Broil King Regal Q 690 PRO Review: Why Australians Love Cooking Outside
, by Hot Things, 6 min reading time
Inspired by a recent Australian Financial Review feature, this independent review explores how the Broil King Regal Q 690 PRO delivers precision cooking, serious entertaining power, and a new appreciation for outdoor cooking in the Australian summer.
Why Australians Love Cooking Outside — And the BBQ That Made It Click
Australians have always loved cooking outdoors, but sometimes it takes the right barbecue to explain why.
In a recent Australian Financial Review feature, columnist John Davidson spent a month cooking on the Broil King Regal Q 690 PRO, and came away with a new appreciation for the role a serious barbecue plays in summer entertaining — not just as a cooking appliance, but as a lifestyle upgrade.
This article is inspired by and based on commentary from the Australian Financial Review, “The mega barbecue that showed us why Australians love cooking outside” (3 February 2026, AFR Life & Leisure.
Cooking Outside Isn’t Just About Fire — It’s About Comfort
One of the strongest observations from the AFR review had nothing to do with burners or features.
It was heat.
Cooking indoors during summer pushes all that heat — and smell — straight back into the house. By contrast, moving serious cooking outdoors keeps living spaces cooler and more comfortable, especially during long roasts or slow cooks. It’s a simple point, but one many people don’t fully appreciate until they live it.
As Davidson notes, once you commit to outdoor cooking, it’s hard to go back.
A Barbecue Built for Feeding a Crowd
The Broil King Regal Q 690 PRO isn’t designed for the occasional sausage sizzle. It’s designed for entertaining.
The AFR review highlights the sheer scale of the unit:
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Eight burners in total
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Dual cookboxes, allowing different temperature zones
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A rear infrared burner for rotisserie cooking
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A side burner for pots, pans, or sides
In practice, this allows multiple cooking styles to happen at once — rotisserie meats, steaks, vegetables, and low-temperature cooks — without compromise.
The reviewer cooked everything from rotisserie chicken and lamb to steaks, sausages, roasted vegetables, and a 12-hour brisket, all within the same system.
Precision Cooking — More Like an Oven Than a BBQ
What sets the Regal Q 690 PRO apart is its digital temperature control system, known as iQue.
Rather than relying on guesswork, the barbecue allows users to:
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Set exact cooking temperatures via an onboard LCD panel
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Control and monitor cooks using a smartphone app
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Maintain temperature stability within ±1°C, according to independent probe testing
In the AFR testing, this precision exceeded that of a conventional electric oven — a key reason the barbecue handled long, low-temperature cooks so effectively.
For anyone interested in low-and-slow barbecue or consistent results, this is a significant advantage.
Flavour That Goes Beyond Standard Gas BBQs
One common criticism of gas barbecues is flavour — but the Regal Q 690 PRO tackles this head-on.
Broil King’s Flav-R-Wave stainless steel panels sit above the burners and vaporise drippings, reintroducing flavour back into the food. In the AFR review, steaks cooked on the unit were noted as tasting closer to charcoal-grilled results than typical gas cooking.
The brisket test went further, using wood chips in a smoker box placed over the Flav-R-Waves. While it doesn’t replace a dedicated pellet smoker, the smoke flavour was strong enough to noticeably enhance the meat — strong enough, in fact, to linger indoors when the brisket had to be finished inside.
Not a Beginner BBQ — But a Powerful One
The AFR piece is refreshingly honest about one thing: this is a sophisticated barbecue.
There is a learning curve, particularly around:
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Thermometer placement
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Rotisserie cooking
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Planning long cooks properly
Assembly was also described as challenging — something we strongly agree is best handled by professional assembly.
Once set up and understood, however, the performance was described as outstanding.
Final Thoughts: Preparation Meets Capability
One of the closing reflections from the AFR review is that even the best barbecue can only do so much — success still depends on preparation, planning, and technique.
But when the capability is there — precise temperature control, multiple cooking zones, rotisserie performance, and genuine flavour — the barbecue becomes less of a tool and more of a centre piece.
And that, more than anything, explains why Australians love cooking outside.
Ready to take your outdoor cooking further?
Explore the full Broil King BBQ range or visit our showroom.
Learn about Set and Forget Barbecues
Attribution
This blog is inspired by and references commentary from:
John Davidson, “The mega barbecue that showed us why Australians love cooking outside”,
Australian Financial Review – Life & Leisure, published 3 February 2026