You've narrowed it down to infrared. You've read that the burners sit at the sides rather than under the food. And now you're staring at a range that runs from a couple of thousand dollars to the price of a second-hand car. A Crossray BBQ is a serious purchase, and the honest question isn't whether infrared works. It's which configuration earns the money for the way you actually cook.
This is a buyer's assessment, not a bench test. We've worked through what the manufacturer publishes across the Crossray range, laid the configurations side by side, and been direct about who this brand suits and who should look elsewhere.
What actually makes a Crossray BBQ different
Most gas barbecues heat the air. Burners sit beneath a plate, the plate heats, and warm air circulates under the hood. Crossray's design is radiant instead. High-intensity ceramic burners sit either side of the cooking area and throw heat directly into the food, much the way a bed of coals does.
Two things follow from that layout. Heat lands across the whole cooking surface rather than in hot patches above each burner. And fat drips onto a tray instead of onto open flame, which is why flare-ups are far less of an event here than on a conventional gas barbecue.
The Crossray In-Built Infrared 4 Burner BBQ ($2,124) is that cooking head on its own. You get four ceramic infrared burners at 13 MJ/hr each for 52 MJ/hr all up, 304 stainless construction, die-cast end panels, electronic ignition and a front drain tray. There's a two-piece upper-level cooking area as well, which Crossray rates at 60% more cooking space. A frying pan or a wok goes straight onto the cooking surface, which is why no side burner is fitted.
What infrared is genuinely good at, and where it isn't
Radiant heat suits anything you want a hard crust on. Steak, lamb cutlets, butterflied chook, prawns. The surface of the food takes the energy directly, so you get colour without waiting for the whole cabinet to come up to temperature.
The trade-off is pace. These come up to heat fast and they cook fast, and the first few sessions will catch out anyone used to wandering inside mid-cook. Crossray publishes a working range of 140°C to 350°C-plus on the built-in kitchen models, so slow cooking under the hood is on the table. It is a deliberate setting, though, rather than the natural resting state of the machine.
Three ways to buy the same burners
This is where most of the decision sits. The cooking head is broadly the same four-burner unit across the range. What changes is what it's mounted in, and that's what moves the price from two thousand dollars to seven and a half.
| Configuration | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-built head only | Anyone already building their own cabinetry | Benchtop, cabinets and cut-out are all on you |
| Trolley model | Most households, and anyone who may move house | Little bench space, so plates land on a nearby table |
| Full outdoor kitchen | A permanent alfresco with room for a cabinetry run | Flat-pack build, fixed footprint, and thousands spent on cabinetry rather than cooking |
The Crossray Infrared 4 Burner BBQ on Trolley ($2,874) is the version most households should look at first. Same four burners, same 52 MJ/hr, same 304 stainless body. It simply rolls out for a cook and back under cover afterwards.
Step up to a built-in run and you're buying cabinetry, not cooking. The Crossray 4-Burner BBQ Outdoor Kitchen TC4KP-11 ($7,499) is the base layout in that range. You get white sintered stone benchtops with waterfall ends and preparation space either side, but no sink or fridge in the run. The stone resists UV, moisture, heat, scratching and staining, and the cabinets are zinc-coated powder-coated mild steel. It arrives flat-packed, so set aside a weekend and a second pair of hands.
Extraction, power and the covered alfresco
Under a roofed alfresco, smoke has nowhere to go. That's the line item people leave out of the budget. The Crossray 120cm Technica Rangehood ($2,540) is the matching answer: wall-mounted stainless steel, twin motors moving 2000m³/h through a three-speed fan, eight baffle filters, four LED lamps and touch controls with a timer.
One constraint to plan around before ordering cabinetry: Crossray specifies that BBQ cooking width should not exceed 120cm for the extraction to work properly. Measure the cooking head, not the bench. Sort power early too, because the rangehood needs its own supply.
Gas, fire bans and the Australian reality
Crossray ships as LPG and converts to natural gas, on the outdoor kitchen models via an optional accessory. In Australia that conversion is a licensed gasfitter's job, not a weekend project. Price it in before you assume the plumbed line out the back will save you bottle swaps.
Total fire ban rules are worth checking too, and they vary by state and by council. Some jurisdictions allow a gas barbecue on a ban day under specific conditions, others don't, and the conditions change. Check with your state fire service and your local council rather than assuming last summer's advice still stands. If you're still weighing the technology rather than the brand, our guide to infrared BBQ vs gas BBQ works through the cooking-style question first.
Coastal buyers get a genuine advantage here. The 304 stainless cooking head and the zinc-coated cabinets on the kitchen models are specified for exposed and coastal applications. That's not something every built-in kitchen can claim a few streets back from the water.
Who should skip a Crossray BBQ
Three groups, honestly. If your barbecuing is mostly snags and onions for a crowd, you're paying for searing performance you'll rarely call on. A conventional hooded gas unit from the wider BBQs and outdoor cooking range does that job for far less. If you're choosing between brands rather than between Crossray models, our Napoleon vs Coleman BBQ vs Crossray comparison maps the three ranges we stock against each other.
If you're on a balcony, or in a strata building where the body corporate by-laws restrict bottled gas, then gas isn't your answer regardless. Crossray's own workaround is the Crossray eXtreme Portable Electric BBQ ($1,062). It's a table-top unit with two 1100W carbon-fibre infrared elements for 2200W in total, rated at 300°C-plus, that plugs in instead of running on a bottle.
And if flat-pack assembly fills you with dread, budget for help. These kitchens arrive flat-packed by design, and that's where the weekend goes.
Crossray BBQ questions, answered
Do infrared BBQs really reduce flare-ups?
Yes, and it's a consequence of the design rather than a marketing line. Because the burners sit at the sides rather than beneath the food, fat drips onto a drain tray instead of onto open flame, so there's far less for a flame to catch. You'll still get smoke off a loaded cooking surface, though.
Can a Crossray BBQ run on natural gas?
Yes, every model here ships as LPG and converts to natural gas. On the outdoor kitchen models the conversion requires an optional accessory, and the work must be carried out by a licensed gasfitter. Confirm the specific model's requirements before you order rather than after it lands.
Is the outdoor kitchen worth it over the trolley model?
Only if you need the bench space and you're committing to a permanent spot. The cooking is essentially the same four-burner unit in both, so the extra money buys benchtops, storage and a finished look. If your alfresco is compact, or you rent, the trolley does the same cooking for a fraction of the outlay.
How much cooking space does a four-burner Crossray have?
Crossray rates the two-piece upper-level cooking area as adding 60% more cooking space on top of the main surface. Four burners at 13 MJ/hr each gives 52 MJ/hr in total, which is comfortable entertaining territory. Buy for your normal fortnight rather than your biggest party of the year.
Shop the range
The full Crossray collection runs from the portable electric unit through the trolley models to the built-in kitchens. We deliver Australia-wide, delivery is free on orders over $100, and most orders are dispatched in 3-10 business days. Installation is available on request, which is worth knowing before a flat-pack kitchen lands.
