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A practical guide to getting started with BBQ in the UK, covering the kit worth buying, how to light it properly, and the fundamentals of cooking over fire. If you're past the beginner stage and want to move into smoking or advanced techniques, those have their own dedicated guides linked at the bottom.
Contents
- Start Your BBQ Journey With Me (It's Worth It)
- Choosing the Right BBQ: Gas or Charcoal?
- BBQ Comparison Table
- Understanding BBQ Heat: The Fire Basics
- How to Light A BBQ (the easy way)
- Beginner BBQ Tips That Are Actually Useful
- Learn to Sear: Your Steak Deserves Better
- Using BBQ Rubs Like a Pitmaster
- Appetisers on the Grill (So You’re Not Cooking Alone)
- Beginner BBQ FAQs
- Your Comments
Start Your BBQ Journey With Me (It's Worth It)
If you’re anything like me, when you first started trying to do a BBQ the food looked more like cremation than cuisine. I used to struggle with undercooked sausages, chewy ribs, and inconsistent heat. But here's the truth: to get better at BBQ isn’t difficult, it just needs some patience, time and possibly a lot of smoke in your face to begin with.
I can help fix that. I have created this post to help you kick off your BBQ hobby. The post is going to be UK focussed and will cover BBQ grills, accessories, fuel, methods, and easy wins.
Choosing the Right BBQ: Gas or Charcoal?
How to Pick a BBQ That Actually Suits Your Life
You can’t BBQ without first deciding on a BBQ grill. So what should you get? There is ongoing debate which is best, gas or charcoal. Each has their own merits and pitfalls. I was always a charcoal snob and then I bought a gas grill and learned the benefits. Now I have both and these serve different purposes for me depending on my mood.
Charcoal BBQs are great if you:
- Love that real smoky flavour
- Don't mind waiting a bit longer to get going
- Like playing with fire (what bloke doesn't)
- Great for doing marshmallows on the fire after cooking
- Use it as a fire pit to keep warm afterwards
I've got a whole post dedicated to charcoal BBQ which will help get you started. Take at look at my Charcoal BBQ 101 post.
Gas BBQs are ideal if you:
- Want to grill on weeknights without the hassle of lighting
- Need more temperature control
- Prefer easy cleanup
Start with both if your budget allows. A gas grill for speed, a charcoal BBQ for flavour. I’ve got both, and it covers all bases.
If you're interested in smoking later, charcoal or a dedicated smoker is the way to go. See the smoking guide for more.
BBQ Comparison Table
Best Gas BBQs
Gas is the convenience choice. Push-button ignition, dial-controlled heat, ready to cook in 10 minutes. Look for stainless burners, a proper sear zone if you can stretch to it, and at least three burners so you can run a two-zone setup. Cheap two-burner models will cook burgers fine but limit you on bigger cuts.
| Model | Price | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
Char-Broil Performance 2-Burner |
Under £200 | Entry-level gas done sensibly. Two burners, enough space for a family of four, decent build for the money. Don't expect it to last a decade. | View |
Weber Spirit II E-310 |
£400 to £500 | The mid-range benchmark. Three burners, porcelain-enamelled cast iron grates, parts available for years. No sear station but the build quality is what you're paying for. | View |
Weber Genesis E-325s |
£700 to £900 | The sweet spot for gas. Three burners with sear station and side burner, proper cooking area, and built to outlast cheaper rivals two or three times over. If budget allows, start here. | View |
Weber Summit S-470 |
£1,500+ | For serious entertaining. Four burners, sear station, side burner, smoker box and rotisserie. More than most people need but if you're cooking for crowds regularly, you'll use the lot. | View |
Best Charcoal BBQs
Charcoal wins on flavour and runs hotter than most gas. Kettle-style is the classic UK choice, but kamados (ceramic) hold temperature better and double as smokers. Look for thick steel construction, a hinged grate, and a proper ash catcher to make cleanup tolerable.
