Retire in Paradise

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed, or use one of the many feed readers available from the 'subscribe' button. Thanks for visiting!

When it comes to which kind of patio barbecues you want for your garden there are two basic styles that one can choose from. You can either choose to buy one that uses gas or else you can go the more traditional route and buy one that uses charcoal. But what you will soon discover when looking at each type is that they have their own particular advantages and disadvantages and the one you choose will be because it is the one that you prefer.

Of the two kinds of barbecues that you can buy today, the ones, which use gas, are increasing in popularity over the charcoal ones. Below we will take a look now at some of the advantages along with some of the disadvantages to be had from owning either type of barbecue.

1. The gas version is becoming increasingly popular simply as they are far easier to operate and a lot less messy compared to the charcoal ones. But the coals that you need to use (lava rock or ceramic briquettes) can prove an expensive purchase initially but they do last for a considerably long time unlike charcoal.

2. You will find that the initial purchase of a charcoal barbecue is much less than that of a gas one. The only other real expenditure you have when purchasing a charcoal one is buying the starting fluid and the bricks for it. Whereas with a gas one you also need to buy the coals for it along with a full cylinder of gas as well.

3. It actually takes time for a charcoal barbecue to be ready before you can start cooking on it, where as with a gas one you only have to wait a few minutes after the flame has been ignited. The problem with the charcoal one is that you need to first make sure that the charcoal is properly lit and then wait for the flames that appear to die down before you can actually start cooking.

4. A big advantage that a gas barbecue has over the charcoal ones is that you can buy a number of additional pieces of equipment to go with it. In some cases, you will find that often the gas version comes with a side burner, which allows you the chance to cook sauces or side dishes at the same time as the main food are being cooked. But along with the side burner for a gas barbecue, you can also get rotisseries, smokers and pan roasters that can be attached to them.

5. When it comes to the taste of the food that these types of barbecues provide there is no real difference whatsoever. The ceramic briquettes or lava rock, which you use in a gas one, provides the same heat as that which the charcoal in a more traditional style barbecue produces.

It does not really matter which kind of patio barbecues you choose to buy, you just need to make sure that it has been made using good quality steel. Also if you can look for one that has a good warranty on it as well, ideally, one that you will expect to provide you with around 10 years of grilling.