Wood, gas, design, and the desire to spend time together... but wHow to choose the perfect barbecue? 

There are purchases we make because we need them. And then there are others that, almost without realizing it, change the way we live in our homes.

A beautiful barbecue definitely belongs in the second category.

Because having a barbecue in the garden, under a porch, or on a terrace means being able to turn any ordinary Saturday into an evening with friends. It means deciding at six in the afternoon that you’ll eat outside that evening, opening a bottle, putting something on the grill, and letting the aroma do the rest.

And you don’t necessarily need twenty guests.

Sometimes all it takes is a properly cooked steak, a couple of burgers, some grilled vegetables, and the desire to dine outdoors.

That’s the beauty of having a barbecue at home: it’s always there, ready whenever you feel like it.

And we assure you that, when you have one, you’ll feel like it much more often!

But which barbecue should you choose?

Wood-fired or gas? A traditional barbecue or something more sophisticated? A freestanding model or a true outdoor kitchen?

At Bieffe, we have chosen to focus on several very different brands, precisely because there is no perfect barbecue for everyone: Vulcano, Fògher, Binari Design and Planika represent four different ways of experiencing outdoor cooking.

Let’s see which one might be right for you.

First question: wood-fired or gas barbecue?

This is probably the most important choice.

And there is no universally correct answer.

The real question is: what kind of griller are you?

Wood-fired barbecue: fire, aroma, and ritual

A wood-fired barbecue speaks to the most instinctive part of us.

Preparing the wood, lighting the fire, waiting for the right embers to form, moving them around, controlling the temperature through experience…

It’s a ritual.

And then there’s that aroma.

Wood adds aromas to cooking that are difficult to replicate in any other way and makes the grilling experience more traditional and engaging.

A wood-fired barbecue is perfect for those who love real fire just as much as they love cooking.

It is not the most immediate solution, though: you have to light it, wait, learn how to manage the coals, and devote a little more attention to it.

But for many enthusiasts, that is precisely what makes it so appealing.

Gas barbecue: turn it on and… start grilling!

Gas, on the other hand, represents the opposite philosophy.

In the mood for a steak?

Turn it on.

A few minutes to bring the barbecue up to temperature and you’re ready.

And it is precisely this simplicity that often leads people to use a gas barbecue much more frequently.

Not just for the classic Sunday cookout with ten people, but also on Tuesday evening to make a couple of burgers or a fish fillet.

The more advanced models also allow you to manage zones with different temperatures and, with a suitable lid, carry out indirect and low-temperature cooking. The Fògher FGA-FO series barbecues, for example, are specifically designed for direct cooking, low-temperature indirect cooking, and high-temperature indirect cooking.

And this is where we really start having fun.

Slow-cooked ribs, pulled pork, roasts, whole chicken, and naturally brisket: the barbecue stops being just a grill and becomes a true outdoor cooking machine.

So, to simplify:

Wood: more ritual, more atmosphere, more aroma, more tradition.

Gas: faster, more precise, practical, and also suitable for frequent use and long, controlled cooking.

And if you’re already undecided… you’re in good company.

Vulcano: the barbecue for those who still want to light the fire

If, when you think of the word barbecue, you immediately picture wood, glowing coals, and a beautiful steak on the grill, you should probably start with Vulcano.

Vulcano barbecues are above all solid, practical wood-fired cooking machines, designed for those who want to experience barbecue in its most classic form.

Lighting the fire is part of the experience.

Waiting for the coals is part of the experience.

And standing in front of the barbecue with a glass in hand, telling everyone else:

“No, no, wait another five minutes—the coals aren’t ready yet…”

is absolutely part of the game.

The range offers various sizes and configurations and allows you to create a true garden barbecue station.

For those who prefer the convenience of gas, the G Series brings the Vulcano philosophy toward a more practical and immediate experience, while maintaining the idea of a true outdoor station.

Vulcano doesn't just mean barbecue: there are also wood-fired ovens

And here, the possibilities increase considerably.

Because if you have enough space, you can place a real wood-fired oven. alongside the grill.

And you know perfectly well what happens next.

On the first evening, you make pizza.

On the second evening, you try making bread.

Then roast chicken arrives.

Then someone tells you about porchetta.

And from there, things quickly get out of hand.

The wood-fired oven greatly expands what can be cooked outdoors and transforms the garden into a true second kitchen.

And then there is the Vulcano combination unit: fireplace + oven

For those who want to take things seriously, there are also Vulcano configurations that bring together a barbecue/fireplace and a wood-fired oven in a single structure.