| Model | Price | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
Weber Compact Kettle 47cm |
£80 to £100 | The cheapest sensible kettle BBQ in the UK. Smaller than the Master-Touch but uses the same lid design, so it cooks the same food in smaller quantities. Outstanding value if you're new to charcoal. | View |
Weber Master-Touch GBS 57cm |
£250 to £300 | The most-recommended single charcoal BBQ in the UK and the one I use. Hinged grates, the GBS insert system for indirect cooking, ash catcher, and a proper lid thermometer. Buy once, cook for 20 years. | View |
Kamado Joe Classic II |
£900 to £1,200 | Ceramic kamado for serious cooks. Holds temperature like nothing else, smokes and grills in the same unit, and the build quality is reassuring. Heavy and slow to heat up, but unbeatable once it's running. | View |
Big Green Egg Medium |
£900 to £1,300 | The original kamado. Same principle as Kamado Joe but with a longer history and a cult following. Accessories ecosystem is huge, though everything you bolt on costs more than you'd expect. | View |
Best Smokers
Dedicated smokers do one thing properly: low and slow. If you already have a kettle BBQ you can smoke on it with the snake method, but a dedicated smoker holds temperature for longer with less fiddling. Bullet smokers (vertical, like the WSM) are the easiest learning curve. Offsets are the traditional pitmaster choice and need more attention.
| Model | Price | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
Weber Smokey Mountain 37cm |
£230 to £280 | The smallest WSM and the easiest dedicated smoker to learn on. Bullet design holds temperature for 12+ hours on a single load of coals. Smaller cooking area limits you to one cut at a time. | View |
Oklahoma Joe Highland Offset |
£350 to £450 | Proper offset smoker at a sensible price. American-style BBQ with real wood smoke and the pink smoke ring you only get from offsets. Needs more attention than a bullet, but if you want to play pitmaster this is where to start. | View |
Weber Smokey Mountain 57cm |
£450 to £550 | The big WSM. Enough cooking space for two briskets or a whole pork shoulder plus ribs. The smoker I'd recommend to most people if they're going to smoke more than once a month. | View |
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 |
£700 to £900 | Charcoal-fuelled but runs like a pellet smoker. Digital controller holds temperature automatically with a gravity-fed charcoal hopper. Sears at 250°C+ and smokes at 110°C, which most charcoal units can't do without intervention. The closest charcoal gets to set-and-forget. | View |
Traeger Pro 780 |
£900 to £1,100 | Pellet smoker with WiFi control. Genuine set-and-forget cooking, app monitoring, and consistent results. Purists will tell you it's not "real" BBQ but if you want smoked food on a weeknight with minimal effort, this delivers. | View |
Weber Smoque Pellet Grill |
£1,000 to £1,400 | Weber's pellet entry, and worth waiting for if you're loyal to the brand. Better build than Traeger, similar set-and-forget convenience, more expensive. The premium pellet option in the UK. | View |
Electric BBQs
Electric BBQs are a niche category, mostly for flats and balconies where gas and charcoal aren't allowed. They cook differently from real BBQ but they're better than no BBQ. Look for actual high-heat capability if you want to sear properly.
| Model | Price | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
Char-Broil Patio Bistro Electric |
£180 to £230 | Entry-level electric for balcony cooking. Limited high-heat capability, but a reasonable option if outdoor flames aren't permitted where you live. | View |
Weber Lumin |
£400 to £500 | The best electric BBQ I've seen for the UK market. Actually reaches searing temperatures, unlike most electrics. Worth the premium if outdoor cooking is restricted to electric only. | View |
Is More Expensive Always Better?
Not always. I’ve seen £1000+ BBQs that cook like a £200 one. I think the sweet spot sits around £800 for a quality gas BBQ and £250 for a quality charcoal BBQ:
- Best value: Around £800 for a solid gas BBQ
- Under £100: Risky, but decent for learning
- Over £2000: More bells, not better beef
If you want to look at BBQ smoking, check out 3-2-1 Method BBQ Ribs to see what a mid-range smoker can cook for you.
Understanding BBQ Heat: The Fire Basics
Direct vs Indirect Heat (and why both come in useful)
- Direct heat. This is when the fire is straight under the food. Great for burgers, sausages, and searing steak. If a dish is referred to being cooked "hot and fast", this is the method to use.
- Indirect heat. Indirect is when the coals or burners are to the side of the food. Cooking this way acts more like an oven and has an ambient heat in the cooking area rather than directly on the food. Ideal for whole chickens, pork shoulders, or homemade jerky. "Low and slow" is a form of indirect heat.
Best charcoal setups:
- Two zone fire: One side stacked high, one side low. Perfect control.
