Best BBQs: all-new outdoor grills

Love the taste of charcoal but are enticed by the efficiency of gas? Choose a dual-fuel barbecue and enjoy the best of both worlds. Top of our list of hybrids is the great-value Gas2Coal 2.0 BBQ. It's quick and easy to adapt, a charcoal tray slots over the gas burners, and the burners are used to light the coals. This makes it super-easy to light but also to achieve a steady, even temperature quickly, just turn the burners off once the coals start glowing.

Review: "Amazing BBQ, best we've ever owned. Really well made and sturdy. Coals light easily and there are no flare-ups when cooking. Well worth the money for stress-free BBQing. Would highly recommend."{:target=_blank :rel=noreferrer noopener}

An ideal option for those who have fewer people to cook for but still want to have a hybrid, this 3-burner grill from Outback has been praised for improving the on-off switch and knobs on the front compared to the previous model. The 3-burner Outback hybrid BBQ which is under £500 comes complete with a porcelain enamel costs roasting hood, heat gauge, two timber side tables, a warming rack and a new charcoal basket to enable dual fuel cooking option.

Review: "Arrived on time. Bought to replace existing Outback BBQ which we were very pleased with and gave us many years of good service. Instructions for assembly could have been a bit clearer although better than some other assembly instructions. Reviewer and spouse in their 70s!!!"

Fresh Grills Kamados are designed so that anyone can become an expert from their garden. The BBQ's thick walls, ceramic outer shell and egg-shaped design allow for high cooking temperatures and with the addition of the top and bottom ventilation system, you can control the way things sizzle. This BBQ grill is suitable for smoking, searing, grilling, baking and slow cooking. It has you covered.

Review: "Great product and very durable. Very helpful seller."

This Aldi Kamado Egg BBQ is a fantastic ceramic outdoor oven that has an insulated design that allows evenly cooked food that is not only succulent but smoky at the same time. If you are looking for a full-sized egg BBQ on a budget - this would be an excellent choice. Aldi also stocks a Gardenline Mini Kamado BBQ if you would like something smaller.

Review: "Used this over the weekend slightly hesitant as to how it would perform and it exceeded our expectations. Why people spend over a £1000 on the green egg when this is on the market I do not know. Amazing purchase, highly recommend!"

This versatile ceramic grill is well-built and portable. With the ability to sear, roast, grill, or smoke your food, this charcoal grill is efficient as it holds in heat, and moisture and simplifies temperature control. Not only that, coal delivers a unique smoke-infused flavour that you just can't beat. One grill, so many opportunities.

Review: "Expensive, but worth every penny. This grill/oven/smoker takes barbecue to a whole new level. So far we have produced meltingly delicious pulled pork (an 18 hour low smoke we could never have attempted before); creamily tender brisket; the moistest, tenderest roast chicken ever; and drop-dead gorgeous pizza. Even relatively mundane dishes like pork chops and steak are elevated by the Kamado’s fierce but controllable charcoal grill."

We're big fans of tabletop grills as they make for relaxed sociable cooking. Everyone can kick back, share the joy and be responsible for cooking their food just how they like it! This Chop & Grill Tabletop BBQ is our pick for 2022. The simple yet stylish earthenware outer and stainless-steel inner are a sleek addition to any modern garden, and the cooking area is pretty roomy too. Just add lump charcoal or briquettes for a deliciously smoky flavour fresh from the grill and straight to your plate in seconds.

Review: "Excellent product. Looks good, cooks evenly and not too obtrusive on the table. Nice to have hot food straight from the grill. Best with thinner meat slices."

Gas grills are easy to light and simple to control, but those with enough cooking space to cater for a gathering of friends can be bulky and not always beautiful. There are a few compact gas bbq on the market, and then there's this: the small but mighty Forno Gas Piccolo. It not only grills beautifully thanks to a powerful 3.6kw output, but its elegant oval shape creates a stunning outdoor feature too.

Lots of us got bored of same-old sausages last year and started experimenting with cooking different types of meat al-fresco, including the Sunday roast. Low and slow is the way to cook large joints of meat, and the best barbie for the job has to be a lidded egg-style or Kamado de-sign. Fully sealed and with a large circular grill, it's pretty easy to maintain constant heat for long periods to make sure a big joint is fully cooked yet perfectly tender. The new Weber Summit Kamado does this job beautifully and offers more besides, the Rapidfire lid damper boosts airflow for quick high heat, while interchangeable grill and sear plates and multi-level grills broaden the cooking possibilities.

Review: "Excellent service. Great value for money, Best charcoal Kamado for money and quality."

Plancha, teppanyaki or hot-plate cooking is the next big thing in the world of al fresco grilling. Searing delicate veggies, seafood and thin pieces of meat at high temperatures on a steel or iron slab that's heated up over a fire is a really smart way to cook outdoors as it's fast and accentuates the freshly grilled taste we all love. While it's great for grilling up a quick lunch or weekday supper, the speedy cook time also makes it easy to cater for large parties. They're not cheap, this stylish Forno Plancha Cylinder Barbecue combining a hot plate with an open grill is an eye-watering £2,351.95, but we're expecting to see this trend filter down to the lower end of the market very soon.

For many, the best part of barbecuing is tucking into food with that delicious smoky flavour and aroma. Yes, charcoal is good, but a smoker raises the taste sensation to a whole new level and it's fun to experiment with different smoking techniques and wood chips to enjoy a variety of smoky flavours. Once a bulky piece of kit for commercial use only, smaller smokers are now readily available. The ProQ Frontier BBQ Smoker is perfect for beginners, with a temperature gauge and a little access door so you can check how your food is doing. Compact enough for the smallest patio but big enough to feed a crowd of 12, we like its industrial style too.

Review: "I love my ProQ. I've had it for about a year now and it has been used regularly since then, even in winter. I have smoked pork shoulder, ribs, chickens, brisket, and sausages on it and they have all turned out amazing. The temperature control is easy, but get yourself a good leave in probe thermometer, don't rely on the lid thermometer. I recommend the Maverick range of thermometers."

Love to flex your outdoor cooking skills? Always experimenting with the latest techniques? Then this handsome piece of kit is a reliable all-rounder that will happily sit centre stage on your patio, or in your outdoor kitchen, and allow you to cook in lots of different ways. The La Hacienda Multi-Function Pizza Oven is a versatile cook station that easily transitions between the role of smoker, pizza oven, sear plate and low, sealed grill with a flip-down oven door. And all for the price of a standard barbecue, the (freshly grilled) cherry on top is a pizza stone included in this good-value package. It's great for a compact garden as it saves on space and, equipped with handy utensil hooks and flip-out shelves, on general culinary clutter too.

Review: "Was easy to assemble, couldn't wait to use it, cooked pizza brilliant, lovely item to my garden."

Grill-top salt-block cooking is set to be a big trend and it's delicious! Oil and heat the Salt Cooking Block for a sizzling surface that seasons as it cooks.

Used to having a thermometer pointed at your forehead now? The Ooni Infrared Thermometer does the same to any grill or pizza oven for precise cooking.

The Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub is an app-controlled hub that provides tested barbecue recipes and monitors real-time cooking for near-guaranteed grilling success every time.