Natural Gas BBQs

What is a natural gas BBQ?

Natural gas BBQs are a popular choice with many grilling gourmets. Though similar to propane BBQs, they instead use hydrocarbon-based fuels as their heat source rather than propane gas. They have a few other advantages as well. For instance, natural gas grills are better for the environment than both propane and charcoal models, though some do consider natural gas less efficient than propane. Even so, for those that enjoy cooking with gas, their benefits far outweigh their drawbacks.

What are the benefits of a natural gas BBQ?

Among the benefits of natural gas BBQs is the fact that you’ll never have to replace empty propane tanks or messy charcoal bricks. This is because your BBQ’s source of fuel is your home’s natural gas hookup. There’s certainly something to be said for never running out of fuel! You also won’t have to lug heavy propane tanks back and forth to have them filled or handle messy lumps of charcoal, which is a nice side benefit.

Natural gas is also less expensive and more environmentally friendly than propane, and it makes cleaning your grill after cooking a whole lot easier than it is with charcoal. This could mean less overall maintenance if you tend to do a lot of outdoor grilling, and that may be a significant consideration for some.

What are the differences between natural gas BBQs and other BBQ types?

There are several key differences between natural gas BBQs and other grill types. For one, the grills themselves are the least portable type as you do have to keep them connected to your home’s natural gas hookup. This can be both a blessing and a curse. While you’ll never have to replenish your fuel source, you’ll also have to take extra care to ensure that you always turn your grill off after use. Whereas charcoal and propane will eventually run out on their own, natural gas will keep on flowing for hours on end if you fail to turn your grill off, and this could potentially be both costly and dangerous.

The necessity of having your natural gas grill connected to your home’s permanent gas hookup also means that you won’t be brining it with you to the campground as you might do with a small charcoal or propane grill. And you’ll also have to shell out for a professional installation of your BBQ, which may be off-putting for some. Then there’s the fact that natural gas grills are more expensive to purchase than their propane counterparts. The initial cost is somewhat mitigated, however, by the fact that natural gas grills are less expensive to operate than propane models—generally running at about one-third the cost. The big factor in their favour, however, is their extreme convenience!