Comparisons · Two fuels
Charcoal briquettes or LPG (bottled gas)
Almost nobody asking this is choosing a fuel. They are choosing a barbecue, and the fuel is the part of that decision with the loudest opinions attached — so the useful version of the question is what actually changes about the cooking, and what does not change at all.
What each one is
Charcoal briquettes
Compressed charcoal with binders, uniform in size and therefore in behaviour. Burns cooler and longer than lump, which is exactly what a long cook wants.
LPG (bottled gas)
Bottled propane or butane. Immediate control and no smoke of its own, which is why a gas grill that is to smoke anything needs a separate smoke source.
What actually differs
| Aspect | Charcoal briquettes | LPG (bottled gas) |
|---|---|---|
| How hot it gets The ceiling decides whether a hard sear is available at all, and it is the difference readers notice first. | 300–450 °C | 250–350 °C |
| How long before you can cook This is the difference that decides what gets cooked on a Tuesday. | 20–35 minutes | 10–15 minutes |
| How fast it responds to a change A responsive fuel lets you correct a mistake mid-cook; a slow one means the correction arrives after the food does. | slow | immediate |
| Does it flavour the food BBQHQ models smoke source separately from energy source, because several cookers take heat from one and smoke from another. A fuel that adds no flavour does not stop the cooker adding it. | Yes | No |
Which one, for what
Conditions rather than a verdict. Each line below is a thing one of them can do that the other cannot, or does without arrangement where the other needs it — taken from the what each cooker is documented as doing, rather than from a preference.
Charcoal briquettes, if:
- You want the highest surface temperature available, for searing.
- You want the fuel itself to contribute flavour.
LPG (bottled gas), if:
- You want to be cooking within a few minutes of deciding to.