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How to use a tabletop gas BBQ

Updated: 16.10.2026

The grill is on the table, the canister is in your hand, and you have not lit it yet. How to use a tabletop gas BBQ starts with the place, not the knob. A small burner makes carbon monoxide, and a joint still leaks. This page is the sequence for a grill you already own: open air, soapy water, light, cook, then shut the gas off. Listings are on the [tabletop gas BBQ comparison](/hub/portable-grills/tabletop-gas-bbq). Products Compared, 16 October 2026, from GOV.UK, Calor, the fire service and these review files. We did not light the grills. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The grill is on the table, the canister is in your hand, and you have not lit it yet. How to use a tabletop gas BBQ starts with the place, not the knob. A small burner makes carbon monoxide, and a joint still leaks.

Our top picks

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 200 CV

Best overall

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 200 CV
8.5/10about £56.01
View offer
George Foreman George Foreman GFSBBQ1 portable gas BBQ

Alternative

George Foreman George Foreman GFSBBQ1 portable gas BBQ
6.9/10about £125
View offer
Char-Broil Char-Broil X200 Grill2Go

Alternative

Char-Broil Char-Broil X200 Grill2Go
7.4/10about £157.97
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Put it in the open before you open the gas
  2. 2.Connect, then look for bubbles
  3. 3.Light it, and what a low knob may not do
  4. 4.Shut the gas off, and replace a bad hose

Put it in the open before you open the gas

GOV.UK’s outdoor fire guidance says never to barbecue indoors, in a tent, under an awning or in a caravan. NHS advice on carbon monoxide is the same for a room and for a tent. London Fire Brigade adds balconies. If the only flat surface is a balcony, do not light it. The rule is on gas BBQ on a balcony in the UK. Set the grill level, clear of fences, sheds, trees and decking. A windbreak is not a tent roof.

Connect, then look for bubbles

Match the valve before you open it. A CV 470 Plus does not screw onto an EN 417 can, and a patio clip does not fit a blue butane valve. Which name is on the listing is the buying guide. If a hose came in the box, read the date. Class 1 tubing under BS EN 16436-1 is low pressure and it expires. A cracked or out-of-date hose is a replacement. Do not tape it. Brush soapy water on the joints with the burner off and the supply open. Bubbles mean a leak. Shut the supply and do not light anything until the joint is remade or the hose is replaced. A smell that stays after the cylinder is off is the point to stop. One black CosmoGrill review saw the flame die until a spare regulator was fitted. Do not wind a regulator screw in.
Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 200 CV

Testsieger

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill 200 CV
8.5/10about £56.01
View offer

Light it, and what a low knob may not do

Light only after the leak check, with the lid open so gas cannot pool. Use the piezo or the button the listing names. Party Grill reviews include a piezo that arrived loose, failed, or stopped after a second use. Foreman ignition is described as hit and miss, so reviewers use a lighter. A long-reach lighter is a fair backup. It is not a reason to lean over an open burner. Several Char-Broil X200 reviews say the lowest setting still cooks extremely hot. Two cite about 250°C and about 300°C, which are reviewer readings, not a lab. If yours does that, you do not have a simmer. Wind puts the Char-Broil and the Go-Anywhere out in the UK files. Turn the knob off, let gas clear, and relight in a calmer part of the garden. Do not move a lit grill into a porch.

Shut the gas off, and replace a bad hose

Public guidance does not share one shut-off order. GOV.UK says the gas supply first, then the barbecue control. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue says the cylinder first, so gas in the hose burns off. Calor starts with the flame out, then the regulator, then the clip, outdoors. Use your manual where it is specific. Do not leave the cylinder open overnight. Change a cylinder outdoors, with the valves off first. Store cylinders outside, not under the stairs. Replace the hose when it is cracked, past its date, or still bubbling under soapy water. Use a Gas Safe engineer for a piped caravan point, or if gas still smells after the supply is off. Once the metal is cool, oil plates that rust, which Foreman reviews say you must.

Common questions

Where am I allowed to light it?
In the open, on level ground, clear of tents, awnings, caravans, balconies and decking. GOV.UK bars indoors, tents, awnings and caravans. London Fire Brigade bars balconies and decking. A product photo on a balcony does not create an exception for a smaller grill.
How do I leak-check without a flame?
Brush soapy water on the joints with the burner off and the supply open. Bubbles mean a leak. Shut the supply and remake the joint or replace the hose. A match is not the test. A smell that remains after the cylinder is off means you stop.
What do I turn off first when I finish?
The sources disagree, so they stay separate. GOV.UK says the gas supply first, then the barbecue control. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue says the cylinder first so hose gas burns off. Calor starts with the flame out, then the regulator off, then the unclip, outdoors. Use your manual if it gives an order.
The burner lights and then dies. What do the reviews show?
On the black CosmoGrill, one of four UK reviews describes the flame dying when the knob was released, until a spare regulator was fitted. Foreman reviews describe ignition that will not spark. Party Grill reviews include a loose or dead piezo. If the flame will not stay on a correct replacement regulator, return the grill.
It stays very hot on the lowest setting. Is that known?
Yes, on the Char-Broil X200. Several of 40 UK reviews say the lowest setting still cooks extremely hot, and two cite about 250°C and about 300°C. Those are reviewer readings. You may not get a simmer.
When do I replace the hose instead of retrying?
Replace it when it is cracked, swollen or past the date printed for class 1 tubing under BS EN 16436-1, or when soapy water keeps bubbling after you reseat the clip. Stop and use a Gas Safe engineer if the connection is a piped caravan supply, or if gas still smells after the cylinder is off. Tape is not a repair.

Related pages

Patio gas or a gas cartridge BBQ

Tabletop gas BBQ

Gas BBQ on a balcony in the UK: the fire-service rule

Best tabletop gas BBQ: the top pick and best value

Tabletop gas BBQ buying guide: valve before the brand

Sources

Public UK sources from the digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings for this comparison. Retrieved 16 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK fire safety outdoors (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  2. NHS carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  3. London Fire Brigade fire safety booklet (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  4. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  5. HSE L56, safety in the installation and use of gas systems (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  6. GOV.UK gas appliances enforcement (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  7. BSI BS EN 498:2012 scope (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  8. Calor, which hose and regulator for a gas BBQ (retrieved 16.10.2026)