Barbecues to avoid buying

If you love to cook and entertain alfresco, you need a great barbecue that won’t let you down.

Are you looking for a mammoth four-burner beast to feed a crowd at your weekend parties, a small, lightweight grill for easy weeknight dinners, or perhaps you want to give glorious smoked brisket a whirl? Whatever your barbecuing desires, your perfect match is out there and CHOICE experts can help you find it.

Our expert testers have put a batch of the latest brands through their paces to help you buy the best barbecue that suits your needs and budget.

We don’t want you to end up with a dud buy, so here are the appliances that scored lowest in our lab tests. Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.

Not all barbecues are created equal

Unsurprisingly, there are some models that impress more than others in our extensive, independent testing. 

We have assessed over 40 models on a range of criteria, including how well they cook steaks, sausages and marinated chicken wings, and how easy they are to use, move, and clean.

Our expert barbecue tester Fiona Mair says, “Barbecues are one of those appliances that I find you generally get what you pay for.” 

“There are a range of different features that can contribute to a hefty price tag, and you may find that a bargain barbecue won’t last as long as a pricier model. 

“Look for a barbecue with a solid construction that uses quality materials, as they’ll be out in the elements a lot.”

Whichever model you buy, how you look after it will play a part in how long it lasts.

“Make sure your barbecue goes the distance by looking after it properly, including cleaning it after every use and keeping it covered and stored out of the elements when not in use,” says Fiona. 

Ziegler & Brown Ziggy Electric Grill BBQ

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 60%
• Cooking performance score: 63%
• Price: $499

It may be cute on the outside, but it’s what’s inside that counts – and there’s not much to commend this electric grill on in that regard.  

It was rated as “Poor” for cooking sausages, producing slightly raw meat after the average cooking time. This isn’t the barbie for your sausage sizzle, unless you want to leave a bad taste in your guests’ mouths.

“Unfortunately this barbecue is unable to maintain the high temperature needed to cook a roast chicken or barbecue thick sausages when the hood is closed,” says Fiona. 

Potential food poisoning isn’t the only way it could affect your health: it may drive up your blood pressure because it’s so frustrating to use. 

It’s difficult and awkward to move, the dials are difficult to read, it’s top-heavy, the hood can become dangerously hot, the hood thermometer isn’t accurate… and they’re not all the criticisms our testers had. (We’d list them all, but we’d be here all day.)

If you’re looking for a petite electric barbecue for your balcony or for travel, this isn’t it. 

Read the full Ziegler & Brown Ziggy review. Or better yet, read our full barbecues review to find a barbie that’ll actually do the job.  

Beefmaster Griddle 4 Burner Flat Top Griddle

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 64%
• Cooking performance score: 60%
• Price: $999

A master of beef this barbecue isn’t. 

Our experts scored it just 55% for cooking steak evenly; it left them with chewy steaks that were unevenly browned. 

It wasn’t much chop at cooking chicken wings either: it’s rated as ‘Poor’ by our kitchen testers.

If you’re a short cook whose barbecue repertoire is limited to sausages, you’re in luck: it’s strangely low to the ground at just 101cm high, and our experts say it cooks snags quite well, so it’s good for catering a sausage sizzle.

If you don’t fit into that very niche category, you’ll be disappointed by this barbecue – especially for the $999 price tag! – so we suggest checking our reviews for a better barbie. 

Read the full Beefmaster Griddle review.

Gasmate Paragon Digital Electric BBQ with Cabinet Trolley

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 66%
• Cooking performance score: 63%
• Price: $949

This BBQ is less of a gas mate and more of a gas frenemy. 

The most expensive electric barbecue we’ve tested, it’s overpriced at best and a waste of money at worst. 

It cooks unevenly, roasts ineffectively and is tricky to clean. Like many others in this list of poor performers, it’s a pain to use and comes with poor instructions for assembly, so you’ll be frustrated from start to finish.

It was even outperformed by electric barbecues costing less than $300, which just goes to show that more money doesn’t necessarily mean better. 

And considering it costs more than many models from big-name BBQs, you can definitely do better for your money. 

Read the full Gasmate Paragon Digital Electric BBQ review.

Jumbuck 4 Burner Hooded Portland BBQ

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
• Cooking performance score: 67%
• Price: $228

There’s no denying that this is a barbie bargain – it’s the cheapest gas BBQ in our review.

But price isn’t everything: a cheap product that doesn’t work well still isn’t worth your money.

Jumbuck is Bunnings’ own-brand for barbecues, and although the hardware giant may be a mecca for the home handyperson, it’s not really firing on all cylinders when it comes to its barbecue game. That’s because Jumbuck barbecues often score fairly poorly in our performance testing.

We have tested a few Jumbuck barbecues over the years and CHOICE experts have noted that they’re often made using poor-quality materials and can be tricky to use and clean.

An if you’re in a hurry to throw a shrimp on your new barbie, this one will thwart your plans: it took our experts three hours to put together, which is saying something considering they assemble barbecues on a regular basis.

Don’t get burnt by this basic barbie – check our detailed review to find the best barbecue for you.

Or read the full Jumbuck 4 Burner Hooded Portland BBQ review.

Beefeater Bigg Bugg Black BB722BA

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
• Cooking performance score: 68%
• Price: $799

This Bigg Bugg barbie is aptly named – it looks like a giant steel beetle about to take flight. But based on its performance in our labs, it’s one bug that should probably be squashed.

(We don’t condone violence against animals here at CHOICE but we do take exception to poor-performing products!)

One of our experts’ biggest bugbears about this barbie is its sausage-cooking abilities. They noted “considerable” flare-ups from burning fat while cooking snags and rated it just 45% for this test.

It was also a pest to use: it’s heavy and awkward to manoeuvre, and the side tables fell off while moving it, some foods can roll off the hotplate, and the handle and hood become dangerously hot when cooking.

The Bugg is only big enough for a balcony or as a travel BBQ, but it’s priced higher than even Weber barbies of the same size.

If you’ve been bitten by the BBQ bug, we suggest you avoid getting bitten by the Beefeater Bigg Bugg and check our list of the best balcony barbecues instead.

Or read the full Beefeater Bigg Bugg review.

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Pru Engel

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.

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Alice Richard

Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid. Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.  Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn

Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid. Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.  Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn