T3’s beefy brainbox turns up the heat to cook your tech sausages

The three best sources for fuelling a BBQ? Coal, propane and ketchup

ILLUSTRATIONS: STEPHEN KELLY

QJAMES HOLBROOK, LEITH

It’s barbecue season, Guru – but do I go gas or charcoal?

A Oh boy. You’re basically asking people with tanned necks and meat sweats to send GaGu crayon-scrawled letters here, but he is not afraid. Guru’s own preference is for charcoal, essentially because it gets his testosterone flowing, and there’s nothing quite like being choked by smoke while annihilating burgers over uncontrollable heat. That, by your author’s estimation, is the true essence of the barbecue. Go premium, lest it rust out. Guru has his eye on the Kamado Joe Classic II (£1,400), a ceramic beast which makes few bones of its similarity to the iconic Big Green Egg but looks, if it were possible, even better.

He will relent slightly, though, on the power of propane. Gas gives you far more control and flexibility when it comes to cooking, with adjustable heat and nifty extras like side burners and external sear plates. Arrange things cleverly and you may even be able to add things like hickory chips to the base to add a little smokey flavour, and if you’re going for a slow roast or just a big ol’ cookout that’s going to last a whole evening, gas is the way to go. Look for Weber in particular if you want a grill that’ll last; try the Q3200 (around £600), which is small but powerful.