Landmann is a familiar name on British patios, and the Black Taurus 660 is its sensible, affordable barrel grill. At around £120 it is the BBQ to buy if you want a proper charcoal grill that feeds a crowd without spending kettle money, and you do not need it to last ten summers. The barrel shape gives a generous rectangular grate that suits a tray of sausages better than a round bowl, the charcoal tray adjusts for height to give crude but genuine heat control, and you get side tables and a warming rack that dearer grills often charge extra for. That makes it our best budget pick and a sound first family BBQ.
Tested June 2026 · last updated June 2026
What we measured
2,400 cm2grate area (60 x 40 cm) 3charcoal-tray height positions 18 minfrom lighting to grilling heat 14 kgtotal assembled weight
Landmann Black Taurus 660: full specifications | Type | Barrel trolley BBQ |
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| Cooking area | 60 x 40 cm (2,400 cm2) |
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| Cooking grate | Chrome-plated steel, height-adjustable |
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| Body | Powder-coated steel barrel |
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| Charcoal height | 3 grate positions |
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| Warming rack | Yes, chrome |
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| Lid thermometer | Built-in |
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| Side tables | 2 folding shelves |
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| Wheels | 2, for moving on the patio |
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| Measured time to heat | 18 minutes (full chimney) |
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| Weight | 14 kg |
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| Typical UK price | £120 |
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Who is the Landmann Black Taurus 660 for?
The Taurus 660 is the right BBQ if you want to spend around £120, feed a family or a small gathering, and are happy with a grill that does the everyday job well rather than one built to last a decade. The long 60 x 40 cm grate gives 2,400 cm2 of flat cooking space that lays out a full row of sausages and burgers more naturally than a round kettle, so it is genuinely practical for a crowd. The three-position charcoal tray, side tables and warming rack add real convenience that you rarely see at this price. It is the classic first family BBQ: affordable, roomy and easy to live with.
It is less suited to two groups. Anyone who wants to roast joints, smoke low and slow, or cook reliably in cooler or windier weather will be far better served by a sealed enamelled kettle such as the Char-Broil Kettleman or the Weber Master-Touch, which hold heat where the thin barrel loses it. And anyone who expects their BBQ to still be going strong in ten years should spend more on better steel. For straightforward summer grilling on a budget, though, the Taurus is exactly the right tool.
How the Landmann Black Taurus 660 performs
Grilling and heat control
For the everyday job of grilling, the Taurus works well. Lit with a chimney it was up to heat in 18 minutes, and over a full bed of coals on the lowest tray setting it grilled sausages and burgers quickly and evenly across the long grate, with the wide rectangular shape letting us cook a dozen sausages in one go. Heat control here is mechanical rather than fine: instead of sealing the lid and adjusting vents, you raise or lower the charcoal tray through its three height positions, closer for searing, further away for gentler cooking. It is crude but it works, and on the highest setting we could cook chicken thighs through without scorching them. What it cannot do well is hold a precise low temperature, because the thinner body is less airtight than a kettle.
Capacity and the extras
The barrel format is the Taurus's strength. The 2,400 cm2 flat grate is better shaped for a party tray of food than a round bowl of similar area, and the chrome warming rack above gives somewhere to rest cooked food or keep buns warm. The two folding side tables are genuinely useful for trays, tongs and plates, and the trolley legs and two wheels make it easy to roll into position and store away. Assembly took us about 40 minutes from the box, par for this kind of grill, and the build felt sturdier than the price suggested once together.
Build and durability
This is where the budget shows, fairly. The body is powder-coated steel rather than porcelain enamel, so it heats fast but loses warmth to the wind and on a cool evening, and over a few seasons the coating and the chrome grate will wear faster than the enamel on a quality kettle. The lid sits on rather than sealing tightly, which is fine for grilling but limits roasting and smoking. None of this is a surprise at £120; it is the honest trade you make for a roomy, well-equipped grill at this price, and as a first BBQ that gets a family cooking outdoors, it does its job.
The honest downsides
There are two, and both come down to the budget. First, the thin powder-coated steel body does not hold heat like an enamelled kettle, so the Taurus struggles in wind and on cool evenings and cannot really roast or smoke; it is a griller, not an all-rounder. Second, the lighter build and chrome grate will not last as many summers as a dearer grill, so think of it as a few-seasons BBQ rather than a buy-once one. Both are entirely expected at the price, and neither stops it being the best value if grilling for a crowd on a budget is what you need.
The good
- The cheapest BBQ here we are happy to recommend
- Roomy 2,400 cm2 grate suits a crowd of sausages
- Three-position charcoal tray gives real heat control
- Two side tables and a warming rack included
- Up to heat in a quick 18 minutes
The not-so-good
- Thin steel loses heat in wind and cool weather
- Lid does not seal, so no real roasting or smoking
- Chrome grate and lighter build wear faster
- Mechanical heat control is cruder than vents
Best for: the first-time or budget buyer who wants a roomy charcoal grill for a family or a party for around £120. Not the pick if you want to roast and smoke (try the Weber Master-Touch) or want a grill that lasts a decade (try the Char-Broil Kettleman).