It is probably one of the most beautiful solutions for those who have the space and envision a truly dedicated outdoor kitchen area.

In the Vulcano Fire combination unit, for example, the fireplace and pizza oven are integrated into the same monoblock but can operate independently.

On one side, prepare the coals and grill.

Meanwhile, the oven is hot.

And suddenly, what was supposed to be “a little grilling with four friends” can easily turn into a party.

Fògher: when the barbecue becomes a cooking tool

With Fògher, we completely change our approach.

Here we enter the world of top-quality gas barbecues, where precision, materials, design, and cooking control play a fundamental role.

Fògher offers freestanding models and models designed to be integrated into your outdoor kitchens. The versions are available in various sizes and configurations, with LPG or natural gas power. (Fògher)

And the difference compared with a classic inexpensive barbecue becomes especially clear once you start cooking.

Fògher: steak tonight, brisket tomorrow

If you simply want to grill a steak at high temperature, no problem.

But the versions equipped with a multifunction lid open up the entire world of indirect cooking.

The lid transforms the barbecue into something very close to an outdoor oven and also allows you to cook at lower temperatures over longer periods. (Fògher)

And that is exactly what you need to experiment with American barbecue.

Imagine a brisket cooking slowly.

An entire Sunday.

Friends arrive.

Someone opens a beer.

The temperature is checked from time to time.

Meanwhile, something else is cooking on the griddle.

This is a completely different way of thinking about barbecue.

Temperature control makes all the difference

Fògher has put a great deal of work into heat management.

The Fire Core® system is designed to distribute heat evenly across the cooking surface, while on FGA-FO models, the controls let you manage different preparations precisely. They also feature electronic ignition, modular cooking surfaces, and systems dedicated to managing grease and combustion fumes. (Fògher)

Translated from technical jargon?

Less wrestling with the barbecue and more control over what you are cooking.

And that makes a big difference.

Fògher and outdoor kitchens: this is where the garden changes completely

The real leap forward comes when the barbecue is integrated into a Fògher modular kitchen.

At that point, you no longer simply have “a barbecue in the garden.”

You have an outdoor kitchen.

Worktops, barbecues, sinks, storage modules, cooking systems: everything can be designed to create a true outdoor work area.

Fògher offers modular solutions such as Lares and more compact configurations such as Agher, specifically designed to bring outdoors the features we normally associate with a home kitchen. 

There are, for example, configurations that integrate a sink, three-burner barbecue, and gas cooktop into the same kitchen. (Fògher)

And this is where something interesting happens.

When you only have a grill outside, you inevitably keep going in and out of the house.

“Could you get me the knife?”

“I forgot the salt.”

“Where did we put the tray?”

“We need some water.”

With a well-designed outdoor kitchen, however, the party really moves outside.

And the person cooking can finally stay with everyone else.

Binari Design: when the barbecue looks beautiful even when it is not lit

And then there are objects that are difficult to fit into a category.

Binari Design is one such example.

Because some Binari barbecues could easily be mistaken, at first glance, for garden sculptures.

And that is exactly the point.

Binari sees the barbecue not as something to bring out when friends arrive and hide away during the winter, but as an element of architecture and outdoor furnishings.

The company itself describes its barbecues as sculptural presences in which form, material, and function meet and become the focal point of conviviality. (binaridesign)

And that is probably the best definition.

Shapes that do not look like barbecues

Spheres.

Hemispheres.

Geometric volumes.

Metal, stone, marble.

These are objects with a very strong visual presence.

A Binari barbecue can stand in front of a contemporary villa, beside a swimming pool, or in the center of a large garden and be perfectly at home even in January, completely unused.

Because it enhances the setting.

And in the world of barbecues, that is quite rare.

But true design must also work

On this point, it is worth being very clear.

An object can be beautiful.

But if you have to wrestle with it for forty minutes to cook a steak, it is not good design.

True design manages to bring together beauty and practicality.

And that is precisely what makes Binari products interesting.

Take ASTR.O, for example: it’s a painted-metal barbecue with wood-fired cooking on a 3 cm lava-stone plate, but it can also be configured with an electric grill or induction. Its hemispherical shape opens up, transforming into a genuine work area, with a support surface and the option of direct cooking using a dedicated accessory. The base can also incorporate storage space for firewood. (binaridesign)

So yes, it’s striking.

But then you have to be able to actually cook with it.

And that’s what we like about it.

