The Big FRED Deluxe is Burnhard’s four-burner gas grill from the Series 4, in the middle of three equipment levels. The Amazon ASIN of this page carries model number 947142, and Burnhard sells the Green Edition with cast iron grate under exactly this article number. It costs approx. €759 on Amazon (Amazon page on 20 October 2026: €759.20) and approx. €899 in the Burnhard shop.
One correction up front, because the old figure is still in the page title. 21.2 kW total output appears neither on the product page nor in the manual. The product page adds up all burners including the side burner to 24.95 kW, while the manual gives 18.2 kW for the combustion chamber with rear burner. How both values are made up is explained further down.
Three equipment levels, one combustion chamber
Burnhard sells the four-burner Big FRED as Base, Deluxe and Deluxe+. All three have the same combustion chamber with a 70.0 x 41.5 cm main cooking area. The Base comes with only the four tube burners and is available only as a Black Edition.
According to the product page, the Deluxe extends the grill with a rear burner and an infrared ceramic burner in the combustion chamber, a side burner, and a chopping board with GN container. The Deluxe+ adds Longlife Premium cast burners, a further infrared ceramic burner in the side table, a grill cover, a smoker box and a kitchen roll holder. The product page lists prices of from €699 (Base), from €899 (Deluxe) and from €1,099 (Deluxe+).
With the Deluxe you choose between Black Edition, stainless steel and Green Edition, and also between a cast iron and a stainless steel grate. According to the product page, the stainless steel grate costs €80 extra, so €979.
On the material of the green variant, Burnhard contradicts itself. The specification table lists the base cabinet and lid as stainless steel, while the highlight text describes a body of cold-rolled steel with a matt powder coating for the Black and Green Edition. The only thing clear for all versions is this: the combustion chamber is stainless steel, and the side panels of the lid and combustion chamber are die-cast aluminium. We consider the highlight text more plausible for the Green Edition, because the stainless steel version exists as its own colour variant; we cannot prove this. The manufacturer is Burnhard GmbH in Düsseldorf. Where the grill sits in price among the other gas grills is shown on our category page.
What the photo shows and what is in the box
The product photo shows a box-shaped build in a dark colour. At the top sits the cooking chamber with a rounded lid, thermometer and handle bar, and at the front there are four large control knobs and one smaller one. Below that comes a base cabinet with two doors. On the left the side table has a wooden surface, on the right it has its own knob for the side burner, and four castors run along the bottom.
The lid is double-walled and has an oven band, in other words a seal, around the edge. Above the tube burners lie four W-shaped stainless steel flame tamers, which Burnhard calls “W-Shape Flavor Bars”. Fat runs via a drip tray into a grease collection tray, both made of stainless steel. The manual counts three cooking grates for the Big FRED; the cast iron grates are enamelled, and according to Burnhard this layer protects against surface rust. Above them hangs a fold-down warming rack measuring 66.2 x 13.5 cm.
According to the product page, the following are also included: the gas hose with 50 mbar pressure regulator, a magnetic bottle opener, two hook rails and four rubberised castors with brakes. The chopping board is made of acacia wood and sits in the side table together with the GN food container, which fits the wooden surface in the photo. The manual includes a Phillips screwdriver and three cleaning needles of 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 mm. Not in the box: gas bottle, cover, rotisserie spit.
With the lid closed, the grill measures 141.4 x 58.4 x 119 cm (width, depth, height). With the lid open it grows to 64.5 cm depth and 148.5 cm height, and with the side tables folded down it shrinks to 98.4 cm width. Each of the two tables carries up to 20 kg and hangs on a quick-release adapter, so you can swap it for another function table.
Burnhard states 44.2 kg. The Amazon catalogue lists 117.95 pounds, converted approx. 53.5 kg, and no source says whether either of the two values includes the packaging.
In detail: seven burner values and a rule for the rear burner
The output figures from the product page, one by one: four stainless steel tube burners at 3.75 kW each, an internal infrared ceramic burner at 3.75 kW, an infrared ceramic rear burner at 3.2 kW, a side burner at 3 kW. Together that gives the 24.95 kW that Burnhard advertises. The manual calculates more narrowly and gives 18.2 kW, namely four times 3.75 kW plus the rear burner; it lists the same value as the nominal heat input (Hs). The internal ceramic burner and the side burner are missing from this total.
A calculation shows what the figure means for grilling on the main grate. The four tube burners together put 15 kW under an area of 70.0 x 41.5 cm, by our calculation 2,905 cm². That is around 5.2 kW per 1,000 cm². However, a kW figure describes how much gas burns per hour, not how hot the grate gets; the lid, flame tamers and wind also play a part.
Each tube burner is lit individually via the Kickstarter piezo ignition, and according to Burnhard you control the heat continuously. The tube burners are replaceable and can be retrofitted. The manual gives gas nozzles of Ø 0.83 mm for the main burners and Ø 0.79 mm for the rear burner. With four separately adjustable burners you can set up a hot side and a switched-off side, in other words grill directly and indirectly; how the principle works is explained in our guide to direct and indirect heat.
