An Australian journal of fire and steel
Fire, steel and the Australian backyard
Barbecue GrillsIndependent long-form writing for Australian backyards, balconies and campgrounds.
Hardware
How to choose a barbecue grill in Australia — gas, charcoal, pellet, portable and built-in — without being talked into the wrong hood.
A barbecue is a long-lived appliance that lives outside. Australian buyers have to think about LPG versus natural gas, a coastal salt wind, an apartment by-law and a summer that can shut outdoor fire down for days. This hub is the hardware desk: what to buy, what to skip, and which class of grill actually matches the way you cook.
Start with how to choose a barbecue grill in Australia, then narrow the field with the Weber-class trolley guides, portables, built-ins and the charcoal family.
Three charcoal and wood machines, three different fires. How ceramic kamados, kettle barbecues and offset smokers behave in an Australian backyard — heat, capacity, wind and the learning curve.
Callum Hartley · 22 March 2026
A built-in barbecue is a wet-area renovation that happens to hold fire. Choose the head, the bench, the gas run and the drainage before anyone pours concrete.
Callum Hartley · 12 March 2026
How to choose a camping or caravan barbecue that survives Australian parks, bottle rules, wind and a boot full of other gear — without buying a patio trolley by mistake.
Tom Bellear · 2 March 2026
How portable Q-class, Family Q and Spirit-style trolley barbecues actually behave in Australian backyards — bottles, side tables, roasting and the limits of a compact hood.
Callum Hartley · 18 February 2026
Match household size, fuel, wind and strata rules to a grill class before you spend. A decision path for LPG, natural gas, charcoal, pellet, portable and built-in machines.
Callum Hartley · 10 February 2026