Best charcoal BBQ 2022: Kamado grill, tandoor oven and charcoal barbecue

Best: Overall

This south London company has taken the oil drum barbecue to the next level, by taking a steel drum and expertly cutting, strengthening and hinging it to turn it into a beautifully engineered piece of kit.

A massive 34in cooking surface encloses the fire grate, turning the firing up of the barbecue into an event in itself. The glow from the flames and coal light up the laser cut picture grill, which holds the heat well and makes it very easy to control the temperature and find direct and indirect heat for different menu items.

The grate is also designed to create a central hot spot on the grill, so you have complete control over how much heat is applied to your food. Plus, there is a cooler upper shelf for resting and warming. 

In addition, sliding vents on the base of the drum and the chimney make it easy to control the fire and smoke load. The addition of two oiled scaffold boards on either side of the barbecue means there’s plenty of space for food prep, tool storage and the chef’s drink. The whole barbecue is finished in high temperature satin black paint that you can touch up once the summer is over to keep it looking fresh.

BBQ’s will be back in stock towards the middle of September

Best: For temperature range and control

One of the big names in barbecuing has made its first foray into kamado cooking, a style renowned for its impressive temperature range and control. 

The E6 is constructed from porcelain-enameled steel that circulates and retains the heat to such a degree that you can enjoy more versatility and adventurous (but, headache-free) barbecued fare.

Temperature control was straightforward thanks to a hinged damper on top of the lid, which opens up completely, so coals heat up faster, and you can raise the temperature mid-grill, if required. 

Combination cooking with direct and indirect heat was also simple, so our chicken was cooked through with a delicious browned skin.

The 24in cooking grate means that no one is going to be kept waiting for their food, and the standard Weber one-touch cleaning system made resetting the grill for next time pretty much effortless. 

Best: For tandoori dishes

Another modular barbecue which offers a very unique cooking experience, over and above the traditional grill and smoker, as it can be turned into a tandoor oven.

A pressed-steel kebab rack attachment fits snugly over the rim of the barbecue and smoker chambers, and with hot coals burning in the fuel basket at the base you can load the supplied 12 x 30cm skewers with marinated chicken for a tandoori feast.

The chicken we cooked was smokey and succulent, cooking quickly and evenly so that everything was ready at once – this made for a great start to any barbecue. Then, all you have to do is let the smoker chamber cool sufficiently before reverting to a traditional barbecue. This has a 17in grill and three vents for efficient temperature control. 

Best: Heat retention and distribution

As the name suggests, this grill from the Danish manufacturer has been in production since 1971, and we can see why it’s enjoyed such longevity, particularly for cooking steaks, which it excelled at. The shallow fuel chamber doesn’t take a lot of charcoal and gets hot very quickly, making the solid enamelled cast iron grill the perfect place to ensure you can wow guests with nicely caramelised steaks and burgers.

The grate’s heat retention and distribution meant that several steaks could be cooked at one time, leaving behind an appetising grilling pattern. The adjustable height also means you can lower or raise the grill according to your food – getting a nice sear on a steak by bringing it close to the heat or raising it away from the source for smoky, slower cooked food. For resting meat, you can just move the grill grate out of the way.

Best: For slow cooking

The last time out with this barbecue, we found assembly a little tricky, but this time everything came together very easily, even the spring loaded hinged lid, which is still a really nice feature of this classic kettle.

This cooker will take the headache out of a range of barbecue dishes, from burgers to brisket, thanks to the two charcoal baskets which make it easy to get both direct and indirect heat to the 22in grill, and good venting. Low and slow cooking can also be achieved with the lid down, and we were impressed with the accuracy of the built-in lid thermometer.

The hassle-free nature of the barbecue extends to when the coals have died down, and Weber’s one-touch cleaning system makes cleaning a very straightforward affair.

Best: For portability

If you’re taking your barbecuing out of the back garden and down to the park or beach, then this eye-catching and well-designed portable grill is compact and robust, and allows you to cook on a 15in stainless steel grill within minutes of filling the fuel tray. Opening the tool-box lid reveals the grill, warming rack and a storage tray for cutlery or condiments. Quick to cool, the charcoal is easily emptied as the tool box is so light, and the red paint coating is temperature resistant, so looked as good as new even after a summer’s worth of cooking. 

Best: For cooking on high heat

Another compact and well-designed portable that offers a chipolata-sized amount of extra room to grill than the toolbox, with a 16in cooking area. Light and easily carried with plated steel legs that pivot to keep the lid in place during transit, the shallow rectangular shape keeps the charcoal close to it, so we found it excelled at searing juicy burgers and even steaks on high heat. The flat-bottomed fire pit also made cooking with indirect heat much easier, as you can simply pile the coals at one end and place the food at the other.

Best: Value for money

Kamado cooking usually comes at a price because of the materials used in the construction, but the Bar Be egg manages to use good quality high-spec ceramics from dome to body and keep a lid on the price too.

Easy to fire up, it just needs ten minutes alight and a further five with the dome down before you should be ready to go. It’s also well designed internally, in terms of hot air circulation and radiant heat, holding the heat and smoke well. We produced some of the best food in the egg, both meat and veggies, from the multi-level grills inside the dome, and the 21in grill ensured that there was plenty to go around. 

Best: For flavour

If you like the flavour that charcoal imparts on food, but aren’t too keen on the hit or miss nature of getting the fuel started in the first place, then this dual fuel product allows you to load up the charcoal tray and get it lit via a gas burner. There was good even heat across the 19in porcelain coated cast iron grill, and there are plenty of details that add to the enjoyment of cooking with the Char-Broil. There is an integrated bottle opener, as well as a separate grate lifter, which allows you to lift the grate and manage the charcoal as well as control the heat.