For the internal infrared ceramic burner, Burnhard promises up to 900 °C of direct heat from below. Such a burner burns the gas in a porous ceramic plate, which glows in the process and gives off its heat mainly as radiation upwards. That is the usual principle for short, fierce searing. Nobody on our side has measured the 900 °C.
The rear burner sits on the back wall and, according to Burnhard, is intended for use with a rotisserie: the skewered food turns in front of the radiant source. The manual attaches three conditions to this. It does not run at the same time as the main burners and the ceramic burner, otherwise overheating and damage threaten. It is not used in strong wind. And it stays off as long as fatty food lies on the warming rack. So if you are planning chicken on the spit and sausages on the grate at the same time, you have to do it one after the other.
The lid thermometer shows the temperature of the cooking chamber; at the grate it is usually hotter according to the manual. Burnhard recommends 250 to 370 °C as the grilling range, and approx. 15 minutes with the lid closed should be enough for preheating.
What Burnhard leaves open
A few points are answered by neither the product page nor the manuals, and we do not estimate them:
- what temperature the cooking chamber reaches after the 15 minutes and where its maximum lies
- the gas consumption of the internal ceramic burner in g/h, and thus the consumption of the complete Deluxe
- the cooking area as an official cm² figure; the 2,905 cm² above is our own multiplication
- material thicknesses of the lid, combustion chamber and grates
- the country of manufacture
- which rotisserie spit belongs to the rear burner and what it costs
- a manufacturer’s warranty beyond the statutory warranty
- whether the grill is allowed on a balcony; the sources only say “outdoors only” and give clearances
In addition, two inconsistencies in the manuals. The dimension table of the main manual prints “734 x 552 x 1190 cm” for the Big FRED, evidently a unit error that matches no figure on the product page. And the side table manual lists the Big FRED under the numbers 946720 to 946723, not under 947142. We therefore use the dimensions from the product page.
How long does an 11 kg bottle last on the Big FRED Deluxe?
With all four main burners at full load, around 10 hours. The manual gives 273 g of gas per hour per main burner, 1,092 g/h together. If the side burner with its 218 g/h runs as well, it is 1,310 g/h, and the bottle is empty after around 8.4 hours.
For the smaller bottles, the same calculation at 1,092 g/h gives about 4.6 hours (5 kg) and 7.3 hours (8 kg). The rear burner alone draws 233 g/h, so an 11 kg bottle would theoretically last around 47 hours. The manual adds main and rear burners to 1,325 g/h, even though according to the same instructions they are not supposed to run together. Turned down, every bottle lasts longer.
The supplied pressure regulator is designed for a maximum of 1.5 kg/h. Main burners plus side burner, at 1,310 g/h, are below that. Whether it is also enough when the internal ceramic burner runs as well, we cannot calculate for lack of a consumption value, and we would ask Burnhard’s service about it before the first big barbecue evening.
5, 8 and 11 kg bottles fit in the base cabinet. The manual gives their dimensions: 5 kg at 420 mm height and 230 mm diameter, 8 kg at 505 mm and 300 mm, 11 kg at 600 mm and 300 mm. The bottle stands in the middle on the struts. Composite bottles made of plastic are not permitted in the base cabinet because of the fire risk; if you use one, you route the hose through the back wall to the outside.
Hose and pressure regulator come pre-fitted: a CE-approved hose line of at most 1.5 m and a fixed-setting pressure regulator to DIN EN 16129 and DIN EN 16436-1 (these standards apply in Germany and the EU) with 50 mbar operating pressure. You route the hose so that it does not touch the combustion chamber and does not run under the grease collection tray. You replace both after 10 years at the latest, even without visible damage, and with the gas hose with gas pressure regulator, article no. 947107. A routine inspection of the gas system is due at least once a year, and repairs to it are reserved for authorised specialist personnel. What else you should bear in mind when buying a bottle is covered in the guide to the gas bottle for the grill.
These three alternatives are worth a look
| Model | The difference | Price | Our rating | Choose this one if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BURNHARD Big FRED Deluxe (this one) | Rear burner 3.2 kW and infrared ceramic burner in the combustion chamber, side burner 3 kW | approx. €759 | 8.2 | you want to turn roasts on the spit and sear on the same grill |
| BURNHARD Big FRED Base | same combustion chamber and area, only the four tube burners | approx. €599 | 8.1 | you only grill directly and indirectly and never need a spit |
| BURNHARD Big FRED Deluxe+ | additionally Longlife cast burners, ceramic burner in the side table, cover and smoker box | approx. €1,099 | 7.9 | you would buy the cover and smoker box anyway |
| Rösle Videro G4-S Vario+ | infrared Prime Zone in the side table instead of in the chamber, no rear burner | approx. €849 | 9.2 | the sear zone matters to you and the rotisserie spit does not |
The prices are the guide values from our price boxes and change. The rating is our editorial assessment from the data comparison; we have not measured anything on any of the four grills.
