Best gas BBQs for next-level grilling this summer

{{#items}} {{#image}} {{#imgUrl}} {{/imgUrl}}{{^imgUrl}} {{/imgUrl}} {{/image}} {{title}} {{#starRating}} {{/starRating}} {{prettyPrice}} Buy now{{#isExternal}} {{/isExternal}} {{/items}} Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest email The Rolling Stones or The Beatles? Cats or dogs? Gas or charcoal ? If you like your barbecue to come with knobs on, it’s likely you prefer cooking with gas. Although gas models will usually cost a little more than charcoal ones, those extra pounds will buy you convenience and ultimate control over the flames. We’ve been reviewing the best gas barbecues for years now and, every summer, we’re lucky enough to get our tongs on the latest models competing for your cash. That means every time we fire one up on your behalf, we’re looking to see if it can produce juicy burgers , succulent chicken or flavourful kebabs in the most effortless way, because, ultimately, that’s the main motivation for cooking with gas. Before we even hit the ignition on each model, we are looking for them to score well in specific areas, the first of which is the ease with which they come together, as gas models usually take a little more time to set up. Regardless of the number of burners, we needed them all to give us good heat distribution across the grill, for even cooking, while at the same time minimising the fat flare ups that can ruin food. We were also after the burner and grate to be able to hold the heat well, so we didn’t have to keep taking our eye off the food to adjust the controls. We also look at how each product deals with the inevitable gas cylinder. So, after our own personal competitive eating contest, we are pretty satisfied that our final edit includes barbecues for all tastes, ambitions and budgets, and will ensure you’re fully prepared for when the next heatwave hits. How we tested Initially, we had an eye on our phone’s timer when we were putting manufacturers’ samples together, to see how quickly we could go from opening the box to pushing the ignition. We used each barbeque twice, to make sure they produced consistently good results. We loaded the grates with burgers, initially, to see how proficient each model was at high-heat-output cooking, then we turned down the burners to cook chicken pieces at lower temperatures. We were looking for mouth-wateringly seared, or crispy-skinned, exteriors to the meat, while keeping the inside moist. We also tested mushrooms, halloumi, fish, lamb and vegetables – always keeping a close eye on the barbecue’s thermometer to ensure the heat was holding steady, so we didn’t have to keep constantly fiddling with the burners. The best gas BBQs for 2023 are: Best BBQ overall – Broil-King 310 BBQ: £269.99, Robertdyas.co.uk Best four-burner gas barbecue – Campingaz 4 series onyx S gas BBQ: £579, Bbqland.co.uk Best gas barbecue for roasting – Morso forno medio BBQ: £375, Amazon.co.uk Best budget gas barbecue – Argos Home two-burner gas BBQ: £70, Argos.co.uk Best for easy assembly – Outback Jupiter 4 burner hybrid BBQ: £499.97, Appliancesdirect.co.uk Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Already subscribed? The American manufacturer has really come up trumps with this budget gas barbecue and has distilled many of the features we love about its more-elaborate models into this supremely efficient three-burner. The sizeable cast aluminium cook box – which retained heat better than many barbecues costing three times as much – made it easy to maintain a consistent temperature and even heat distribution across the cast iron cooking grids, adding to the ease of barbecuing, because you won’t be caught out by hot spots that can burn your ingredients. The burners were responsive and, on high heat output, the burger juices were instantly vaporised and imparted a lovely flavour back into the food. Meanwhile, on lower outputs, we were able to crisp up chicken skin while retaining moisture, so the flesh was succulent and delicious. The steel base holds and hides the propane tank securely, and there’s everything you need to make your cookout go smoothly, from fold-down side shelves and tool holders. Get yourself a magnetic bottle opener and you have one of the most complete barbecue stations on the market, and for a very good price. Continue reading… £269.99 Robertdyas.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} One thing gas grills are renowned for is not being particularly beautiful to look at, but Campingaz seems to work hard on the aesthetics of its grills. We particularly like the all-black look of the onyx S, offset with its four blue, backlit dials that control the four main burners, which we found really responsive – they got the grill up to temperature rapidly. Heat distribution across the generous enamelled cooking surface was faultless, and the well calibrated controls mean you can create different heat zones across the grates, so you can cook to order, according to how well done the meat-eaters like their burgers and steak. Whether it was red meat or chicken on the grill, flare ups were practically non-existent, and the whole cooking process was made even easier with the addition of a sizeable warming rack and a very efficient side burner. Once the cooking is done, the onyx S offers up a very easy clean, thanks to the Aqua Pro system. This relies on a grease drawer that contains a level of water, so the fats that drop down into it float in the liquid, rather than being burned and hardened onto the trays, and can then be drained away, once you’re finished cooking. Continue reading… £579 Bbqland.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} For its size, this four-burner barbecue came together very easily, and you can tell from the componentry that build quality was extremely high, which is something we’ve come to expect from the US brand since we’ve been reviewing its grills. Heat distribution was excellent across the expansive cook box, which is made up of reversible grates, one side of which is pointed, for steakhouse-style searing, while the other is grooved, so you can capture the juices from the meat you’re cooking, to stop it drying out. One of the other things we really like about Broil-King barbecues is the searing stations (not a hob), which essentially add the finishing touch to steaks and fish dishes by using an infrared heat source to create appetising sear marks, while keeping the food deliciously succulent. Even more cooking versatility comes in the form of a full rotisserie set with its own rear-mounted burner, so legs of lamb or whole chickens can be cooked without you needing to be ever-present. The cabinet will easily swallow your gas cylinder and keep it out of sight, while there’s plenty of room on the side table, and all the control knobs are backlit by LEDs, which adds to the shadow’s overall appeal as a great grill, offering the chance to cook in a number of different ways. Continue reading… £1,259 Bbqworld.