Are Electric Barbecue Grills Any Good?

The short answer is Yes! But we ought to have a look at the reasons why, so that you can reach your own decision.

If you live in the United Kingdom, as I do, you will be very familiar with the vagaries of our climate. Rain and wind is very common, and weather predictions are often more optimism than fact. This can make planning a leisure time barbecue a bit tricky.

I think that the main real benefit of the electric barbecue grill is that unlike charcoal and gas BBQ’s, electricity does not produce noxious poisonous fumes. If the weather is good, fumes from solid and gas fuels are not a problem because we are in the open air. In an enclosed space, these same fumes can kill. Not so with electric.

There are occasions where we would love a barbecue, but either can’t be bothered to prepare one or we simply don’t think that we really have enough time. This is a perfect time to reach for the electric grill. Indoors or out, put it on a table, or on its stand and plug it in. Your can be cooking inside five minutes.

One of the many good things about living in the UK is our 230 volt mains power supply. This allows us to commonly use higher wattage devices than in countries that only have 120 volt mains. In the UK 2,500 watt barbecues are quite common. This can be important when we use the electric barbecue outdoors. Electricity will never produce the sort of heat that is common with the fire and brimstone that charcoal and gas can produce, but 2.5 kilowatts is hot enough to produce a perfectly acceptable barbecued meal. Most high wattage units have adjustable heat controls, and as such can be adjusted for any food type.

From the point of view of simple convenience, the electric barbecue grill scores very highly. They cost little to buy and to run. Unless there is a power cut you will never run out of fuel. You won’t have to go out to buy charcoal or worry about the gas bottle running out in the middle of a BBQ.

If you are new to cooking on a barbecue you will be well advised to start with electricity. We’ve probably all experienced the flare ups and burnt black steak that is raw inside. These are not happy memories. With an electric BBQ you can practice in your own kitchen. Many electrical units have a griddle surface and a flat area. You can make a full English breakfast on many of these. It will give you excellent experience of heat management. When it comes to burgers, sausage and steaks, they will cook more slowly on a standard electric grill, so there is much less chance of spoiling the food.

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