Gas barbecues

The professional gas barbecue: a mobile cooking station, not a leisure item

A professional gas barbecue has nothing in common with a garden barbecue. It is not after conviviality: it is after throughput, a temperature that holds in the wind, a fast clean-down, and compliance that passes an inspection. It is a cooking station you install on a terrace, take to an event, hire out, or run all summer beside the kitchen.

This page brings together countertop, leg-mounted and trolley gas barbecues, from 5.8 to 22 kW, with a grill, a griddle plate, or both. Here is how to choose a model that will hold the service, not just the catalogue photo.

Power: what really decides the pace

A barbecue is not judged on how many sausages fit on it, but on its ability to recover temperature when the grill is loaded with cold meat. That is where power comes in.

Below 6 kW you are on an auxiliary unit: a quiet terrace, a lunch service, a short menu. Around 10 to 12 kW, you hold a serious pace on a medium grill. At 20 kW and above, you are on an event or high-throughput unit, able to sear continuously without ever sagging.

The ratio to watch is simple: power against grill area. A large, underpowered barbecue grills badly everywhere; a small, very powerful one grills well, but not much at a time.

The number of burners: real flexibility

Two 11.6 kW barbecues can behave very differently depending on whether they have one burner or two.

Independent burners create zones. You sear on high on one side and finish or hold on low on the other. Without zones, everything cooks at the same speed, which forces the cook to pull the meat off as soon as it is seared — and therefore to occupy another station to finish it.

Three or four burners let you split the surface into distinct heat zones and cook several products that do not want the same temperature. In a real service, that is what stops you throwing food away.

The Number of burners filter above settles it directly.

Grill, griddle, or both?

A grill marks the meat, lets fat drip away, gives the grilled flavour. That is what a barbecue is for.

A solid plate — the griddle — sears across the whole surface, drops nothing, and cooks what would fall through a grill: onions, eggs, delicate fish, cut vegetables.

Combined models, half grill and half plate, are the most versatile and by far the best sellers in catering. They let you cook the side and the main on the same unit, which solves the single-station problem outdoors.

If your use is purely plate, look instead at griddle plates, designed for it. If you are after charcoal flavour, see charcoal barbecues.

Wind: the factor nobody plans for

This is what separates a professional barbecue from a leisure one. On a terrace, a square, a beach, the wind blows the flame under the grill and the temperature drops by tens of degrees. The barbecue keeps burning gas, but it stops cooking.

Closed burner models — where the burner sits inside a protected trough — are wind-resistant and hold their temperature. That is what makes them workable in exposed outdoor use, and it is what justifies their price. Side windshields play the same role on open models.

If your barbecue works outside and not under a canopy, this criterion outweighs almost every other.

Cast iron, chrome or stainless steel: what changes on the plate

Cast iron stores heat and gives it back. It marks the meat, it makes the grill lines, it does not cool down when a cold cut lands on it. It is the material of grills that genuinely grill. In return it must be dried and oiled: cast iron rusts.

Chrome is lighter, heats faster, is handled one-handed, brushes clean. It marks less.

Stainless steel is the frame material: it takes rain, salt and cleaning. A painted steel frame outdoors means rust within two seasons.

Lava stones: what they actually do

Lava stones do not heat, they smooth. They sit between the flame and the grill, store heat and radiate it evenly. The result: no direct flame on the meat, so fewer charred patches and fewer fat flare-ups.

They carry a maintenance cost: they clog, saturate with fat, must be turned over and eventually replaced. Not an annual consumable, but not eternal either. You will find them in our barbecue accessories, in fine or coarse grade.

Propane or butane — and the regulator question

Most professional barbecues run on propane; some also take butane. The difference is seasonal: butane stops vaporising properly below zero. A butane barbecue on a terrace in November loses its power; on propane, it holds down to around -40 °C.

The regulator is not interchangeable: in Belgium, propane works at 37 mbar and butane at around 30 mbar. The wrong regulator gives a yellow, weak flame that clogs. The hose carries an expiry date printed on it — and a cracked hose is the leading cause of incidents. Check it every spring.

Safety: the thermocouple is not an option

A thermocouple automatically shuts the gas off if the flame goes out — a gust of wind, a boil-over. Without one, the gas keeps flowing. Every serious appliance has one, and you should check before buying.

The bottle goes in the holder provided, never lying down, never wedged under a hot appliance, and the whole thing stays ventilated.

Mobile or fixed?

A trolley model on wheels moves fully loaded, is stored away at night, travels to an event. It is the caterer's, the food truck's, and anything that moves.

A model on removable legs packs flat and travels in a boot: the answer for hire and one-off jobs.

A countertop model needs a table that takes the weight and the heat.

Completing the outdoor station

A barbecue alone does not make a service. Plan a hot holding station for what is cooked and waiting, a paella cooker or a gas burner for large pots and sauces, and the utensils that go with them: long tongs, spatula, scraper.

For a different kind of flavour, look at smokers. And for routine upkeep — spare grills, covers, hoses, skewers — everything is in barbecue accessories.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an extraction hood for a gas barbecue?

Outdoors, no. As soon as it is used in an enclosed space, yes — a barbecue produces greasy smoke and combustion by-products, and extraction becomes mandatory.

Can a gas barbecue stay outside all year?

Technically yes if it is stainless steel, but a cover changes everything: it protects the burners and the ignition, which are the first parts to suffer from damp.

How do you clean a grill without destroying it?

Hot, right after service: turn the flame up for a few minutes to carbonise the residue, then run the scraper over it. Cold, baked-on grease only comes off by brute force.

Ordering in Belgium

All prices are professional prices excluding VAT. Barbecues are dispatched within 24 to 48 hours and delivered anywhere in Belgium. They generally arrive complete, with hose and regulator — check the product sheet, as it saves a trip to the shop on the day of first use.

A question on which power suits your service volume? Call us before ordering.

Delivery, warranty and after-sales service

At Horeca Mat Pro, every gas barbecue is delivered throughout Belgium and Luxembourg within controlled lead times, with packaging suited to transporting professional equipment. Our equipment comes with the manufacturer's warranty and responsive after-sales service: when needed, we support you with spare parts and maintenance to extend the life of your investment. We know a breakdown mid-service is costly, which is why we favour reliable, easily repairable brands.

Equip your kitchen with confidence

Whether you are opening a new establishment or renewing your equipment, our catalogue lets you build a coherent set-up, from the smallest accessory to the central station. Feel free to contact us for tailored advice on choosing your gas barbecue and complementary products: we help you size your kitchen according to your menu, volume and budget.

Do you deliver to professionals across Belgium?

Yes, we deliver throughout Belgium and Luxembourg, with order tracking at every stage.

Do you offer advice before purchase?

Absolutely: our team guides you to the model best suited to your use and space, with no obligation.

Related categories

Complete your kitchen equipment with our other categories: Charcoal barbecues, Barbecue accessories and Smokers.