Binari: the barbecue for those who don’t want to hide their barbecue

That may be the simplest way to describe it.

Many barbecues, when not in use, inevitably become something to cover.

A Binari is exactly the opposite.

You buy it because you want to look at it, too.

Summer and winter.

On and off.

During a party and on Monday morning when no one is in the garden.

It’s a handcrafted, distinctive object, deliberately unconventional.

It’s not a barbecue for everyone.

And that’s precisely why it’s so interesting.

Planika: a small kitchen corner ready for summer

With Planika, we find yet another interpretation of the outdoor kitchen.

The idea is to create small, compact, fully equipped outdoor islands, capable of bringing together a barbecue, worktop, and other elements in a relatively limited space.

The OVO range, for example, was created as a genuine modular outdoor kitchen.

The OVO GM model integrates a three-burner gas barbecue with a lid and thermometer, a Dekton® worktop, storage compartments, and even an integrated ice container. (Planika)

The larger OVO GL version also adds a sink, effectively becoming a small, independent kitchen station. (Planika)

And it’s a very smart solution for anyone thinking:

“I’d love to have an outdoor kitchen, but I don’t want to build half a house in the garden.”

Here it is.

This is exactly the concept.

Don’t think of the barbecue only when you’re organizing a party

This is perhaps the most important advice in the entire article.

When considering buying a barbecue, people tend to think:

“Yes, but how often will we actually organize a barbecue?”

In our opinion, that is the wrong question.

Because having a barbecue means you end up using it.

One evening you come home and there is still daylight.

It’s hot.

You don’t feel like shutting yourself away in the kitchen.

There are two steaks in the fridge.

Light the barbecue.

That’s it.

Or your child invites two friends.

They become five.

Then eight.

Hamburgers for everyone.

Or friends suddenly show up.

Vegetables on the grill, a few sausages, toasted bread, a bottle opened on the table.

And the evening is all set.

The barbecue creates occasions.

You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to use the barbecue.

And during celebrations, it inevitably becomes the center of the evening

There is also a kind of universal law of barbecues.

You can have a huge garden.

You can put tables, sofas, and chairs anywhere.

But sooner or later everyone ends up near the barbecue.

Someone watches the meat.

Someone gives unsolicited advice.

Someone wants to turn the steak.

Someone insists that the embers are too hot.

Someone tells the story of the time they cooked ribs for nine hours.

And whoever is cooking suddenly becomes the center of the evening.

Perhaps that is precisely the appeal of fire and outdoor cooking.

A barbecue doesn’t just prepare food. It brings people together.

So, which barbecue should you choose?

It mainly depends on how you imagine spending your time outdoors.

If you love fire, wood, embers, and the flavor of tradition, start by looking at the Vulcano barbecues, perhaps pairing them with a wood-fired oven or choosing a combination solution directly.

If you’re looking for high performance, practicality, precision, and the ability to experiment with indirect and slow cooking as well, then Fògher is one of the most interesting solutions, especially if you want to build a true outdoor kitchen over time.

If, instead, you want something completely different—an object that is a barbecue when you’re cooking and a sculpture when you’re not—then you absolutely must see Binari Design in person.

And if you’re looking for a contemporary and compact solution, almost a small, fully organized outdoor kitchen corner, the Planika offerings definitely deserve your attention.

Warning: you might start with a steak and end up with a kitchen in the garden

It’s a real risk.

It starts with the thought:

“I’d like a barbecue.”

Then:

“It would be handy to have a work surface, though.”

Then:

“Well, since we’re at it, a sink…”

Then the refrigerator arrives.

Then the oven.

Then the lighting.

Then a beautiful pergola.

A few months later, you’re cooking a twelve-hour brisket in your new outdoor kitchen, wondering how you ever lived without it.

We warned you.

Come and choose your barbecue with Bieffe

A barbecue can be a simple grill.

Or it can become one of the most lived-in corners of the home.

That’s why it’s worth choosing based not only on size or price, but also on how you want to use it, what you like to cook, and what kind of space you want to create around the fire.

At Bieffe, we chose different brands specifically so we could offer very different solutions: from Vulcano’s wood-fired cooking tradition, to the technology and outdoor kitchens of Fògher, all the way to the unconventional design of Binari Design and the compact outdoor kitchens by Planika.

Because the right barbecue isn’t necessarily the one with the most features.

That’s what you’ll find yourself saying more often:

“Are we eating out tonight?”

And when this sentence starts to become a habit, you have probably chosen well.