Gas Barbecues

Buyers guide to gas barbecues

If you love barbecue but not the mess that goes with charcoal then gas barbecues are ideal as the heat is instant and there are no ashes to deal with, but BBQ purists claim that you don’t get the authentic flavour. However, this can be remedied by using flavoured wood chips in a smoker box. The top of the range gas barbecues allow you to cook anything you can cook in your home, with the addition of a few accessories, such as the rotisserie, Dutch oven, griddle and wok. As one of only a handful of Weber World stores in The Barbecue Shop here in store we stock all the Weber gas barbecues from the smallest 2 burner Spirit II S-210 GBS to the large 6 burner Summit E-670 GBS capable of cooking for a large party or just the two of you. Having the 6 burners makes it easier to have distinct direct and indirect cooking zones allowing you to sear your meat or cook thin burgers or escallops over the direct heat and thoroughly cook larger pieces and sausages over the indirect heat. The indirect zone being cooler lets you cook the larger pieces without burning, especially important when applying the sauce towards the end, the high sugar content in the sauce can quickly burn. There are a huge number of rubs and sauces available in The Barbecue Shop here in store with the Angus and Oink range also being available online; the rule is rubs go on at the beginning and the sauces at the end. The small portable Weber Go-Anywhere gas BBQ allows you to experience that delicious BBQ food on the beach or on a picnic in the countryside. Taking the gas version means that you don’t have the problem of disposing of hot ashes or having to carry them home. The Weber GBS (Gourmet BBQ System) barbecues have a huge range of accessories which enable you to try out dishes you never thought possible on a barbecue, such as stews, moules mariniere, a full English breakfast or just a stir fry; accessories include a Dutch oven, wok, griddle and sear grate.Even sauces are possible thanks to the side burners on the larger Weber models. The iGrills on the Webers help you cook your meat to perfection; the iGrill 2 can accommodate 4 probes, allowing you to cook 4 pieces of meat to perfection. It is controlled remotely sending alerts to your phone when your meat is ready to come off the grill. The rotisseries  can help you cook your meat to perfection while retaining all the meat’s juices. Our barbecue buyer, Ian Hodgett, is a passionate griller and owns several grills covering the whole gamut of fuels; gas, charcoal, wood pellet and electric so is hugely experienced and both his team and himself are always available to give you any advice you may need. The Barbecue Shop is open all year round and packed with everything you can possibly need to achieve your perfect cook, from grills to griddles. If you are unsure whether a gas grill is for you, we offer a test drive service where you book a slot and we will have the grill of your choice fired up and ready for you, all you need to do is bring your bangers and burgers. The team will be on hand to give you advice and offer tips to achieve that perfect cook. Click here to read the blog and watch the video where we cook burgers over gas, electric and charcoal. If you want to improve your BBQ repertoire click here to check out the numerous recipes and videos we have made with Ian and top BBQ chef Richard Holden. We regularly hold BBQ masterclasses and demos in the store at Ambleside so keep an eye on the Events page to see when the next classes are occurring.