Small barbecues review

03.Product profiles

Profiles - the best

Weber Q200

Price: $559

Good points

• Best overall.
• Best for cooking performance.
• Excellent result for roasting a chicken and cooking marinated chicken wings.
• Very good result for cooking sausages and steak.
• Gas bottle easy to fit, no lifting required.
• Portable.

Bad points

• You’ll need your own tools to assemble.
• No hotplate provided, only a char-grill plate (though you can purchase hotplate separately).
• No thermometer in hood.
• Folding side tables can tilt with heavy items placed on them.
• No warming rack.
• The hood becomes dangerously hot.
• No side panels to protect food and burner from drafts.
• The BBQ isn’t completely secure when it sits on the trolley.
• The manual Piezo button requires pressure to press.
• Need to stoop down when lighting.

Beefeater Discovery Classic 2 Burner

Price: $699

Good points

• Equal second best overall.
• Excellent result for roasting a chicken and cooking chicken wings.
• Grill plate lifter tool.
• Viewing glass in hood.
• Very good controls.
• Very easy to move around.
• Hood thermometer is fairly accurate.
• A good cookbook comes with the barbeque.

Bad points

• You’ll need your own tools to assemble.
• Failed BBQ stability test.
• Side tables and control panel are stainless steel which requires some extra effort to keep clean.
• You’ll need to remove the food warmer to have good open access to food.
• No handles on the side table, uncomfortable to grip and the side tables do not fold down.
• Hood becomes dangerously hot.  

Downunder 2 Burner G2HDPC

Price: $349

Good points

• Equal second best overall.
• Best for ease of use.
• Excellent result for cooking steaks.
• Very good result for cooking sausages and roasting a chicken.
• Easy to assemble.
• Hood thermometer is fairly accurate.
• Very easy to move around.
• Very good controls.
• Easy to clean.  

Bad points

• The front panel becomes dangerously hot with hood open.
• No side panels to protect food and burners from drafts.
• Hood can become dangerously hot.

 

Profiles - the rest

Gasmate CB2-002-D

Price: $559

Good Points

• Very good cooking performance.
• Very easy to move around.
• Very good controls.
• Easy to assemble.
• Reversible cooking plate.

Bad points

• Hood tends to direct smoke into your face.
• Hood and control panel is stainless steel which requires extra effort to clean.
• Hood can become dangerously hot.
• Thermometer is not accurate.

JACKEROO Dockside Duo

Price: $199

Good Points

• Excellent result for roasting a chicken and cooking marinated chicken wings.
• Excellent for ease of use, cooking/general use.
• Gas bottle easy to fit, no lifting.
• Cheapest BBQ tested.
• Relatively light weight.
• Reversible cooking plate.

Bad points

• Poor result for cooking steak
• Only borderline for mobility: one side has to be lifted and you can only take small steps to move.
• Piezo manual button requires pressure to press.
• Small fat tray, need to clean after each use.
• Fat and grease can drip onto control panel during cooking with the hood closed.
• Complicated to assemble.
• Thermometer is not accurate.
• Hood can become dangerously hot.
  

Weber 57cm One-Touch Kettle with Gas Kit

Price: $399

Good Points

• Excellent result for roasting a chicken and cooking marinated chicken wings.
• Gas bottle easy to fit, no lifting.
• Comprehensive cookbook supplied for kettle cooking.

Bad Points

• Poor result for cooking steak.
• No side panels to protect food and burner from drafts.
• BBQ is positioned at a low height.
• No warming rack.
• No thermometer in hood.
• No hotplate only wire char-grill plate.
•  Lighting BBQ can be awkward: need to light with a match.
• Large wire char-grill plate difficult to clean.
• Hood becomes dangerously hot.

Grandhall Neil Perry T-Grill

Price: $999

Good Points

• Excellent result for roasting chicken.
• Very good result for cooking steaks.
• Easy to clean exterior.
• Very easy to assemble, most parts assembled already.
• Hood does not become hot

Bad Points

• Hood is very heavy to lift.
• Side tables do not fold down.
• Very poor mobility cannot move sideways.
• Controls positioned under front panel: need to stoop slightly to use.
• Most expensive model tested.
• No hotplate, only char-grill plate.
• No thermometer in hood.

Sunbeam Kettle King HG6600B

Price: $280

Good Points

• Less smoke produced during cooking.
• Easy to assemble.

Bad Points

• Worst overall performer.
• Poor result for cooking steak.
• No side panels: BBQ plate is completely exposed when hood is removed.
• Stand is top heavy.
• Food can easily slide off hotplate when manipulating food.
• Power cord is fairly short.
• Small labelling on controls.
• Hotplate and fat tray need to be cleaned in hot soapy water after each use.
• Can be awkward to fit hotplate into a domestic sink.
• No side trays, only small tray under BBQ.
• Small cooking area.
• Hood can become dangerously hot.