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} If you don’t want your outside space dominated by a barbecue, the All Star is designed to take up minimal space. This grill has remained in our round-ups ever since we began reviewing gas barbecues, and with good reason. It’s ideal for barbecuers with limited space, thanks to its compact dome lid and drop-down shelving, which means it can be stored in the corner of a balcony or patio. You can also detach the grill from the stand, so it sits on a table. The cast iron grill grates were ready for cooking quickly and produced some of the best burgers we tasted, mainly because it cleverly cooked them using an indirect heat system, which sits above the burner and redistributes the heat evenly over the whole surface. With minimal assembly, a small canister will fit in the body of the barbecue and it comes with some nice practical touches too, such as somewhere to store your kitchen towel and even a mini bin. Continue reading… £289.97 Appliancesdirect.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} With its simple 12-step construction, the force scored well for ease of assembly, so we didn’t have to spend any more time wrestling with grates and gas canisters than we had to. The Everdure range can’t be faulted for its looks, and the two-burner force is no exception, with its side-mounted and raised taps that control the two burners under the coloured retro aluminium hood. The grill plates have the flame tamers built into them, which allows the burners to be closer to the grill and for the heat-up time to be one of the best we tested. We were ready to begin searing in around five minutes, so you can expect to get cooking quickly and spend less time at the grill when you’ve got friends and family around. With a hot spot in the middle of the grate and a cooler zone around the edge, we found we were able to place different foods accordingly, and there was never any danger of burning. Continue reading… £749 Johnlewis.com Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Lots of ready-mounted components made putting this three-burner, stainless steel barbecue together very easy and the finished product was solid and compact, with a left-sided shelf that can be folded down – ideal if you aren’t blessed with lots of outside space. Foolproof ignition meant the porcelain enamelled cast iron grill was ready to cook in minutes, and distributed the heat evenly across a generous cooking area. Char-Broil’s TRU-infrared system sits above the burners and redistributes the heat over the whole surface, so we could time the cooking of different meats to perfection, so they were succulent to eat. As well as a raised warming shelf, there’s another burner contained within the right shelf, which reaches super high temperatures quickly, for adding a final sear and enhancing flavour – we found it was well suited for cooking vegetables, too. The gas bottle stores away out of sight in a compartment under the grill and there were plenty of details to make for an enjoyable cooking experience, from the chrome-plated knobs, illuminated with red LEDs, to the integrated bottle opener, so you never have to worry about getting thirsty. Continue reading… £578.97 Appliancesdirect.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} This Danish company consistently produces great-looking outdoor products, and its new gas model is no exception. The two burners supply the enamel-coated cast iron grate with heat across the surface, so we managed to get good caramelisation on our burgers, without overcooking them. What we really liked about this one was that the domed design allowed us to roast large joints of meat with the lid closed – the end product being out of this world. Not surprising, for a BBQ that looks like it’s just landed from another planet. Continue reading… {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} This grill didn’t require a degree in engineering to set it up, with clear instructions, correctly labelled parts and screws that you can pop out at the right moment from an annotated card, so they don’t go missing. Once it’s been put together, it doesn’t feel like it’s about to fall apart at the first breath of wind either, and we were pleasantly surprised with the overall build quality. It may not win any awards for design but Argos has really gone for function over form, and the grill was effective, distributing and retaining the heat supplied by a nicely responsive two burner that can easily satisfy a ravenous horde. The high cooking hood left plenty of room for any smoke to circulate and there’s a handy side burner for frying. The good-sized cooking area (made from a wired grate) allowed plenty of heat to get to the feast and left a good sear on our burgers. Continue reading… {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Outback’s assembly video walk-throughs, which you can view on the brand’s website, take a lot of the frustration out of the assembly. That was certainly the case for the Jupiter 4, which came together in less than an hour – pretty good for a big four-burner. This model proved easy to light and hit cooking temperature quickly, giving a good sear to burgers and the porcelain-coated grill meant we never had to worry about leaving the flavour of the food stuck to the grill when we turned it or took it off to serve. The Jupiter gets its hybrid tag from a charcoal basket that fits under the grate to the right of the cooking area, which can be lit with the gas flame, but still imparts smoky flavour to the ingredients being cooked. The grates can also be switched out for a multitude of additional cooking surfaces, from pizza stones to griddles. There’s a sizeable warming tray, an efficient side burner (which saved repeated trips to the kitchen to cook onions), as well as plenty of other nice details, including hangers for tools, a magnetic bottle opener and an integrated chopping board on the side table that you can remove to take your meat and veg to the grill. You also have a decision to make when it comes to colour, as the Jupiter 4 comes in either a red, green or blue frontage. Continue reading… £499.97 Appliancesdirect.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} This is an excellent patio barbecue offering plenty of versatility for the serious chef. By experimenting with the burners, shutting some off or turning others down, we were able to create different heat zones easily, so meat could be cooked to order. We also found it particularly adept at colouring the meat over the heat source, before we moved it to an area without any direct heat and closed the lid, so it finished without burning. Added to this, there is a high heat side burner for finishing off and searing your steaks. With reliable ignition, the freestyle hit the required temperature quickly and we got good heat distribution across the big grilling area. A well-proportioned warming rack, sizeable foldaway side shelving and a matte finish offers an eye-catching alternative to stainless steel too. Continue reading… £1,472.49 Oaktreegardencentre.com Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/ite