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Outdoor Cooking Participation Statistics: Grilling Across Seasons and Settings

Survey findings on grilling participation, seasonal frequency, gatherings, equipment, Canadian outdoor activity, and cooking habits.

November 11, 2026 8 min read khillbbqcompany.com Editorial Team

Contents

Outdoor cooking participation statistics: Who grills and how often?

Participation figures measure different behaviors: having grilled, attending a grilling event, grilling during a stated period, or owning equipment. They should be interpreted within each survey’s population and timeframe. In a YouGov survey conducted July 8–10, 2026, 69% of surveyed German adults said they had either grilled themselves or attended a grilling event at least once during 2026 through the survey date. The online survey interviewed 2,079 YouGov panel members, and its results were weighted and described as representative of German residents aged 18 and older. Source: YouGov, 2026 survey findings

In that same German survey, 72% of men and 66% of women said they had grilled during 2026 through the survey date. Those gender figures measure respondents who reported personally grilling; the broader 69% figure also includes attending a grilling event. The survey also asked adults to compare their 2026 grilling frequency with previous years: 47% said they grilled as often, 24% less often, and 13% more often. These are the reported comparison categories, not a complete account of every possible response. Because the survey was conducted in July, the results describe responses through that point in 2026, not a year-end total. Source: YouGov, 2026 survey findings

A Danish publication dated December 17, 2025, reports that 7 out of 10 Danes had grilled during the preceding year. It does not state the field dates, so the period remains the preceding year as described by the publication. Its gender comparison says 72% of Danish men and 67% of Danish women had grilled. These Danish results and the German findings offer separate snapshots, with different reference periods and collection details; they are not a direct country ranking. Source: Landbrug & Fødevarer, “Indsigter i danskernes grillvaner”

Outdoor cooking participation statistics: Seasonal grilling frequency

The Danish findings show how reported grilling frequency differs by season. During summer, 6 out of 10 respondents grilled at least once a week, and 7% grilled 5–7 times weekly. Weekly grilling was reported by 27% in spring, 22% in autumn, and 8% in winter. Separately, 51% said they refrained from grilling altogether in winter. The 8% figure refers to weekly grilling; the 51% figure refers to not grilling at all in winter. The source does not state exact field dates. Source: Landbrug & Fødevarer, seasonal findings

Danish seasonal measureReported result
Summer: grilled at least once a week6 out of 10
Summer: grilled 5–7 times weekly7%
Spring: grilled weekly27%
Autumn: grilled weekly22%
Winter: grilled weekly8%
Winter: refrained from grilling altogether51%

The 5–7-times-weekly measure was reported by 1% in seasons other than summer. It describes a narrower frequency band than grilling at least once a week. Together, these findings show that the highest reported frequency was concentrated in summer, without identifying why people’s habits varied across seasons. Source: Landbrug & Fødevarer, seasonal findings

A historical U.S. survey framed seasonality differently. In Weber’s 19th Annual GrillWatch survey, 57% of grill-owner respondents said they grilled throughout the year. During their grilling season, 71% fired up a grill at least once a week, and 47% did so at least a few times per week. The release was dated March 24, 2008; respondents were over 21 and owned a gas, charcoal, or electric barbecue grill or smoker. The release said the respondents were balanced demographically to represent U.S. households. The weekly rates describe respondents’ grilling seasons, not every week of the year. Source: Weber, 19th Annual GrillWatch survey

Outdoor cooking participation statistics: Holidays, gatherings, and meals

Holiday grilling was reported by owners of mid-to-high-end grills in HPBA’s study, conducted in October 2022 and reported in 2025. In the United States, 70% said they grilled on Independence Day and 58% on Memorial Day. Among Canadian mid-to-high-end grill owners, 66% said they fired up a grill on Canada Day. These are occasion-specific findings for grill owners, not estimates for all U.S. or Canadian residents. Source: HPBA, “Insights for July’s National Grilling Month”

Occasion and surveyed groupReported grilling
Independence Day, U.S. mid-to-high-end grill owners70%
Memorial Day, U.S. mid-to-high-end grill owners58%
Canada Day, Canadian mid-to-high-end grill owners66%

In the same HPBA study, 64% of grill owners reported grilling for birthdays, while 43% reported cooking for groups of 10 or more. Birthday grilling and cooking for a group of a stated size are distinct behaviors. Both findings come from the study conducted in October 2022, despite its later publication. Source: HPBA, occasion and group-cooking findings

