This summer we’ll be celebrating our new-found freedom by making the most of the great outdoors, pitching freshly-purchased tents and preparing delicious campfire cuisine.
If you’re prone to burning your burgers, setting fire to your sausages or ruining rib steaks, we’ve got the solution – one of these fantastic portable barbecues that will transform your grilling skills, minimise the risk of a call to the local fire department and ensure you go down in history as a connoisseur of campfire cooking.
Whether you opt for a charcoal or gas barbecue is a matter of personal choice, but if you decide on a gas barbecue, make a note of the nozzle type – some barbecues will have universal nozzles, which allow them to be used with any size of canister, while others will only work with certain types, or may require an additional regulator or hose (both of these add-ons can be purchased from camping stores).
Our testing proved that certain features are worth their weight in gold. These include matchless ignition (British weather is temperamental at best and relying on matches is never a good idea), space-saving multi-purpose parts (such as the lid on the brilliant CampinGaz Party Grill® 400 CV gas stove, which doubles as wok) and handles which allow the barbecue to be easily adjusted when on uneven ground.
See the best portable BBQs below.
Campingaz Party Grill® 400 CV gas stove
Worried about setting fire to your tent/a nearby tree/the dog? You’ll love the peace of mind provided by the Campingaz Party Grill® 400 CV gas stove, which can be used as a griddle, barbecue or wok, and comes with its own carry bag. Our favourite feature (after the super-smooth matchless ignition) was the water compartment, which doesn’t just make it easier to clean by preventing grease and cooking juices from sticking to the sides but reduces the fire risk, too. It’s incredibly compact, and was fantastically easy to assemble – the three legs simply twist in, although you’ll need a screwdriver to attach the two handles on either side of the lid, which doubles as a wok. The universal nozzle meant we could use either CV300 Plus or CV470 Plus gas canisters.
Weber Smokey Joe Premium Charcoal Barbecue
There’s something ridiculously cute about this squat, stylish charcoal barbecue, which has very obviously been designed with portability in mind. It’s lightweight and compact, and comes packed with various features which ramp up its usability - from the skin-saving heat shield beneath the lid handle, and the so-called tuck-n-carry lid lock which meant we could still move it when it was in use, to the chunky, rust-resistant aluminium dampers which boost the barbecue’s resistance to wear and tear. The briquette measuring cup was a thoughtful extra which helped us keep an eye on our fuel usage.
Campingaz Attitude 2Go CV BBQ
You’ll be the coolest camper in town with Campingaz’s newest gas barbecue under your arm. This lean, mean grilling machine, which is compatible with a CV470 gas cartridge, comes packed with features, including illuminated controls, an external thermometer and a front-loading grease tray - which made this one of the easiest barbecues to clean. We also loved the ultra-solid base (individual legs have been replaced by extended side walls for unbeatable stability) and its top-quality feel, courtesy of a die cast aluminium exterior and an incredibly tough enamelled cast iron grill. In a nutshell? One of the best gas barbecues we’ve come across.
£189.99 | Winfields Outdoors *Available from April 6
Bar-be-Quick Dual Firepit Barbecue
No, this isn’t a UFO – it’s the brilliant Bar-be-Quick Barbecue, which is one of the most stylish charcoal barbecues around. Its design is inspired by firepits, and it certainly makes a stunning focal point when not in use. We kept it going long after the last sausage had been snaffled, before simply popping on its mesh cover so air is still able to circulate but protects it from gusts of red-hot ash (because no matter how good your barbecue is, nobody wants a briquette-related branding). It took us under a minute to attach the three rock-solid legs, and once they’re on, they’re on – when not in use, they simply fold beneath the barbecue, locking firmly into place.
Outsunny Portable BBQ Grill
We’ve all been there – your mother-in-law loves her burgers medium-rare, while your best friend prefers his burned to oblivion. Throw a vegetarian into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a food poisoning-related faux pas of the gravest kind. Not so if you’re using the Outsunny Portable BBQ Grill, a can-style charcoal barbecue with two separate grilling areas, as well as exterior sliders which can be tweaked to adjust airflow and control heat levels. Despite the extra bells and whistles, it’s still incredibly compact and portable, and the combination of an extra-wide carrying handle and a sturdy metal lock which snaps securely into place makes it easy to set up and stow away.
Argos Home Briefcase BBQ Cooking Grill Pack
A word of warning – this aptly-named barbecue does indeed resemble a briefcase, so we’d advise against leaving it in the hallway, unless you’re happy to risk a loved one arriving at work to discover they’re carrying the charred remainders of last weekend’s barbecue. It’s another model which allows for some degree of personalisation when it comes to cooking, thanks to a grill area which can be raised up and moved sideways, so that individual food items can be exposed to more or less heat. Two thick metal struts keep it firmly in place, and an additional, separate brace is provided for extra support on uneven ground.
B&Q Sommen Black Charcoal Bucket Barbecue
If only all buckets were as useful as this one. B&Q’s bucket barbecue has a super-sized handle which made it easy to adjust its position without risking singed skin, and surprisingly sturdy legs which ensure it stays put, while keeping it off the ground. The generous grilling area provides enough room to cook food for up to four people, and its depth allows plenty of space for a family-sized stack of charcoal. We also loved the matte finish, which did a great job of concealing stains, but was still surprisingly easy to clean.
Primus Kuchoma Stove
Primus’s Kuchoma Stove was already one of the best gas barbecues on the market, and it’s now even better. This new and improved version features a tough, spring-action locking mechanism which secures the regulator for easy transport. It also boasts fixtures to keep the non-stick grill grate in place when it’s not in use, and a more reliable locking mechanism to keep the lid closed once your barbecue’s over. Other aspects we loved; the slick matchless ignition and the powerful horizontal burner tube, which blasts out 8500 BTU (2500W) of grill power. Don’t be fooled by the spindly appearance of the folding legs, either – although they’re on the thin side, they’re surprisingly sturdy, and the rubber pads did a great job of keeping the grill stable on soft ground.
Camping Portable Gas Barbecue Stove Grill
This slimline barbecue is fabulously versatile, and comes with skewers, a chrome-plated grill grate and grill topper, and an evaporator plate to help seal in flavour. We loved the extra-large dial (a major bugbear: dials so small that a magnifying glass should come as standard), which made it easy to crank up the heat by the tiniest of increments. Its squat, low profile also means minimum wobble, whether you’re using it as a tabletop barbecue or cooking at ground level (its short, fat legs means you can do so without leaving a barbecue-shaped burn mark).
Verdict
CampinGaz’s Party Grill® 400 CV gas stove is an ingenious, innovative barbecue which can be used to cook food in multiple ways, and it’s incredibly lightweight, too. Weber’s hardwearing Smokey Joe Premium Charcoal Barbecue is both stylish and compact, and we loved the simple (but brilliant) added extras, such as the shield beneath the lid handle and the tuck-n-carry lid lock.
