15 best gas BBQs for a summer of next-level grilling, tried and tested
One of the best ways to banish the blackened sausages and over-broiled burgers from your barbecue repertoire this summer is by taking total control of the flames with a gas appliance. Although they usually take a little more assembly than their charcoal equivalents, the effort is usually worth it, because gas models give you total control over the heat under your meat and veg.
That’s why the first thing we look for in the best gas barbecue is build quality and straightforward assembly – every component, from the casters to the lid hinges needs to be well-engineered and solidly constructed, so we know we won’t have to spend more money on a replacement this time next year.
Gas barbecues come with different numbers of burners – the more there are, the more ambitious your cookout can be. No matter how many burners there are, we are always looking to see how well they distribute heat across the grill, so all food is cooked evenly – and we don’t have to keep ferrying it around the grill surface to ensure it doesn’t burn.
With gas models, you’ll have hinged lids to help you control the temperature in the cook box. During testing, we kept an eye on the thermometer to see how well the heat was circulating, which helps food cook evenly as well as imparting the mouth-watering smoky flavour that’s the signature of barbecued food. Ultimately, if the barbecue was easy to use and made for effortless cooking, we were able to recommend them as potential winners for your outdoor dinners this summer.
How we tested the best gas BBQs
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 barbecue twice, to make sure they produced consistently good results.
We loaded the grates with burgers, to see how proficient each model was at high-heat-output cooking, then we turned down the burners to cook chicken pieces. We were looking for mouth-wateringly seared or crispy-skinned exteriors to the meat