Weber’s 2008 release provides a historical measure of home entertaining among U.S. grill owners. They reported entertaining family or friends at home an average of 10.7 times a year and using their grills on 7 of those occasions. A separate December 2007 Synovate national online omnibus poll cited in the release found that non-grill owners averaged 9.6 home entertainments a year. These figures relate to different respondent groups and an earlier period; they are not current estimates. Source: Weber, 19th Annual GrillWatch survey and cited poll

Meals also appear in the historical Weber survey. Among its grill-owner respondents, 95% said they regularly grilled dinner and 37% said they regularly grilled lunch. “Regularly” is the survey’s reported description; these figures do not specify a number of meals per week. The respondent group consisted of adults over 21 who owned a grill or smoker. Source: Weber, meal-frequency findings

Outdoor cooking participation statistics: Backyard grill equipment and fuel

In YouGov’s July 8–10, 2026 German survey, 71% of households were reported to possess at least 1 grill device, while 29% possessed none. Ownership describes access to equipment as reported in the survey; it does not establish how often the device was used. Source: YouGov, grill ownership findings

Among German respondents, charcoal was the most popular listed grill model at 49%. Gas was identified by 35% and electric by 30%. These model figures need not add up to 100%, since respondents could report more than 1 type. Reported models also varied by residential setting: charcoal grills were reported by 55% in rural settings and 43% in urban settings; gas grills by 40% in rural and 28% in urban settings; and electric grills by 38% in urban and 24% in rural settings. These results describe model prevalence by setting, not a fuel ranking for every household. Source: YouGov, model and residential-setting findings

HPBA’s October 2022 study reported that 61% of mid-to-high-end grill owners used propane grills. This is a different population and survey from YouGov’s German findings, so the figures describe equipment use in distinct groups rather than a like-for-like comparison across countries. Source: HPBA, fuel preference findings

Outdoor cooking participation statistics: Canadian close-to-home picnics and barbecues

Statistics Canada reports picnicking and barbecuing close to home as a combined activity. In 2021, 24% of Canadian households reported doing so, down from 29% in 2019. These figures describe nearby outdoor recreation that may include a barbecue; they do not isolate barbecue participation. Source: Statistics Canada, “Start packing your baskets: International Picnic Day is almost here”

For 2021, the reported household shares were 29% in British Columbia, 27% in Alberta, 26% in New Brunswick, and 23% in both Quebec and Ontario. Each percentage covers the combined activity of picnicking or barbecuing close to home. It is not a barbecue-only rate. Source: Statistics Canada, provincial comparison

Canadian household measure20192021
Picnicked or barbecued close to home29%24%
With a nearby park or public green space, same combined activity30%26%

In 2021, 26% of households with a nearby park or public green space picnicked or barbecued, compared with 10% of households without one. For households with a nearby park, the corresponding 2019 figure was 30%. These are comparisons by access to nearby green space, and the activity remains a combined measure. Source: Statistics Canada, nearby-park comparison

Outdoor cooking participation statistics: Grilling foods and cooking habits

HPBA’s October 2022 study of mid-to-high-end grill owners included reported interests in recipes and techniques. A total of 53% actively sought new grilling or smoking recipes, and 50% enjoyed experimenting with smoking and slow-cooking techniques. These findings describe reported interests among the study’s grill owners, not the share of all households using those methods. Source: HPBA, grilling behavior findings

The same study found that 66% used dry rubs and spice blends, another 66% relied on marinades, and 34% incorporated hardwood smoking chips. A separate 34% researched ways to enhance food quality. These reported practices and activities may overlap, so their percentages should not be added together. Source: HPBA, grilling behavior findings

HPBA also reported that 28% of these grill owners used their grills to cook breakfast. The finding adds a specific meal to the study’s picture of grilling behavior, while the historical Weber results provide a separate view of meals in a broader grill-owner group. Source: HPBA, grilling behavior findings

The 2008 Weber survey adds self-reported food changes relative to a year earlier: 39% said they grilled leaner meats and 38% said they grilled more vegetables. Those figures refer to respondents’ comparison with their own reported habits a year before the survey. They do not measure current diets or the quantity of food cooked. Source: Weber, food habit findings

Sources

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khillbbqcompany.com Editorial Team

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