It’s that time of year and we need to invest in a proper BBQ. Thought there would be 100 threads on this but you can’t search less than four letters so apologies for any duplication.

I understand coal is going to give a better flavour but it takes ages and my clothes stink so I’m tempted to go with gas. Hoping that way I can just come inside and flop on the sofa when it’s over without needing to shower and change. Is gas the way to go and can you actually buy gas bottles at the minute?

There is a Weber on JL that’s coal and gas (you can choose each time I think) but is that just marketing nonsense and more to go wrong? Are flavourisers useful or do they just ladder you up the catalogue? Equally do I really need to buy a specialist cover for £100+? Seems extreme. Is a four burner BBQ dramatically better than a three burner? Anything else I should be considering?

Thank you in advance for the guidance, hopefully this is mind numbing enough to break up the Swatch and Rolex threads this week!