BBQs

The origins of the BBQ are surprisingly ancient; they find their earliest roots with the Taino people, a pre-Colombian civilisation who travelled from South America to the Caribbean, bringing with them many of their generational traditions and rituals. One such ritual was the ritual of the barbacoa, a word which roughly translates into English as 'sacred fire pit'. The barbacoa involved a hole being dug in the ground with coals and wood at the bottom, a whole goat placed on top, slightly elevated, and the hole covered with maguey leaves. It was then set alight, and the meat was cooked by the heat and hot gases of the fire. Although the methods have changed a little over the centuries, a modern barbeque retains the same principles and same lively character of its origins.

Summer Barbeques

We probably don't need to tell you how perfect a barbeque is for livening up a warm lunchtime or evening outside of the house. A barbeque provides a convenient social focus which brings people together naturally and in a friendly atmosphere, and helps you to reconnect with your food. BBQs help you to get closer than usual to the cooking process, and you enjoy your food more because of it. At World of Power, we supply a number of industry leading BBQs, and we know that choosing the right one for your purposes isn't always simple; you have to find the right balance between performance, durability and budget. We hope this information goes some way to helping you make the right decision regarding your new BBQ.

Our BBQs ranges are divided into gas and charcoal variations, and we talk about the difference in our Gas Vs Charcoal guide. Here though, we'll take a more general look at barbeques. First, and perhaps most importantly, let's look at the price.

Prices for barbeques range wildly, depending on the kind of performance you want. Currently, our least expensive BBQ is a stationary charcoal barbeque from Weber, weighing in at just £27.99. At the other extreme, again from Weber, is the Summit S650, which costs 1,799.99 and offers the most comprehensive barbeque capabilities on the market. The Summit S650 is obviously a specialist piece of catering equipment, designed for professionals, and as such the majority of people will be looking for something a little less 'full-on'. To that end, there are plenty of mid-range barbeques to choose from.

Small & Medium BBQs

If you're simply after a little BBQ with which you can have family days in the garden or cater for small groups of friends, then you can spend under a hundred pounds if you opt for a Weber One Touch or Outback Omega charcoal barbeque. These are small, lightweight and highly maneuverable, but they are capable of providing flavoursome food for several people at once.

If you're catering for larger groups or for parties and you want a barbeque which will remain quite static for the majority of the year, then you'll see change from 300 if you opt for a Weber Q300, Spirit E210 or an Outback Sapphire 3. These are gas powered barbecues, which burn cleanly and efficiently without tainting the flavour of your food. They're extremely easy to operate, and they're totally safe too.

You can see that there are two companies which dominate the BBQ market; Outback lead the gas barbeque market and Weber are ahead in the charcoal market. Another contender is OutdoorChef who used plenty of science to develop a barbecue with a patented crater position and funnel system to eliminate smoke issues and cook food to perfection. But overall it doesn't really matter which brand you eventually side with; all three are highly experienced quality brands that inspire trust and confidence in their equipment.

Barbeque Accessories

If you're paying a lot for a new BBQ, it's only reasonable that you'll want to shelter it from the harshest of the British weather. The best and most cost efficient way to do this is to move the barbeque into a shed or into the garage when the clouds form overhead. But this isn't possible for everyone (and even under the roof of a garage or shed your barbeque isn't totally protected), so World of Power also offers barbeque covers to complement the majority of our barbeques. These covers are inexpensive, and they'll save you money in the long run by preserving the life of your BBQ. They're waterproof and windproof, not to mention attractive and easy to clean. They'll stop rust from sinking its teeth in, and they'll prevent dust and other detritus from seizing up the hinges and the wheels. They're an important and valuable investment, and shouldn't be overlooked.

If you're going to be taking your barbequing seriously, then we also offer thermometers, which will help to make sure every meal is cooked to perfection. Alongside these, we have spare and even more Barbecue Accessories - like racks and grates - as well as brushes, cleaning fluids and barbeque cookbooks. That's your summer sorted, then.