Severin PG 1490 Electric Barbecue
Price £62.95
Web www.cachethomewares.com
Weight 5kg
It may seem to violate the principles of barbecuing, but the manufacturer claims that this electric model can be used inside your caravan, as well as outside. In addition to being safe, the Severin is also convenient to use, because it reaches cooking heat almost instantly at the flick of a switch.
Fat falls into a drip tray filled with water, where it congeals to make cleaning easier. Some of the water turns to steam, helping to keep the food nice and moist. Having no open flames means there is no risk of flare-ups from fat dripping onto hot charcoal. However, the smoky flavour seemed to be missing from the meat we cooked on it. The heat is controlled with a thermostat, so there is little chance of the meat burning. Its slim design makes it easy to store. The Severin draws 1600W, so it's best not to use other high-drain devices at the same time. Still, you might prefer to use the grill on your oven instead.
Rating: * * *

Cadac Eazi-chef deluxe
Price £99.95
Tel 0800 915 8991
Web www.amazingoutdoors.com
Weight 13.25kg This supremely well engineered gas barbecue is also the heaviest model on test here. It offers a massive cooking area of around 44sq cm. It is pricey, but you get a lot for your money, including four interchangeable cooking surfaces that enable you to grill, bake or use it as a wok, in addition to barbecuing.
You also get the luxury of a battery-powered, push-button auto ignition and a gas-control valve for adjusting the heat to low, medium and high settings. The legs and stand detach for easy moving, but we feel the Eazi-Chef will add too much weight to your payload and it is only this that prevents it from getting five stars.
Rating: * * * *

Cobb Premier Barbecue Oven
Price £95
Web www.cobb@cobb-bbq.co.uk
Weight 4kg
This is compact, easy to store and lightweight, making it ideal for caravanning. What's more, only four to ten charcoal briquettes are needed to cook a meal, so you don't have to lug as much charcoal on holiday as you would otherwise. The Cobb is insulated to retain the heat, so it cooks intensely, but without burning food. So there's less risk of scorching your sausages and more chance they will be cooked thoroughly. All fats and juices are directed away from the flames by a clever grill pan that drains the fat from the cooking meat into a reservoir, thus preventing flare-ups. And, even though the Cobb is relatively small, there is room to roast vegetables in a trough surrounding the charcoal. It is easy to clean as well, and the manufacturer claims you can even put it in the dishwasher when you get home. The Cobb can be moved when in use because the outside stays cool during cooking, which is handy if there is a sudden rainstorm and you have to move it under cover.
Rating: * * * * *

Argos Round BBQ
Price £7.99 (Model available only until the end of July 06)
Web www.argos.co.uk
Weight 4kg
This is the cheapest model here. For little more than the cost of a packet of charcoal, you get an outdoor grill on a tall stand (for those who prefer to cook on their feet) a condiment tray and a large cooking surface. For easy storage, the legs can be removed by loosening three wing nuts. Moreover, it is very lightweight. However, this barbecue lost marks for its flimsy feel and the strong possibility that it is liable to dent and scratch easily when being transported or stored. The thin wires on the grilling rack make cleaning difficult, too. The lack of a lid or any ventilation control means the heat will be so intense you'll end up with a burnt offering rather than a meal. The grill can be lifted further from the flames, but the food is still likely to burn, and flare-ups are common. The lack of a lid will make it difficult to heat meat thoroughly without letting it get frazzled .
Rating: * *

Firebrand Table Top Gas Barbecue
Price £19.95
Web www.amazingoutdoors.com
Weight 4.9kg
Although it's one of the cheapest gas models available, this barbecue comes with lava rocks, making it excellent value for money. Unfortunately, the instructions are not in English, which make constructing it a slow job. Nevertheless, once put together, it works well. At under £20, there are no frills, but it is easy to pack away and store, because the stand folds up and out of the way, or it can be removed completely, and only the grill requires cleaning. Despite being compact, it boasts a large cooking area and the rocks distribute heat evenly across the cooking surface, although there were occasional flare-ups.
Rating: * * *

Weber Smokey Joe
Price £54.99
Web www.weber.com
Weight 5kg
A clever arrangement on this model for keeping the base free of ash keeps the coals in tip-top cooking condition. Dead ash can smother a fire, causing it to die out, but vents at the bottom allows ash to fall through and away from the flames allowing the charcoal to burn freely. The hot ash is caught by an aluminium tray, so nothing can set fire to the grass below. The only down side to this arrangement is removing the congealed fat and ash from the vent, which is a fiddly job.
Cleaning the grill, however, is easy, because it is made of thick high-quality, steel bars. But it is not hinged, so adding more charcoal is a little problematic. A vented lid lets you control the heat so that sausages get cooked properly through by the indirect method. The lid also seems to be made of good quality steel. Overall, this barbecue is built to last and makes a good job of cooking food.
Rating: * * * *

Argos Pink Portable barbecue
Price £14.99 (Model available only until the end of July 06)
Web www.argos.co.uk
Weight 3kg
Eye-catching though the pink lid is, this model is not a case of style over substance. The ventilated lid enables you to control the heat, reducing the risk of burning your meal. Its stumpy legs can be folded easily into the base, which makes this portable easy to store.
Moving the unit during cooking is difficult, however. The metal handle gets quite hot, and can only be gripped using an oven glove. With the lid on, the handle is redundant because it will not go over the handle on the lid. Cleaning this barbecue is easy, because the wires on the grill are thick and there are no fiddly places where grease can get trapped.
(An almost identical charcoal model is marketed by Homebase, for £14.99.)
Rating: * * *

Weber Gas Q-100
Price £149.99
Web www.weber.com
Weight 11kg
Instead of using lava rocks, this gas barbecue uses the Weber 'flavouriser bar' system that is designed to stop flare-ups while providing delicious smokey flavours. It works, giving food that special flavour you get only with barbecuing. What's more, it takes only about 15 minutes for the grill to reach the right temperature to get sausages sizzling. Nice touches like the gas bottle holder and the hinged lid score points for this model, and also appears to be extremely well built. The compact design also makes it easy to transport. Cleaning up is simple, because the cooking components are easily removed. This Weber gets a high score for performance and practicality, but it loses one star because it's so heavy.
Rating: * * * *

Weber Go-Anywhere
Price £54.99
Web www.weber.com
Weight 5kg
A vented lid and two vents at the base of this charcoal grill make it easy to adjust the cooking temperature, meaning your sausages won't be burned on the outside and pink in the middle. Any food you put on it will be evenly cooked and done to perfection.
It is also very compact, and the metal legs can be folded up for easy transport. The unit is very well constructed, and the robust wire grill is unlikely to buckle in the intense heat generated by the charcoal.
Its price may be high in comparison to the more obviously budget-priced models we tested here, but the Go-Anywhere won't need to be replaced every couple of years, making it good value for money, as well as a good all-rounder.
Rating: * * * * *