Charcoal BBQs

Charcoal cooks with smoke; gas cooks with flame; the choice between the two is mostly about how seriously you take the wood-flavour question. Charcoal kettles deliver the smoke ring, the bark on a pulled pork shoulder, and the slightly-imperfect grilling that tastes like proper barbecue. The compromise is start time: 30-40 minutes from lighting to ready-to-cook, versus 5 minutes on a gas. Sizes are described by grill diameter (47cm Weber kettle is the household standard; 57cm cooks for six). Aosom UK, Cheap Furniture Warehouse and Cheaper-Online.co.uk between them cover £9-£1,620 across the range. Look for a vented base and lid (controls air, controls heat), a hinged grill (lets you add coal during the cook), and a sturdy ash catcher. Skip the £15 disposable charcoal grills for anything beyond a single picnic; they buckle after the third cook.