQs released that month. 33 new BBQs were released in January 2017 making it the biggest month that year as well for new barbecue releases. In September 2016, 68 new grills were released making it the biggest month that year for new grill releases.

How Fast Do Grill Prices Drop After Release?

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

A typical new grill costs on average $525. By waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average $43.

Types

The heating system used by the bbq/grill.

Amongst new grills, the most common type is grill. We found 282 grills that are BBQs that have a grill Type. The second most common type amongst new grills is barbecue. We found 242 grills that are barbecues that have a barbecue Type.

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.

The most common form factor amongst new grills is tabletop. We found 176 grills that are grills that have a tabletop Form factor. We found 140 grills that are BBQs that have a cart Form factor, making cart the second most common 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 BBQs with a lid. 344 grills (65%) 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 BBQs, the most common heat source is electric. We found 184 BBQs that are electric grills. We found 175 barbecues that are gas BBQs, making this the second most common heat source amongst new barbecues.

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 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. 50 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 barbecues 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. 92.6% of their BBQ prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.