Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ & Outdoor Cooking System PG301UK

Design and features

• Requires a plug and a gas cannister
• Digital temperature dial
• Integrated fan

A large BBQ with side tables and cabinets, the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ is quite a beast and ships on a pallet, requiring a two-man delivery. It requires assembly to put it together, which is a two-person job, mostly because of the size and weight of components, rather than the difficulty. Even so, set aside a couple of hours to get it built.

That weight comes with the advantage that the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ feels exceptionally well-built. You can buy the BBQ in different finishes, but I’ve got the classy black and stainless steel version. All look the same and have the same features, including the neat touches, such as the hooks for your BBQ accessories.

Fully built, the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ looks much like the competition, with dual side tables, a cabinet underneath and a lid on top; in that regard, you get a similar overall look and feel to the Char-Broil Evolve Electric.

Here, the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ is primarily a gas BBQ, and requires a gas cannister for cooking. Neatly, the cannister fits into the holder in the cabinet, so you can wheel the BBQ around with the gas in place, and then lock the wheels when you’re ready to cook.

In addition to gas, you need a power socket. That electrical connection powers the digital elements of the BBQ, and you can’t use it without it; this may require a bit of planning or an extension cable. As the BBQ is rated at just 650W, you can use pretty much any extension cable and don’t need a 13A one, as with the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker OG901UK.

Using the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ is a little more complex than with other gas BBQs, as there’s both a dial to set the mode, and one to set the temperature. First, the pilot light needs to be lit, by moving the dial from the Off position to the Ignite Pilot position, and then you have to wait up to 10 seconds. 

It can be tricky to see if the pilot is lit, especially in bright sunlight. There’s a peephole in the side to keep an eye on the cooking process.

Next, you need to pick the mode, which affects which of the three burner zones (arranged horizontally: back, mid and front) and turned on, and therefore the temperature range available.

The options are Grill (230°C – 315°C) with all zones one; 2-Zone grill (175°C – 260°C), giving you indirect heat at the back zone, which is turned off; Roast/Bake (150°C – 230°C) which uses the back and front zones, so food in the middle cooks using indirect heat); and Low & Slow (90°C to 150°C).

With the mode set, the digital temperature dial can be set, so the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ operates much like a traditional gas oven and gives you a higher degree of precision than regular gas BBQs.

Of course, that’s not it for this BBQ. If you’re cooking with the lid up, you get a traditional BBQ effect, with the need to regularly turn food and keep an eye on it as it cooks. Put the lid down and the fan springs to life, turning the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ into a convection oven with even heat distribution.

Then, there’s a choice to use the Woodfire Flavour option, which uses Ninja’s wood pellets, poured into the hopper. These pellets ignite and then help infuse food with a smoky flavour, making the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ something of a smoker, as well as a BBQ.

Despite how large the BBQ is, the fan and smoker take up quite a bit of room on the right. There’s still a good amount of cooking space, but it’s not quite as big as it looks from the outside.

As well as the standard grill and roasting pan, you can buy an optional flat plate for cooking eggs, bacon and that type of thing, and a 16-inch pizza stone.

Grease runs off the grill into the pan below. You can either wash this up, or you can buy a set of aluminium grease tray liners, disposing of them when they’re full, which feels a bit wasteful.

At the end of cooking, the outside of the BBQ can be wiped down. For the grills, just pre-heat the BBQ and use a stainless steel scraper to clean it; a bit of oil, and you’re ready to go.

Performance

• Heats fast
• Cooks very evenly
• Fan is quite loud

With the range of modes on offer, it takes a while to master the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ, and use the right mode for the right types of food. Using all of the modes is key to the success of this product; if you’re not going to use the options available, then a traditional gas or electric BBQ may be more for you.

There’s plenty of room on the BBQ, with space to cook for large families or groups, and I liked the flexibility it offered me.

I found the Ninja FlexFlame Gas BBQ quick to heat to 200°C, ready just a few minutes after lighting (a true benefit of gas, compared to electric models, which take quite a while to heat).

I cooked kebabs and sausages using the two-zone mode, with indirect heat at the back, and the two forward zones turned on. For this kind of mix, I got the flexibility that I needed.

At the front, the food seared well, getting colour, with the fan helping cook the food evenly. Anything in danger of getting burnt or being overcooked, such as sausages, could be moved to the back for indirect cooking.

In this way, my sausages had the right look to them, but were cooked through and moist inside.

Likewise, my chicken kebabs were perfectly seared, but they retained their moisture. Truly, the digital temperature control helps deliver the best results quite easily.

That said, the fan is quite noisy; noticeable, particularly as most gas BBQs are near silent, bar the sound of the flames.

I used the provided pellets. They do add some of that ‘BBQ’ flavour to food, giving it a nice smoky taste, but you don’t have the option for proper smoking (say 12+ hours of slow cooking). Still, I’d typically use the pellets for cooking just to get that flavour I’d associate with ‘proper’ BBQ cooking.

Should you buy it?