The Ultimate Guide to Choosing an Outdoor BBQ

bbqs australia

Cooking and eating together can be a great way to spend quality time with family and friends, especially during the warm summertime. An outdoor barbecue grill provides a convenient and fun way to cook and entertain guests outside without going back and forth to the kitchen. 

Additionally, they can be relatively cost-effective, using less energy than traditional ovens and stoves. And while grilling food can be a healthier cooking method than frying or baking, let’s admit that food feels different when cooked on a grill, with a better taste and texture.

How Do I Choose an Outdoor BBQ?

When browsing through the range of BBQs in Australia, you’ll come across different types. They mainly differ by the fuel they use, the number of burners and the style. Here’s what you need to consider to choose the best option.

outdoor bbq australia
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Pick a Fuel to Burn

When choosing a BBQ, there are many fuel alternatives available. Options include gas, charcoal, electric, and wood. Although electric and gas-powered models are quick and easy to operate, wood and charcoal will offer you a delicious, smoky flavour.

Gas BBQs

Gas barbecues, which use propane gas as fuel, provide a practical and straightforward method for grilling. As soon as you connect your gas supply, you may begin cooking without waiting for the charcoal to heat up. They let you regulate the heat, which makes it simple to cook your food thoroughly and uniformly. 

Additionally, gas BBQs feature choices for variable heat, allowing you to cook various meals at various temperatures simultaneously. Because of their versatility and size, gas BBQs are typically large and unwieldy. Although they require less cleanup after use, gas varieties are more expensive than charcoal ones.

Charcoal BBQs

These BBQs are less expensive than gas ones (in terms of operating) since they burn lump wood and charcoal briquettes instead of gas. They require some time to heat up before you can cook on them, and once the heat is on, you have no control over it. Despite this, people enjoy the flavour and fragrance of charcoal cooking, which is why it’s still a common choice. 

charcoal bbqs
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BBQ fans choose charcoal grills because they produce food that has tenderness and a distinct flavour that comes only from using charcoal. Additionally, charcoal models are available in smaller versions that are ideal for picnics or the beach because they are lighter and more portable.

Smokers

Smoker BBQs tend to cook slowly over a long time by circulating heated air around the food, unlike gas and charcoal ones, which cook your food directly on the heat source. That imparts that mouthwatering smoky flavour you like in restaurants and, because of the low temperature and extended cooking time, produces tender, juicy meat. Smoker BBQs typically come in two varieties:

Vertical Smokers

Grill plates and racks are positioned above the heat source and can be moved up or down with vertical smokers. As a result, managing the temperature at which your food cooks become considerably more effortless. Because they are usually smaller than offset smokers, vertical smokers are also more portable.

Horizontal Smokers

Horizontal smokers contain the heat source in a different chamber and direct the smoke around the food. These smokers give you more generous space to cook more food, but temperature management is more complex than it is with vertical smokers.

horizontal smokers
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Choose the Right Style

There are two primary types of BBQ cooking: direct heat cooking and indirect heat cooking. The ability to alternate between direct and indirect cooking is another feature some products provide. Smokers and pizza ovens use indirect heat, whereas hooded versions, outdoor kitchens and kettles use both direct and indirect heat. Flat-top models and spit roasters use direct heat.

Flat Tops

Well-equipped BBQ stores in Australia offer a range of flat tops. They’re a fantastic option if you’re preparing for a large crowd. Flat tops fit practically everywhere, provide a sizable cooking area, and are simple to transport.

Spit Roasters

Spit roasting imparts a great slow-roasted flavour to your cuisine. Most spit-roasting barbecue options use wood or charcoal, and some have a motor for even cooking that can turn up to 20 kg at once.

Hooded BBQs

A hooded BBQ’s adaptability allows you to use the grill and hotplate or convert it into an outdoor oven. The hood traps heat to enhance the flavour of your meal as you roast, bake, steam, or smoke food. Buying additions like a rotisserie, side burners, an integrated thermometer, hood lights, and glass windows can help check your cooking.

hooded bbqs
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Outdoor Kitchens

An outdoor kitchen is the perfect BBQ for professional cooks because it allows you to cook outside every night. They come equipped with everything you would find in a kitchen with six burners, glass-fronted hoods, marble countertops, storage, sinks, side burners, and rotisseries for special occasions.

Round Kettles

One of the most well-liked BBQs in Australia is this small, compact design, which is excellent for roasting. Because of the way the round shape conducts heat, the meat cooks more flavorfully and tenderly when cooked in its juices.

Pizza Ovens

The pizza oven, formerly restricted to Italian eateries and pizzerias, is increasingly appearing in Aussie gardens. There has never been a more significant cause to cover yourself in flour and pizza dough, whether for tiny boxes set on top of your BBQ or sophisticated freestanding stone ovens! In an enclosed environment, pizza ovens reach incredibly high temperatures that thoroughly and evenly cook your dough. A bonus benefit is how beautiful your garden will appear with a pizza oven!