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

Some purchases are made because we need them. And then there are others that, almost without realizing it, change the way we live in our home.

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, two hamburgers, some grilled vegetables and the desire to dine outdoors.

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

And we assure you that, when you have one, the urge comes 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 fully equipped 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 could 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 our most instinctive side.

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

It’s a ritual.

And then there’s that aroma.

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

The 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 to manage the embers and give it a little more attention.

But for many enthusiasts, that is exactly the appeal.

Gas barbecue: light it and… start grilling!

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

Are you in the mood for a steak?

Light it.

A few minutes to bring the barbecue up to temperature and you are 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 hamburgers or a fish fillet.

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

And this is where we really start having fun.

Slow-cooked ribs, pulled pork, roasts, whole chicken and, of course, brisket: 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 are already undecided… you are 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 imagine wood, embers 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 embers is part of the experience.

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

“No, no, wait another five minutes—the embers 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 more practical and immediate use, while maintaining the idea of a true outdoor cooking station.

Vulcano does not only mean barbecue: there are also wood-fired ovens

And here, the possibilities increase considerably.

Because if you have the space available, 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 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 space and envision a true dedicated outdoor kitchen area.

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

On one side, you prepare the embers and grill.

On the other side, the oven is hot.

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

Fògher: when the barbecue becomes a cooking appliance

With Fògher, we completely change the philosophy.

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 the classic budget barbecue is most apparent when you start cooking.

Fògher: steak tonight, brisket tomorrow

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

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

The lid turns 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.

Every now and then, the temperature is checked.

Meanwhile, something else is cooking on the griddle.

This is a completely different way of thinking about the barbecue.

Temperature control makes all the difference

Fògher has focused heavily on 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 language?

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

And it 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 “the barbecue in the garden”.

You have a kitchen in the garden.

Worktop, barbecue, sink, storage modules, cooking systems: everything can be designed to create a true outdoor working area.

Fògher offers modular solutions such as Lares and more compact configurations such as Agher, specifically designed to bring outdoors functions we normally associate with the 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 have only a grill outside, you inevitably keep going in and out of the house.

“Can 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 outdoors.

And the person cooking can finally stay with everyone else.

Binari Design: when the barbecue looks beautiful even when switched off

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 furnishing.

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

And that is probably the best definition.

Shapes that do not look like barbecues

Spheres.

Half-spheres.

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 middle of a large garden and feel perfectly at home even in January, completely switched off.

Because it enhances the space.

And in the world of barbecues, this 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 is 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 working area, with a support surface and the option of direct cooking using a dedicated accessory. The base can also incorporate space for wood. (binaridesign)

So yes, it is striking.

But then you need to be able to actually cook on it.

And that is what we like about it.

Binari: the barbecue for those who do not want to hide their barbecue

That is perhaps the simplest way to describe it.

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

A Binari is exactly the opposite.

You also buy it because you want to look at it.

Summer and winter.

On and off.

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

It is a handcrafted, distinctive object, deliberately outside the mainstream.

It is not a barbecue for everyone.

And that is precisely why it is so interesting.

Planika: a small kitchen corner ready for summer

With Planika, we find yet another interpretation of outdoor cooking.

The idea is to create small, compact and complete 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 features a three-burner gas barbecue with 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 who thinks:

“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.

Do not think of the barbecue only when you are organizing a party

This is perhaps the most important piece of 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 makes you use it.

One evening you come home and there is still daylight.

It's hot.

You have no desire to shut 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, and a bottle opened on the table.

And the evening is set.

The barbecue creates occasions.

You do not need to wait for a special occasion to use the barbecue.

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

Then there is 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 does not 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 taste of tradition, take a look first at the Vulcano barbecues, perhaps pairing them with a wood-fired oven or choosing a combined solution directly.

If you are 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, on the other hand, you want something completely different, an object that is a barbecue when you cook and a sculpture when you don’t, then you absolutely have to see Binari Design in person.

And if you’re looking for a contemporary and compact solution, almost like a small, ready-organized outdoor kitchen area, 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.

You start by thinking:

“I’d like a barbecue.”

Then:

“It would be handy to have a countertop.”

Then:

“Well, while we’re at it, a sink…”

Then the refrigerator arrives.

Then the oven.

Then the lighting.

Then a beautiful pergola.

And 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 just a grill.

Or it can become one of the most lived-in areas 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 precisely so we could offer very different solutions: from the tradition of wood-fired cooking by Vulcano, to the technology and outdoor kitchens of Fògher, through 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 phrase starts becoming a habit, you probably made the right choice.