Charcoal vs Gas BBQ: How to Choose the Right One
The charcoal versus gas debate is almost a rite of passage for anyone buying their first proper barbecue. Both cook great food, so there’s no wrong answer, but they suit different people. Once you know what you actually care about, the choice makes itself. Here’s the honest rundown.
Charcoal wins on flavour and searing heat but takes longer and makes more mess. Gas wins on speed, control and easy cleaning. Pick charcoal if you love the ritual, gas if you want to fire it up on a weeknight.
Charcoal: flavour and ritual
Charcoal is the traditional choice, and for a lot of people that smoky flavour and the ritual of getting the coals just right is the whole point. It reaches high searing temperatures that are hard to beat for steaks and burgers.
The trade-offs are time and mess. You need to light it and wait for the coals to be ready, and there’s ash to clean up afterwards. A chimney starter takes most of the faff out of lighting, no lighter fluid required.
A chimney starter gets charcoal glowing in minutes, cleanly. Check price on Amazon →
Gas: speed and control
Gas barbecues light at the turn of a dial and are up to temperature in minutes, which makes them the easy choice for a spontaneous weeknight cook. You get precise heat control across separate burners, and cleaning up is far quicker with no ash to deal with.
What you give up is a little of that deep charcoal flavour, though a smoker box with wood chips closes a lot of the gap. For many families, the sheer convenience is what wins.
Cost over a season
Charcoal barbecues are usually cheaper to buy, but you keep paying for fuel. Gas costs more upfront and the gas itself is efficient. Add it up over a summer and the two land fairly close, so running cost rarely settles the argument on its own.
Size and features
Whichever fuel you choose, match the cooking area to how many people you feed. A lid is worth having for roasting and controlling heat, and a built-in thermometer helps. Reviews are the quickest way to judge real-world build quality and how evenly a grill cooks.
Good briquettes burn longer and more evenly than cheap lumpwood. Check price on Amazon →
A quick word on safety
Keep any barbecue well away from fences, walls and overhanging plants, never use it indoors or in an enclosed space, and let charcoal cool fully before you dispose of it. Never bring a barbecue inside to keep warm, even after cooking.
Ready to choose?
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Related guides
- Garden & Outdoors buying guide for the rest of your outdoor setup.
- Browse the full Garden & Outdoors department.
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Frequently asked questions
Does charcoal really taste better than gas?
Charcoal gives that classic smoky flavour and higher searing heat that many people love. Gas is cleaner and more controllable, and you can add smoky notes with a smoker box. It comes down to how much you value flavour versus convenience.
Which is cheaper to run, charcoal or gas?
Charcoal barbecues are usually cheaper to buy, but you pay for fuel each time. Gas costs more upfront but the gas itself is efficient. Over a season it's fairly close, so convenience often decides it.
What size barbecue should I get?
Match the cooking area to how many people you usually cook for. Reviews often mention how many burgers or portions a grill handles at once, which is more useful than the headline size.