How to use an electric BBQ
Updated: 23 October 2026
The grill is on the counter, the food is out, and you want one cook rather than a ranking. How to use an electric BBQ comes down to four stops: water or a drip path before the switch, no foil on the element, a thermometer for mince, and the plug if anything smells of hot plastic. The [2200W electric BBQ comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/2200w-electric-bbq) is where the models sit. Products Compared used Food Standards Agency guidance and the manuals named below, not a test kitchen. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The grill is on the counter, the food is out, and you want one cook rather than a ranking.
The grill is on the counter, the food is out, and you want one cook rather than a ranking. How to use an electric BBQ comes down to four stops: water or a drip path before the switch, no foil on the element, a thermometer for mince, and the plug if anything smells of hot plastic. The 2200W electric BBQ comparison is where the models sit. Products Compared used Food Standards Agency guidance and the manuals named below, not a test kitchen. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Tray | Stated power | Heat control | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  FIMEI FIMEI HY-6510 | Drip tray. Bullet says add 200 ml water | 1,800 W | 5 settings, bullet 150–250°C | 9.0 | about £49.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Philips Philips HD6301/90 | Grease tray | 2,200 W | Title says adjustable. Settings field says 1 | 7.9 | about £64.00 | View offer |
| Best value |  Luqixcey Luqixcey J-ElectricBBQ-01 | Oil drip tray in the title | 2,000 W | 6 settings, bullet up to 650°F / 350°C | 5.3 | about £29.99 | View offer |
Before the switch
Fill the tray the listing actually describes, then switch on. The FIMEI bullet says 200 ml of water. The Tefal FAQ for the EasyGrill BG90C814 states a 1.5 litre minimum for that family. You do not pour 1.5 litres into a FIMEI, and you do not assume 200 ml is enough for a Tefal. The Gobanwei warning says you never grill without water. If the listing is silent, follow the manual in the box.
Put the tray in before the element is hot. On a Mihoho, oil through the grate reached the element and caught fire. Water reduces the mess and does not guarantee a quiet alarm. The Philips uses a grease tray rather than a stated water volume. The checks before buying are on the 2200W electric BBQ buying guide.
Foil, fat, and the element
Do not put foil on the element, between the element and the grid, or across the grid if the manual forbids it. The Tefal EasyGrill FAQ for the BG90C814 says no foil on the tray, between the element and the grid, or on the grid. Foil and a dry tray both give fat a path onto a red-hot bar. A first heat can smoke while oils on a new plate burn off. Tefal's FAQ says that first-use smoke can be normal. Smoke with a plastic smell, a hot lead, or flames at the element is not that note.
Stay in the room. The Tefal FAQ says you do not leave the grill unattended. Electrical Safety First tells you not to immerse a portable grill. If oil has already flamed, switch off and do not throw water on the element.
Heat and doneness
Colour on the outside of a burger is not proof it is cooked. The Food Standards Agency says 70°C for 2 minutes, or equivalent times and temperatures, including 75°C for 30 seconds. Burgers, sausages, and other minced meat need to be cooked through. Probe the thickest part, away from a bone or the plate.
A steak seared on the outside may stay pink inside. That is not the rule for mince. If the grill has one power level, as the Tefal listing does, you cannot turn the element down. The FIMEI band of 150–250°C is a listing claim, not a reading on your food.
When to stop
Unplug when the cook is over, and sooner if the plug or the lead is hot, brown, or soft. A trip as soon as the grill is switched on is a stop. Melted feet or a burning-plastic smell mean you leave it off. You do not open the body, and you do not bridge a fuse.
Those stops are separate from carbon monoxide. A charcoal or gas barbecue used indoors is the wrong appliance. The indoor electric BBQ page carries the NHS route if someone is already ill. An electric element does not cancel that warning if a fuel tray is what you actually lit. End the cook with the temperature checked, the tray emptied once it is cool, and the plug out.
Common questions
Do I fill the tray before I switch on?
Yes, if your model uses a water tray, and you use the volume that model prints. The FIMEI bullet says 200 ml. The Tefal EasyGrill BG90C814 FAQ states a 1.5 litre minimum. The Gobanwei warning says you never grill without water. A Philips grease tray is a drip path, not that water figure. If the listing is silent, follow the manual in the box.
Can I put foil under the food?
Not on the element, and not where the manual bans it. The Tefal FAQ for the BG90C814 forbids foil on the tray, between the element and the grid, and on the grid. Foil that dumps fat onto a hot bar is the same failure mode as a dry tray. UK reviews of a Mihoho describe oil through the grate catching fire.
Why is there smoke the first time?
A new plate can smoke while factory oil burns off, and Tefal's FAQ calls that first-use smoke something that can be normal. Smoke with a plastic smell, a hot cable, or flame at the element is a different event. Mihoho and Luqixcey UK texts describe oil on the element flaming, and melted feet. Open a window if the manual allows the room, stay with the grill, and switch off if the smoke is more than a short first heat.
What temperature for a burger?
Use 70°C for 2 minutes or 75°C for 30 seconds in the centre, which are the Food Standards Agency equivalents, and follow GOV.UK's home cue of steaming hot, no pink, and clear juices. The outside can look brown while the middle is still cool, especially on a very hot plate. A stated wattage does not measure the centre. A probe does.
What if the feet or the plug smell of hot plastic?
Switch off, unplug if you can do that safely, and leave the grill unused. UK reviews of the Luqixcey describe melted feet and a burning-plastic smell, and a Food Party review describes a power connection that failed after weeks of use. That is a product fault, not a seasoning smell. Do not open the housing. Ask a competent person, and do not put the same unit back on for a second cook to see if the smell fades.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Shelf snapshot 19 October 2026.
- NHS: carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Food Standards Agency: cooking your food (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: common BBQ blunders (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- London Fire Brigade: barbecue safety leaflet, April 2024 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First: portable grills (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BS EN IEC 60335-2-9:2023 record (retrieved 22 October 2026)