A charcoal barbecue or an electric barbecue?
Charcoal or electric?
| What type of barbecue do you choose? | Charcoal | Electric | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your barbecue has to be hot quickly. | No | Yes | |
| Smoke while barbecuing is very annoying to you. | No | Yes | |
| You're hot for grilling on fire. | Yes | No | |
| You want to grill in places without an outlet nearby. | Yes | No | |
| Preferably no recurring costs for charcoal and briquettes. | No | Yes | |
| Cleaning the BBQ shouldn't take time or effort. | No | Yes | |
| You want to prepare large pieces of meat, like a roulade or a whole chicken. | Yes | No |
How fast will the barbecue start?
Lighting charcoal takes at least 30 minutes
Lighting a charcoal barbecue will take you at least 30 minutes with a briquette starter. If you do it on your own, it can easily take 45 minutes. At that point, the charcoals or briquettes will finally be hot enough for you to start grilling. You'll be working with fire and charcoal, which gives you that authentic grill feeling.
Plug the BBQ in and you're good to go
You put the plug of an electric barbecue in the socket, turn the dial, and it's on. After about 15 minute, the barbecue is ready to grill. Lighting an electric barbecue is twice as fast as a charcoal barbecue. If there's a water container under the grill, fill it with water. This way, the fat coming out of the meat doesn't drip on the heating element.
Where are you going to barbecue and what are you going to prepare?
You can easily move a charcoal barbecue
You can use a charcoal barbecue wherever you want, except for a balcony. It's not nice for the neighbors because of the smoke, but it's not the safest choice either. It's best to use an electric barbecue on a balcony. A charcoal barbecue gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to the dishes you prepare on your barbecue. If you buy a large charcoal barbecue, you can grill large roasts like a roulade or half a chicken.
An electric barbecue is ideal for balconies
Electric barbecues are generally compact. Because of that, they're not suitable for preparing large roasts on the BBQ. It's the ideal barbecue for balconies. Not just because of its compact size, but also because the barbecue produces little to no smoke. A residents' association or landlord with strict barbecue regulations will be happy with that. Make sure you have an outlet near your electric barbecue.
How fast will the BBQ be clean?
Cleaning a charcoal barbecue is a lot of work
Cleaning a charcoal barbecue is a lot of work. Please note that the barbecue remains hot for a long time after grilling. Wait at least until the next morning, and make sure that there are no small children or enthusiastic pets near you.
A clean electric BBQ within 10 minutes
Even when you're done grilling, there's little work left if you have an electric barbecue. Put it on the highest setting for 10 minutes so the food remains burn. If you want, you can remove large remains first. Next, empty the water tank and let the barbecue cool down. It takes about the same time as a heavy table grill.
Haven't made a choice yet?
Are you a barbeque who wants to prepare many types of dishes and that could actually be done at any place (garden, park, beach)? Then the charcoal barbecue is the best for you. Is not that the case? Then you choose an electric barbecue. Because almost no smoke is released and no open fire is involved, you can use this barbecue safely on your balcony without having to burden your neighbors.