Base, Deluxe, Deluxe+ or Rösle: which fits when
The key question is the rear burner. Burnhard states explicitly that it cannot be retrofitted. If you want it at some point, you have to choose at least the Deluxe when buying; according to the product page, the other Deluxe parts can be added to the Base with an upgrade set.
If you do not need a spit, the Big FRED Base at approx. €599 is the obvious choice, the Deluxe costs approx. €759, and both have the same combustion chamber.
Do you want the cover and smoker box anyway? Then do the sums. According to the product page, the cover costs €69.90 extra with the Deluxe, while the Deluxe+ comes with a grill cover, plus a smoker box and Longlife cast burners. The Deluxe+ costs approx. €1,099, the Deluxe approx. €759. In our comparison it still scores worse at 7.9 than the Deluxe at 8.2, because the extra cost mainly pays for accessories.
If searing is the priority rather than the spit, we would rather go for the Rösle Videro G4-S Vario+, which costs approx. €849, the Deluxe approx. €759. According to Rösle, its Prime Zone sits in the left side table and reaches approx. 800 °C, and the four main burners have 3.5 kW each on a 70 x 45 cm grate. This model has no rear burner.
How many people are coming? Burnhard designs the Big FRED Deluxe for up to 15 people, without saying what portion per head it calculates with. We therefore read the figure as a rough guide. For sausages and vegetables, the warming rack above helps, on which finished food can wait as long as the rear burner is off.
Do you have the space? With the tables up it is 141.4 cm wide, and the manual requires 100 cm clearance on each side. By calculation you therefore need around 3.40 m of free width, plus 100 cm to the rear and 200 cm above. If you are toying with a balcony, read our guide to grilling on a balcony and your house rules first.
Setting up, burning in, cleaning: what the manual prescribes
On siting, the manual gives five points: the grill stands sheltered from wind, away from moisture, splashing water and electrical cables, with a minimum distance of 1.5 m to all combustible materials and 7.5 m to all flammable liquids, on a level, stable and fireproof surface, and the gas bottle is protected from strong sunlight. Because the grill radiates heat, it never belongs directly against glass fronts, walls or plants. Before every use you lock it with the brakes, it is not moved during operation, and before every move you remove the gas bottle, otherwise it can tip over.
You check the hose and pressure regulator for cracks and damage before every operation. For the leak test, you brush all sealing points with leak detection spray or soapy water (1 part soap to 3 parts water), open the valve, watch for bubbles and close it again. If bubbles keep rising after tightening, the valve stays closed and you go to a specialist dealer. The test is repeated after every bottle change.
Before the first grilling session, you wipe the lid and combustion chamber damp on the outside and check that the burners sit correctly on the nozzles. After that the main burners run for 20 minutes without food, and the side burner likewise for 20 minutes. The enamelled cast iron grates are meant to be seasoned: oil them with refined oil with a high smoke point, explicitly not olive oil, then main burners on HI and 45 minutes with the lid closed. Ignition is always with the lid open. The manual prohibits aluminium foil or an aluminium tray on the drip tray or grease collection tray.
Cleaning is done after every use, without flammable cleaning agents, with the grill cooled down and the gas bottle removed. Beforehand you burn it off: main burners on HI, internal ceramic burner on LO, 15 to 30 minutes with the lid closed, until no more smoke rises. You soak the flame tamers and clean them with washing-up liquid, and the dishwasher is also permitted; no water may get into the gas nozzles. The inside of the lid and the side panels of the combustion chamber are uncoated cast aluminium, for which ordinary grill cleaners are only partly suitable, and the manual names a suitable cleaner or washing-up liquid. No microfibre cloth goes on stainless steel surfaces, because it can scratch, and you wipe off residues of stainless steel cleaner completely. If you have chosen the stainless steel grate, you may put it in the dishwasher; only steel wool is taboo, because it leaves surface rust.
You do not need to clean the ceramic stone of the rear burner. In the case of grease splashes, you burn it clean for 10 to 15 minutes on full heat, with the main burners staying off. A thorough clean is due every 3 to 4 months, and after longer idle periods you look into the venturi tube, which has an insect and spider guard. This is covered in more detail in our guide cleaning a gas grill.
Who is it suited to?
For catering, the hospitality trade or the grill stand at a club festival, the Big FRED Deluxe is the wrong choice, because according to the product page and manual it is not intended for commercial use. The manual forbids use by children; people with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities may operate it under supervision or after instruction.
According to our comparison, it suits a household with a garden that grills for large groups and really wants to use the spit. If you like tinkering yourself, you should know: the manual permits only original accessories, gas-carrying modules may only be attached or removed with the grill switched off, and for defects that go beyond a burner replacement, Burnhard refers you to a professional repair service.
