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You're ready to purchase a gas barbecue, but being the perfectionist that you are, and especially interested in your future purchase, you've started seeing specialized sellers, walked through garden center aisles, spent hours surfing the internet searching for information about that rare gem that will stand proudly in your garden or on your terrace. I therefore suggest reviewing the essential points to consider before buying your barbecue.

The barbecue price

Of course, the first thing you'll look at is the price of your future barbecue. Each year, manufacturers offer hundreds of new models, though stores only stock a few, so it's essential to have an idea of your budget. Indeed, gas barbecues exist from 100€ up to 10,000€ for very special models. One last thing, check if the gas bottle is included in the price, generally it's not, but know that this will add an extra cost of about 20€.

The fuel

You might say there isn't much choice in fuel, but you actually have two options: propane and natural gas. If you want to use natural gas, your home (preferably a house) must be connected to natural gas. Most gas barbecues are available in both configurations; however, if you buy a natural gas barbecue, you won't be able to connect propane to it and vice versa. Currently, the majority of barbecues in stores are propane-based. Entry-level barbecues almost never offer the natural gas option. You'll need to add 50 to 100€ for a natural gas conversion kit. The advantage of natural gas is that it's more economical in the long run.

Gas barbecue materials

Before choosing your barbecue, I advise you to carefully look at the materials your future barbecue is made of. Gas barbecues are made of aluminum, sheet metal, cast iron, or stainless steel. Steel is professionals' preferred material for their barbecue, but also the most expensive. However, just because a barbecue is made of steel doesn't mean it will be better quality than an aluminum one. You need to consider the barbecue frame - on many models, the frame is painted and therefore susceptible to rust. The same goes for the grill - it's essential that it's entirely made of steel, which you can verify using a magnet. Make sure the grill is height-adjustable. Today, steel quality is debatable, and one thing is certain: nothing beats a good aluminum frame, which is lighter and very resistant.

The barbecue size

When choosing a barbecue, you also need to know what size you want. Just consider your needs. If you're looking for a barbecue to cook whole turkeys or cook for 35 people, you'll definitely need a large model. If you're just occasionally cooking a chicken leg or a steak for 3 people, you won't need a large model.

Gas barbecue options

There are many options for your gas barbecue. First, multiple cooking levels, the smoker box, side burners, rotisserie kit, ignition system, etc... It's important to know what type of cooking you want to do on the gas barbecue, as options are very expensive, so it's better to make sure you'll use them.

Gas barbecue heat

There are many points to consider, the first being BTUs (British Thermal Units), which are not power indicators but gas consumption measurements. This means that a large barbecue with high BTUs might consume a lot of gas but may not have optimal performance. For this, you'll need to check the number of burners your future barbecue has, as well as their arrangement, with the goal being to have controllable and uniform heat across the entire cooking surface. Having multiple burners will allow you to choose less hot zones by adjusting your BBQ. This brings me to the next point: the number of control knobs. If you have 6 burners and only 1 control knob, it's impossible to create zones of different temperatures... Generally, entry-level models have 1 or 2 burners controlled by a single knob. Good enough for some basic grilling but insufficient for real barbecuing.

Gas barbecue lifespan

As I already mention in the barbecue maintenance guide, all barbecues rust or deteriorate if you don't take care of them. So whether it's a 100€ or 5,000€ barbecue, I can only advise you to follow my instructions in themaintenance guide.