Cooking outdoors

Barbecues, sales boom: models for all needs

Bbq sales increased from EUR 76 million in value in 2019 to EUR 118 million in 2024

by Paola Guidi

25 April 2025

Jokodomus, modulo teppanyaki con accessori

4' min read

Key points

Controlled and connected
With smoker
The Bbq transformer
Outdoor kitchens
For those who like to experiment (in company)

4' min read

In 2020, when Covid forced everyone to live indoors, one of the few ways to breathe some air was to cook outside, on the terrace, in the garden and even on the small balcony. Since then, sales of barbecues (Bbqs) have soared steadily, and from 76 million euro market value in 2019, before the pandemic, by 2024 they had risen to over 118 million. Not to mention the increase in purchases of mini cookers, outdoor cookers and outdoor fireplaces...

So Italians have increasingly come to appreciate outdoor cooking, buying super-equipped Bbqs and attending regional and national fairs dedicated to outdoor time. The latest one, Bbq Expo, recently took place at the Brescia Fairgrounds, from 29 March to 1 April, the only event dedicated to the art of barbecue and outdoor cooking.

What are the most interesting trends? From the major international trade fairs to Bbq Expo and to Progetto Fuoco, the biennial biomass heating and cooking exhibition that took place in 2024 and will take place in February 2026, many innovations have emerged, designed to please the different gastronomic habits of consumers.

Controlled and connected

Several models are connected to be controlled remotely, to prevent food from burning: they have very precise digital thermostats and probes, so much so that they cook autonomously. The app with which some models are equipped sends an alert, for example, when steaks need to be turned.

Un modello di bbq «brisk it»

Brisk It for example boasts AI-assisted cooking which, besides being very precise, is able to provide the right recipe and ingredients for a dish from a photo.

With smoker

Increasingly fashionable is cooking with smoking, hot or cold, or with a light aromatisation, which makes the meat particularly tasty.

The Broilking Pellet Bbq is easy to use because at the touch of a button you can start one of the different cooking and smoking options available. Each manoeuvre is managed via the digital display that allows you to set the temperaturefrom 98° C, for light and slow indirect cooking, up to 315° C for direct cooking. Constructed of 2 mm thick steel, this barbecue is suitable for harsh environmental conditions. It is equipped with thermometer, probe and app.

Broil King a pellet

Pellets allow cooking with minimal smoke emissions and give food a delicate smoky flavour from the woody residue of which it is made. Pellet barbecues are usually bulky, but Eco-Fire barbecues are also available in portable versions such as the Eco model, which has an additional advantage: heat comes from the pyrolysis of the pellets, which emit no fumes and have little residue. The temperature even reaches 1,200 degrees.

The Transforming Bbq

The Weber - which invented the classic spherical appliance with lid in its time - has recently launched a novelty, suitable for those who want impeccable results but do not have a large outdoor space: the Spirit gas barbecue, which, thanks to the Snap-Jet ignition system, can be switched on with just one hand and quickly reaches the desired temperature with precise controls; and using Weber Crafted accessories, the bbq transforms into a rotisserie, cocotte, pizza oven, poultry holder and with the cast-iron griddle cooks everything from pancakes to piadinas on contact.

Weber, barbecue a gas Spirit

Outdoor Kitchens

Open kitchens are a very successful trend and are based on modular modules or large centres of different cooking systems, in a typically American style. What they have in common is a wide variety of food handling, accessories and equipment, including the refrigerator. They allow food processing and preparation work to be transferred outdoors in comfort, thanks to shelves, drawers, compartments... They are suitable for large terraces, gardens and for those who often live and cook outdoors or have frequent visitors.

Un modello di Officine Gullo

The outdoor kitchens of Officine Gullo are unmistakable because of the breadth of solutions and above all because they allow for customised, made-to-measure installations. Cooking is done on the teppanyaki steel plate, induction, with large gas burners, the deep fryer, and the Kamado bbq, considered by many to be the best way to cook with traditional methods.

Jokodomus's modular cabinets are very refined, with their contemporary design and extraordinary robustness, which adapt to the small space to the large kitchen that can be built over time by adding fitted modules.

For those who like to experiment (in company)

Multifire by Mairmetall, all handmade, is a jewel of design and technology, very solid, offering a brazier and a large ring grill for everyone to follow - in company - the cooking of their food.

Mairmetall

Plancha and Kamado are two traditional cooking methods, one of Tex-Mex origin and one Japanese, which are enjoying great success due to the quality and speed of cooking. The plancha - also installed in barbecue-equipped kitchens - is a steel plate where even thin portions cook on contact quickly. The Kamado (Broil King, Weber, Bono) is a large egg-shaped container of highly resistant fire ceramic, a real oven with several cooking levels that give different results.
Kamado is the only appliance that can handle all types of food. It costs a lot but consumes very little.

The new digital electric griddle with touch screen from Tescoma, cooks on contact, with precise time and temperature settings and is also suitable for small spaces for cooking on the balcony as it does not produce smoke. It is an innovative and easy-to-use device for preparing your favourite dishes with precision. And it is suitable for those who have little time but like to vary their diet as it is quick and easy to clean.