Charcoal or gas BBQ: which suits you?

Charcoal and gas side by side

The table below sums up the general differences. Individual models vary, but these points hold for most kettles and most cart-style gas grills sold in the UK.

Flavour: what really changes

Most of the classic barbecue taste comes from fat and juices dripping onto something hot and turning into smoke that rises back over the food. Both types do this. On charcoal the drips hit glowing coals; on most gas grills they hit flavouriser bars or heat tents over the burners. Charcoal tends to give a stronger, more smoky result, and it is easy to throw a chunk of wood on the coals for more.

Gas gives a cleaner, more even result. You can add smoke with a smoker box of wood chips, which we cover in how to smoke on a gas BBQ. For burgers and sausages most people notice little difference; for long cooks and steaks, charcoal fans usually prefer the coals.

Speed, control and everyday use

Gas wins on convenience. Open the bottle valve, light the burners and the grill is ready by the time you have brought the food out. Two or three burners let you set a hot side and a cool side in seconds, and turning everything off ends the cook. That is why gas owners tend to barbecue more often, including on a Tuesday evening.

Charcoal takes planning. Lighting a chimney of coals takes around 20 minutes before they are covered in grey ash and ready, and the heat changes over the cook as coals burn down. You control it with the vents and by piling coals on one side, which is very effective once learned. Our guide to two-zone cooking shows how to set it up on either type.

Fuel, cleaning and space

Charcoal comes in bags that need dry storage, and every cook leaves ash. Kettles with a sweep-out system, such as Weber's One-Touch catcher, make this a quick job. Gas needs a bottle, a matching regulator and somewhere outside to keep the bottle upright and ventilated. Cleaning is the grates and the grease tray, plus a deeper clean of burners now and then.

Space is where many people are surprised. A 57 cm kettle has a footprint of about 60 cm across and weighs around 14 kg. A three-burner gas grill with side tables can be well over a metre wide and weigh close to 50 kg, so measure the patio first.

Note:Use any barbecue outdoors only, away from fences, sheds and overhanging branches. For gas, check joints with soapy water after every bottle change, never a flame, and turn off at the bottle after cooking. Charcoal embers stay hot for many hours.

Two typical examples compared

To make the choice concrete, here are the facts from two popular Weber listings: the classic 57 cm charcoal kettle and the three-burner Spirit gas grill. Both are mainstream family barbecues.

Compare the best charcoal BBQs →

Which should you buy?

Pick gas if you want to barbecue often, cook for the family on weekdays, or dislike handling ash. Our best gas BBQs for UK gardens guide compares three and four burner grills, and there are smaller options in best small gas BBQs for a patio.

Pick charcoal if barbecuing is a weekend event for you, you like flavour and fire, or you want to try smoking without buying a second grill. A kettle is also the cheaper way to start and takes far less room. If you cannot decide, many keen cooks own both: a gas grill for weeknights and a kettle for weekends.

Frequently asked questions

Is gas or charcoal cheaper to run? It depends on how often you cook and what fuel you buy. Gas use is easy to estimate from the bottle size and burner power with our gas bottle burn time calculator; charcoal use depends on grill size and cook length.

Does food taste better on charcoal? Many people prefer the smokier taste of charcoal, especially for steaks and long cooks. On burgers and sausages the difference is smaller, and a smoker box narrows it further on gas.

Which is easier for beginners? Gas, because you control the heat with a knob and the temperature stays steady. Charcoal takes a few cooks to learn, but a chimney starter and two-zone set-up make it much easier.

Can I use a gas or charcoal BBQ on a balcony? Many leases and building rules ban both. Check yours first; an electric grill is often the only allowed option, see our electric BBQs for balconies guide.