- Ring of fire: Coals pushed to the outer edge. Great for low 'n slow.
Lesson In A Nutshell: Always be in control of how hot the BBQ is and where your heat is located. I'd say that’s 80% of BBQ skill.
How to Light A BBQ (the easy way)
Ditch Lighter Fluid. Get a Chimney Starter.
- Use natural firelighters like these straw bale types
- Stack coals in a chimney starter and place two firelighters underneath the chimney. Light them and let the chimney do the work. It will draw the heat up onto the coals.
- Wait 15 mins and the coals should be getting a white glow on them. Carefully dump the coals into the BBQ and arrange into the required zones for your cook.
Why use a chimney starter?: On a windy Sunday, I once gave up halfway trying to light my coals with newspaper. Never again. Paper blows away, coals light unevenly (if at all). If anything, a chimney likes a bit of a gust to get it going.
Beginner BBQ Tips That Are Actually Useful
What I Wish I Knew When I Started
- Clean your grill before AND after cooking
- Oil the grate before lighting to stop sticking. Use a high smoke point oil like sunflower or rapeseed oil. Olive oil is not much good. If you don't have any oil, chop an onion in half and rub that across the grates.
- Don’t leave your BBQ unattended. Fat fires and flare-ups do happen and can be dangerous.
- Use long-handled tongs. Never a fork. It's useful to have a good set of heat resistant BBQ gloves too.
- Don’t drown stuff in sauce until the last 10 mins. Cooks like my pork belly bites recipe only calls for sauce toward the end of the cooking process. It doesn't taste great if it is burnt.
Want a safe win? Try my Guacamole Mayo Burgers – easy, juicy, and full of BBQ flavour.
Weather, Wind & Why Your Food Burns
- Cold? Use more coals
- Windy? Fire will run hotter
- Rainy?... Put the lid down and power through. You will benefit from building a BBQ shack of some form if you want to cook in all weathers. Check out these BBQ gazebo options which can be bought online.
Quick Summary: BBQ is like British weather. Predictably unpredictable. For more charcoal help along with what type to buy, check out my Charcoal 101 post.
Learn to Sear: Your Steak Deserves Better
Searing Isn’t Optional In My Opinion
To cook a steak properly it should be hot and fast over a direct heat. To sear properly:
- Preheat your grill to max heat (gas or stacked coals)
- Pat your meat dry (cheeky 😜).
- Oil the grill, not the meat. This stops meat sticking in patches.
- Slam it down and wait
- Turn once. That’s it.
Don't forget you can sear bigger pieces of meats to seal in flavour before they go in the oven or on the BBQ for a longer low and slow cook.
Oil the grill with a vegetable oil soaked paper towel. Use a vegetable oil like sunflower or rapeseed rather than olive oil.
If you fancy testing your skills with some recipes then try this Griddle Chop Recipe
Using BBQ Rubs Like a Pitmaster
Dry vs Wet Rubs
- Dry rubs: Great for creating a bold crust and flavour on longer cooks. Think paprika, cayenne, garlic powder. You can add these on by spraying the meat with an oil to give the rub something to stick to.
- Wet rubs: Adds moisture and helps it stick. BBQ sauce would be considered a wet rub.
Tips:
- Rub meat an hour before grilling (overnight is better)
- If it's possible, try and get the rub under the skin on items such as poultry
- Make your own with herbs from the garden, something has a bit of extra special flavour if you have grown the herb yourself.
Appetisers on the Grill (So You’re Not Cooking Alone)
You can absolutely grill starters. Keep it simple:
- Mini pizzas using a simple margherita pizza recipe
- Buffalo wings
- Chicken kebabs with a garlic sauce
Experiment with the weird: I marinated beef cubes in Thousand Island dressing before cooking once. Sounds weird, tasted great.
Beginner BBQ FAQs
I think a gas BBQ. It’s easier to light, control, and clean. But charcoal wins for flavour.
Yep! Just keep the lid down and the umbrella up. Trust me, I’ve grilled in worse. There is always a gazebo or garden shack type of build which you can do. So many places have dedicated BBQ buildings which can be bought for the home now. Also for keeping your guests warm you can take a look at patio heaters.
Dirty grates, sugary sauces too early, or too much heat can be causes of this problem. Clean and oil your grill before cooking.
The grill should be oiled when hot. Oil the grill, season the meat.
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